The bud stands for all things, even those things that don’t flower, for everything flowers, from within, of self-blessing; though sometimes it is necessary to reteach a thing its loveliness.

St. Francis and the Sow, Galway Kinnell

What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honour.   Psalm 8

I CAN…

Children have a sense of themselves as the centre, of being powerful, almost omnipotent. The world resolves around them and they make things happen. A very young child who has received the necessary security and attention has a sense of their own loveliness. They can say ‘I am lovely’ and ‘I am powerful’. Little boys and girls seem comfortable in themselves, each switching between sparkling tutus and prince/princess costumes. Both boys and girls rejoice in the ‘I can…’ and the ‘I am…’ I recall my son wearing at about 3 years old wearing a head scarf round his neck like a cape and jumping off his slide shouting ‘to the rescue!’ I do not recall his seeing or watching anything about superheroes but he naturally seemed to identify himself as one.

THE SIRENS OF GOD

Is there then a deep and primeval ‘Yes’ that resides in our centre, that we all carry with and in us? This is a ‘Yes’ to our essential self that remains hidden with Christ within us. It is a soulful siren that we may listen to and be drawn, an ancient story that is constantly being told and a touch that reassures or reaffirms: St.Francis/put his hand on the creased forehead/of the sow, and told her in words and in touch/blessings.’ These reteach the messages, ‘You are lovely’ and not withstanding our weakness, ‘You are powerful’. What messages am I listening to?

See Ecclesiastes 3:11, Colossians 3:3

 

 

This article is written by Kirsty Hook and copied, with permission, from the website of the Coracle Trust.

Image; Scott Loudon – Unsplash.com

Leave a Comment





This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.