Mundane Mysticism

Why do we look for a Divine Realm 
Of depth and richness 
Beyond the elaborately embroidered world 
We live and move and exist within? 
Why do we long for a heaven 
Outside of earth? 

Jesus says the Kingdom is near
Right at hand
Even in this sinful world ruled by death. 
The Buddha says that the transcendent Realm 
Is in fact this world of suffering and desire
If we will just awaken to it. 

They say this NOT because there is no Transcendent Reality 
Beyond and behind the world of everyday experience
BUT because there is. 
Everything comes from a Love 
Which precedes and transcends it. 
THIS material world is precisely 
The expression of this Divine Life. 

We feel It
In the seas flowing in and flowing out
In the majestic turbulence of the weather
In the rich soil beneath our feet and under our nails. 

We see it
In the infinite complexity of living things
In the fragile beauty of flowers
In the intricate interdependence of domesticity.

We hear It
In the squeals of children
In the barking of dogs
In the fractured conversations and dreams we share.

Every form of richness and complexity and beauty 
Is a facet of the Divine
A Lens to focus eternal Love into temporal forms. 
We open ourselves to the goodness and truth and beauty 
Right in front of us
NOT because this is all we will ever get
BUT because these are the stained glass windows 
Of the Cathedral of Nature
Filtering the Uncreated Light 
In ways we can perceive. 

The world is a living Sacrament
An outward and visible sign 
Of an inward and spiritual Grace. 
And Jesus the Anointed One 
Is the Guarantee and Exemplar 
Of this Grand Truth. 

Because this humble peasant was capable 
Of fully embodying God’s Life in material form
We know for sure that God’s Life 
Can be shared through this material world: 
Through food and drink
Through water and wine
Through sky and sea
Through creatures and creativity
And ultimately through our hands and feet. 

May you embody God’s Love this day
And may God open your eyes 
To experience God’s Life 
And see Uncreated Light
In every facet of the world you inhabit.