"Cultivating gratitude"
When I studied Eucharist at the University of Notre Dame, my liturgy professor, John Baldovin SJ, gave us an easy way to remember the core of what we were about in celebrating the Lord's Supper: "Our attitude is gratitude." If we have not cultivated an attitude of gratitude for daily life, it is hard to suddenly take on this attitude as we come through church doors on Sunday. If we have not practiced the habit of daily giving thanks, how can we join in whole-heartedly with the Great Amen that closes our Eucharistic Prayer, otherwise known as the Great Thanksgiving?
We all know that a shrinking number of people are coming through those church doors anyway. What role might photography play in helping all of us make connections with this attitude of gratitude, in liturgy as in life? Photographer and cinematographer Louie Schwartzberg gives us stunning testimony of his gratitude through his images. In this TEDx talk (at right), he speaks of the wonder of nature, the beauty of creation, and the natural response we humans should have in our encounters with God's creation -- gratitude. The TEDx explanation accompanying this video notes: "Nature’s beauty can be easily missed -- but not through Louie Schwartzberg’s lens. His stunning time-lapse photography, accompanied by powerful words from Benedictine monk Brother David Steindl-Rast, serves as a meditation on being grateful for every day." |
Watch Schwartzberg's time-lapse photography and see the amazing dance of flowers as they open and close with the light and the seasons. Listen to the wisdom of a little girl share her perspective on how going out into nature "gets you more imagination." Contemplate what we can discover in just one day through the monk's poetic words juxtaposed with Schwartzberg's stunning poetics images. Before you go out to photograph the world around you -- natural and human-made -- and catch glimpses of God's grace this week, take a few minutes to be inspired by this amazing artist. I guarantee you'll find you will be looking at the world through new a new lens -- gratitude. |