God-Moments with the Soul

Matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers – Friday, June 5, 2015

God-Moments with the Soul

The writer of today’s chapter, Marion Woodman, is an analyst. Her focus is on the individual moments that go into a soul-filled day. God-moments.

Actually, “God-moments” is a word I’ve just coined. That is, unless someone else thought of it first. I am only five chapters into this book, Handbook for the Soul.

Woodman speaks for herself. “We all experience ‘soul moments” in life. . . . During those moments, our body, as well as our brain, resonates as we experience the glory of being a human being.” [1] The word picture she paints of the glory and wonder of it? As the young people today might say, awesome.

Soul is important to Woodman, for without soul there cannot be a bridge between “spirit” and “body.” That is her way of arranging it. God (or Higher Power, or Eternal Source) remains intimately involved in her life.

A great big “Yes” to the fact that God is intimately involved in my life! I, on the other hand, still have mixed thoughts about the unseen. Some would say that I have some open-mindedness concerning my soul and its exact purpose. In short, I am not sure exactly what the soul’s purpose is. However, I think both Woodman and I agree that our souls need nourishment. Beneficial treatment.

“If we fail to nourish our souls, they wither, and without soul, life ceases to have meaning. Life becomes boring; it has no dimension.” [2] Yes! Souls need nutrients, nourishment. A great starting point on which to agree.

[1] Handbook for the Soul, Richard Carlson and Benjamin Shield, editors. (Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1995), 33.

[2] Ibid, 34.

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A Canticle of Praise and Prayer

Matterofprayer: A Year of Everyday Prayers – February 5, 2015

Pillars of Creation
photo credit – NASA – European Space Agency
Hubble Space Telescope

A Canticle of Praise and Prayer

For those of you following at home, here is an update on Bella, the sweet girl who is the daughter of a friend of the office manager at my church. She had an operation on a brain tumor yesterday. The lab results are in: benign! Bella is aware, responsive and smiling! Thanks be to God. Now the rehab and recovery. Thanks so much for prayers and good thoughts.

I thought today’s prayer suggestion from the book Prayer and Temperament was so appropriate, given today’s situation. The suggestion was to read Daniel 3:26-90, meditate and pray on it, and write my own canticle of praise to God as a response. (Yes, I know Daniel 3:26-90 is only found in Catholic editions of the Bible. The book I am using as a prayer guide for these two weeks before Lent begins is co-written by a Catholic priest.)

While giving God thanks and praise for God’s encouragement, comfort and support for Bella and her family at this serious time, I want to follow the prayer suggestion, as written.

This canticle from Daniel has a great deal to say about the natural world. I don’t usually think about the wide world, and what it contains. But—didn’t God make the world, too? (Rhetorical question.) Yes, I can look at this prayer suggestion in the light of an “assignment.” Or, it can focus my gaze on the glories of God’s creation. Not being much in the habit of writing out my prayers, I thought this was an excellent idea! Here goes.

Praise be to the God of creation, the One who spoke and the world came to be.

Let the four-footed ones make merry! Let the winged ones flap together!

Let sea creatures glide, insects buzz, reptiles hiss—all lift praise together!

Praise be to the God of all creatures, the One who called all things good.

Let the forest and field lift their leaves! Let the wastelands and wetlands rejoice!

Let rocks and rubble roar, sand and cinders sigh aloud—all lift praise to You, God!

Praise be to the God of inventive ingenuity, of endless creativity!

Let the creative sense within mortals give praise! Let both intellect and emotion rejoice!

Let community and crowd, families and folks all lift praise with many voices!

Praise be to the God of earth and sky, of sea and dry land, the One who is over all!

Praise be to the God who brought order out of chaos, the One who made me and you.

Like what you read? Disagree? Share your thoughts with your loved ones and continue the conversation.

Why not visit my sister blog, “the best of” A Year of Being Kind.