The First Bible...

"For a true contemplative, a gratuitously falling leaf will awaken awe and wonder just as much as a golden tabernacle in a cathedral."
Fr. Richard Rohr, Daily Meditation, 2/20/19

I had a job interview last summer at a church. On the third interview I met with the Pastor of the parish and he asked me about my prayer life. I threw caution to the wind and explained that I sit in my treehouse and read the First Bible--nature.  I have a magnificent church beside my balcony, with squirrels and birds, teaching me about God. I didn't get the job. No matter, I got the job that was a better fit, but it was funny. So many times in my life God has shown me God's grandeur and beauty outside a church. God's presence is just as vivid for me to see in my tree. God also speaks to me, ever so clearly, while sitting on the porch of my little St. Helen's hermitage at Marymount. The chapel is nice too, on a rainy day, but being outside, with the sights and sounds of God's creation, is where I hear God's voice--and it's grand. Today's first reading from Genesis (Gen 8:6-13, 20-22) tells the story of Noah sending out the raven first and then the dove from the ark. Eventually, the dove returned to him with an olive branch in her beak. God speaks to us in creation, as sure as the snow is falling in Boiseville this morning! Let's get out in it and listen! Love, heidi