Growing toward union

Hello friends,

With the new year approaching it seems natural to take stock of our selves, our friendships, and our accomplishments. Many measure their lives by the accumulation of things.

Greed captivates us early on. So much to have. So much to deny to others; it’s tempting to sit on your mountain and gloat.  In some of the same ways we enjoy our webs of injustice, the social and cultural ways we differentiate ourselves from others. Yet St. Teresa of Avila reminds us of natural and spiritual unity: “I have no seams, no walls, no laws … my frontiers and God’s are the same.”

Our lovely garden depends on Brother Sun, who keeps us today and shines on us tomorrow. (And I wonder what cosmic travel is like.) Our cats loosen us from fears, especially when they laugh at us. … this tends to free us from fears of others. Gene

Growing Toward Union

“I have no seams, no walls, no laws . . .
My frontiers and God’s are the same.” – Teresa of Avila

Teresa is not boasting, as she reminds us
to stay open to experiencing the unitary.
We grow up in personal and social divisions
that cut us off from others in myriad ways.
Early on we risk becoming victims of our fears,
caught in webs of greed and injustice.

True friendships, early and late,
wean us from captivity to self,
and free us to love others as they are,
not as we want them to be.
Our cats and dogs teach us such lessons,
as they laugh with us and at us.

Our lovely garden folds us into nature’s unity,
showing the interlocking life
that breathes from Brother Sun
to sustain our days
and welcomes us back into cosmic arms.

Teresa of Avila
points to such oneness.