TO SEE GOD IN ALL THINGS

Are the scriptures the only place where the ways and works of God are revealed?

“The Lord makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. The Lord waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work. The Lord makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate-bringing forth food from the earth.” – Psalm 104:10-14

“To see God in all things” … it is both a credo and a mission statement for the Jesuits. Ignatian Spirituality so named after the founder of the Jesuits, Ignatius of Loyola. The Jesuit approach to Christian discipleship and Christian ministry is to look for God in all of Creation, in the lives of people, in the dynamics of culture, and in the course of history as well as in ongoing prayer and in the daily reading of scripture. When our eyes are washed by the waters of purifying grace and our hearts are intent about seeking the Presence of God … we can behold God at work in every place, in every moment, in every circumstance. God is everywhere, God is omni-present.

When one is, through much prayer, beholding life, one can behold the Divine dimension that so many other people who are too indifferent, too skeptical, too distracted cannot see. One can hear how thunder and whispering waters can carry the communication of God. One can see the Divine image that many people keep hidden beneath layers of acculturation. One can feel the pulse of God in the pulse of life. One can catch the fragrance of Heavenly Realms in the scent of the mountain pines.

This spiritual emphasis recognizes the Realm of God midst the realms of earth. This spiritual emphasis allows the mortal soul to view earthly existence in the spectrum of Heavenly Light.