kindness and reverence (erin jean warde)

"May our eyes have the kindness and reverence of candlelight." --John O'Donohue

Dec 5, 2022

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inspiration

“For Light”
Light cannot see inside things.
That is what the dark is for:
Minding the interior,
Nurturing the draw of growth
Through places where death
In its own way turns into life.
In the glare of neon times,
Let our eyes not be worn
By surfaces that shine
With hunger made attractive.
That our thoughts may be true light,
Finding their way into words
Which have the weight of shadow
To hold the layers of truth.
That we never place our trust
In minds claimed by empty light,
Where one-sided certainties
Are driven by false desire.
When we look into the heart,
May our eyes have the kindness
And reverence of candlelight.
That the searching of our minds
Be equal to the oblique
Crevices and corners where
The mystery continues to dwell,
Glimmering in fugitive light.
When we are confined inside
The dark house of suffering
That moonlight might find a window.
When we become false and lost
That the severe noon-light
Would cast our shadow clear.
When we love, that dawn-light
Would lighten our feet
Upon the waters.
As we grow old, that twilight
Would illuminate treasure
In the fields of memory.
And when we come to search for God,
Let us first be robed in night,
Put on the mind of morning
To feel the rush of light
Spread slowly inside
The color and stillness
Of a found word.
—John O’Donohue, from To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings

I will be sharing blessings from from John O’Donohue each week, through the month of December. I believe that, in so many ways, they speak for themselves — because he knew how to speak so beautifully about the condition of the soul.

Rather than spending too much time contemplating these blessings, I’d rather take on a posture of letting them wash over us. I hope this also offers a way to slow down a bit during the often rushed feeling of the holidays.

So for this series, I recommend we pick one line from the blessing each week, and that we let it be a companion to us until the new blessing arrives.

My companion this week will be: May our eyes have the kindness and reverence of candlelight.

What one line prayer will be your companion this week? Share below if you’d like.

With love & care,
EJW

news & offerings

Come hang out with me and my friend Antonia on Instagram Live tomorrow night! Just follow me @erinjeanwarde and Antonia @antoniaterrazas on Instagram, and you should see that we are live. Antonia has a background in chaplaincy, an MDiv, and a heart of curiosity and humor. If you’ve ever felt like a raccoon lighting an Advent wreath, this is for you! <3

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