I think a word that would be good for us to consider here, in the midst of Lent, is the word reverence. It is a word we tend to save for our worship. We reverence the altar as we pass by or approach it. We want to maintain an attitude of reverence during the Service of Worship.

For many of us, the noise from normal conversation becomes quite annoying when we enter the worship space. It would be respectful of others if when we enter the worship space in church or in chapel we take time to be quiet, to center our thoughts on God, to meditate, to listen to God and not talk to our neighbor. To give reverence to God and others in that way.

But reverence should apply to all of Life, not just in Church on a Sunday or Wednesday morning. In The seat of the Soul, Gary Zukav defines reverence thusly: "Reverence is engaging in a form and a depth of contact with Life that is well beyond the shell of form and into essence. Reverence is contact with the essence of each thing and person and plant and bird and animal. It is contact with the interior of its beingness. Even if you cannot sense the interior, it is enough to know that the form, the shell, is merely an outer layer, and that underneath it the true power and essence of who a person is, or what a thing is, is present. That is what is honored in reverence. Reverence is an attitude of honoring Life. . .reverence is simply the experience of accepting that all Life is, in and of itself, of value" (pp. 50-51). (In light of our national situation, it seems to me this is a lesson we need to learn more now than ever.)

To me, that is the essence of what Jesus did on the Cross. Even though the Principalities and Powers, and the religious leaders did not reverence his life, he did theirs. When faced with arrest, he would not allow a sword to be raised against life. We still haven’t grasped the full meaning of that restraint. When ridiculed and mocked he remained silent. When beaten and crucified, he forgave instead of cursed. He reverenced relationships, creating a new family with John and his mother Mary. He did not kill. He did not strike back. He did not condemn. He loved and he reverenced the Life in all, even his enemies.

In this day when there seems to be a growing lack of reverence for anything—traditions, people, those whose ideas or beliefs differ from ours, it would be good for us to meditate on how the Christ had such a great reverence for all the world. It would be good for us to ask ourselves how much we reverence this world that God gave to us, and examine how we contribute to the abuse of the Earth. Reverence for the Earth is to take seriously the words of the Lord’s Prayer—"give us this day our daily bread." In other words give us what we need, not all that we want. It means we challenge the values of a world that lacks reverence.

It would be good for us to consider how we speak of others, or treat their ideas. We can reverence others’ thoughts, lives and desires without lessening our own. To reverence the other is to see that the variety of ideas, cultures, and faith actually enriches our own.

Zukov says the decision to become a reverent person is essentially the decision to become a spiritual person (p. 56). Reverence creates compassion, kindness, and produces patience. One with an attitude of reverence does not see him/herself as superior to any other person, because the reverent person sees Divinity in all forms of Life, and honors it. Celtic spirituality emphasized "God is in all things, and all is in God." The Scriptures puts that concept like this, "In Christ all things hold together."

This Lent—and always—let us reverence not only our spiritual home, but all of Life. In doing so we more truly reverence the Christ, the Word who created all things. This is a concept worthy of our Lenten meditation and discipline.

Here is a prayer that I think encompasses this idea, without directly using the word "reverence:"

Holy One, in every moment we live in your expansive love and your tender embrace. All around us we behold your presence. All around us and within us life emerges, fresh and new, vital, sparked with zest. …May we embrace all the gifts you have given and use them well, in love and for love. May we use our gifts with wisdom and with courage, celebrating the connectedness and seeing the expressions of your love everywhere. May our actions and attitudes generate unity and our love bring us to communion. May we live in such a way that generations to come will look back at us in you and say, "Radically Amazing!" Amen-- Judy Cannato in Radical Amazement, p. 146.

Blessings,

Fr. Terry

For a 2010 Journey into Lent check out  http://www.cacradicalgrace.org/lenten/2010/