BEGINNING AGAIN

BEGINNING AGAIN

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

Be in your prayer space, follow the usual steps and settle into silence.

Sit still…..Relax…….Do not rush………

Take a couple of gentle, slow and deep breaths…becoming aware of your breath going in and out… stay focused on this breath of life……

Settle into silence, into peacefulness, into profound silence, into pure joy. Keep listening in such quietness and serenity. Come to that place, that space within, that place of deep silence, solitude, to just being here and now, without having to accomplish something. Let us begin with a prayer in our heart…….

Open my eyes Lord, help me to see your face,

Open my eyes Lord, help me to see….

Open my ears Lord, help me to hear your word,

Open my ears Lord, help me to hear….

Open my heart Lord, help me to love like you,

Open my heart Lord, help me to love…..

Now from the depth of your heart begin to wish your mind well……….

We begin again, our meditations on The Word of God, titled “IN THE BEGINNING”. We made six meditations on His Word. Before we begin again, we want to review and reflect again on some of the major thoughts and inspirations from the six meditations. This will enable to reflect more deeply into the mystery of His WORD! Please take a few moments and reflect over the following thoughts and insights.

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless wasteland and darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over the waters. Then God said, ” let there be light” and there was light. (Genesis 1:1-3)

Take a moment….use your imagination…visualize if you can……the formless wasteland!

• Remember those living in “formless wasteland”, in chaos, in confusion, without clarity and direction, without purpose and so on.

   

Take a moment….use your imagination…visualize if you can……darkness covering the abyss!

• Remember those living in fear, in ignorance, alone & lonely, alienated form loved ones, burdened with anxieties and uncertainties and so on.

Take a moment….use your imagination…visualize if you can……mighty wind sweeping over the waters!

• Remember those swept by the “mighty wind”, whatever form the wind takes today; those living under oppression, violence and abuse; those who carry heavy burdens; those for whom the wind is “mighty” and so are unable to balance themselves; those unable to stay focused and so on.

Take another moment…use your imagination…visualize if you can…the transformation that happened to the formless wasteland!

• “formlessness” was transformed…earth was fashioned!

• “Wasteland” was made fertile, life-giving!

• “darkness” vanished and light made all things visible!

• “mighty wind” became life-giving breath!

   

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless wasteland and darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over the waters. (Genesis 1:1-3)

Take a moment….use your imagination…visualize if you can……mighty wind sweeping over the waters!

The mighty wind that swept over the waters became life-giving breath of God and gentle cool breeze where God and man could walk in comfort and harmony.

We must remain tuned and sensitive to the movement of the spirit if we are to be transformed in Christ. The movement of the spirit may be in a gentle breeze or in a violent storm or in more subtle ways. We must remain open and docile to the spirit to recognize the spirit’s movement.

The rushing wind often sweeps through our inner space cleansing and purifying it and filling it with light and love. The love of God is poured into the heart by the holy Spirit (Rom.5:5). God’s love is poured generously into our hearts.

Then God said: “Let us make man in our own image, after our own likeness……God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them and commissioned him to have “dominion” over the earth…” (Genesis 1:26-28)

Made in God’s image, we must IMAGE God, Participate in the very life and creative activity of God….and share in the governance (dominion) of the earth.

Take a moment….use your imagination…visualize if you can……God, gently, tenderly and patiently at work, creating the heavens and the earth….fashioning us in his own image and commissioning us to share in the governance of the earth!

We are commissioned to participate in God’s life-giving act: must speak life-giving word; show deep concern for life, work for preserving and raising the quality of life…….

We are commissioned to participate in Gods’ life-redeeming/saving act: seek the lost, heal the sick, forgive the sinner, love the enemy………

We are commissioned to participate in God’s Ruling Act: maintaining integrity, wholeness, and harmony, establish just and right relations, work for peace, order and harmony, show concern for the total well-being of humanity……

God found all his creation good and blessed them and his creative activity concluded with blessing the day of his rest.

In the beginning God blessed everything….if we are to image God, we must cultivate a blessing attitude……

To bless is to make somebody or something holy, to bestow holiness on somebody or something, to protect somebody or something, to watch over somebody or something protectively, to wish somebody or something well, to affirm/approve and support somebody or something, to confer desirable quality on somebody or something, to rejoice and to express gratitude…..

To bless is to desire, wish, pray and say good, noble and praiseworthy things…….

Now from the depth of your heart wish your mind well, wish your heart well, wish your body well, wish your family well, wish your morning well, wish your day well, wish your world well, wish your “all” well……

Bless all that you are and have…. bless all your desires, hopes, plans, projects and those of your family and loved ones……..

In the beginning………God looked at everything he made and found it very good….(Genesis 1:31). Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed and God rested from all the work He was doing….and blessed and made the holy(Genesis 2:1-2).

• God finished His work of creating the universe.
  
• God rested when His creation work was finished.
  
• God blessed and sanctified the day He rested.
  

Take a moment….use your imagination…visualize if you can……God, gently, tenderly and patiently at work, creating the heavens and the earth….fashioning us in his own image and resting from the work he has been doing!

In the beginning, the whole universe was created, ordered and held together with a purpose. We are created and blessed with a purpose for our life. Be grateful!

We have a “God-ordained purpose” and we must participate in the fulfillment of that purpose.

To be human is to be born with a purpose. This purpose is not an individual or specific goal, but the fullness of our nature.

The purpose is to be and to become what God made us to be…to be his image, to image him where he has placed us.

The purpose must be seen as goodness, holiness, perfection, fullness of life with God, life in heaven, eternal life, etc.

God has loved us and has called us to a holy life, not because of any merit of ours but according to his own design – the grace held out to us in Christ Jesus before the world began. (Timothy 1:9)

You are no longer a slave but a son! And the fact that you are son makes you an heir by God’s design. (Galatians 4:7)

“You are fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God – being built to become a dwelling place for God in the spirit” (Eph.2:19-22)

Take a moment…..Prayerfully reflect on your noble calling and the purpose God has for you.

In the beginning God found all his creation good and blessed them and his creative activity concluded with blessing the day of his rest.

Now take a moment, bless all the things that God found good and blessed that you may find them good and holy, that you may preserve the goodness of God’s earth……

Be still, rest with God and bless this moment, this morning, this day and all around you!

Bless the LORD, O my soul;

all my inmost being, bless his holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
       and forget not all his benefits-

Who satisfies your desires with good things
       so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalm 103:1-2, 5)

We will continue our meditation on HIS WORD next week.

Fr. Gus Tharappel,msfs