Winter Theme

Beginnings and Contemplation: Exploring the
mystery and interconnectedness of God, creation and humanity

The Vastness of the Universe: Experiencing Wonder

Sunday AWE: The Vastness of the Universe: Experiencing Wonder

A few years ago, I found myself in Kyrgyzstan. After riding several miles on horseback through a blinding snowstorm in the Tian Shan, known as the Celestial Mountains in mandarin, we spent the night in a yurt by Song-Kul, a frozen lake situated at an elevation of 9,900 feet. That night, far from civilization, the skies cleared to reveal a moonless expanse. Never before had I witnessed so many stars. I stood in awe, captivated by the tapestry of stars suspended in the night sky, confronted by a profound vastness that both humbled and inspired me.

The universe, with its countless stars, galaxies, nebulas, and other cosmic phenomena, stretches beyond our comprehension, drawing us into a state of wonder. We are tiny specks in an unfathomably vast expanse, yet we possess the consciousness to marvel at it. The same forces that shaped the stars flow through us; the elements in our bodies were forged from stardust in ancient supernovae. This realization invites us to view life as a sacred gift, a miracle of existence that connects us to the grand unfolding of the cosmos. We are not separate from it; we are woven into its very fabric.

Many spiritual traditions have looked to the heavens as a reflection of the Divine. The psalmist proclaims, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1). The sheer immensity of the universe speaks of something beyond our grasp—an infinite love, an eternal presence, a creative force so vast that it calls us into silent reverence. To encounter such vastness is to encounter the mystery of God, a Light that illuminates all things, a Life that pulses through the cosmos, a Love that holds everything together.

Wonder is not merely an emotion; it is an invitation. It beckons us to slow down, to gaze upward, and to embrace the beauty of existence with fresh eyes. In a world that often feels small and hurried, wonder expands our hearts. It reminds us that we are part of something far greater than ourselves, teaching us to live with reverence, gratitude, and a sense of childlike curiosity.

Perhaps the greatest mystery is that, despite the incomprehensible vastness of the universe, we are here—conscious, aware, and capable of wonder. In that wonder, we glimpse the Divine—the infinite wrapped in the ordinary, the sacred woven into the fabric of existence. To stand in awe of the universe is to stand in awe of the One who breathed it into being.

Monday Awe: The Majesty of Creation

  • St. Basil the Great: “The heavens declare the glory of God, as the work of His hands proclaims His majesty.” (Hexaemeron)
  • John Chrysostom: “Gaze upon the stars, and let your heart be lifted to the Creator who set them in place.” (Homilies on Genesis)
  • Rumi: “The sky speaks of infinity; the stars, of eternity, singing the song of the Beloved.” (The Essential Rumi)
  • Albert Einstein: “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” (Ideas and Opinions)
  • Rig Veda 10.129.2: “The universe was born of the vast, boundless, and ungraspable, bringing forth life and light.”
  • Psalm 19:1: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (NIV)
Question to Ponder: How does the vastness of the universe make you feel?
Action to Take: Spend time under the stars tonight, reflecting on the vastness of God’s creation.

Tuesday Awe: The Mystery of Infinity

  • St. Gregory of Nyssa: “The infinite nature of God is reflected in the vastness of the cosmos.” (On the Soul and Resurrection)
  • Meister Eckhart: “In the endless expanse of creation, God reveals His unending mystery.” (Sermons and Treatises)
  • Simone Weil: “The immensity of the universe is but a shadow of the immensity of God.” (Gravity and Grace)
  • Tagore: “The infinite whispers in the heart of the finite, inviting it into wonder.” (Gitanjali)
  • Tao Te Ching 25: “The infinite is the root of heaven and earth, giving birth to all.”
  • Isaiah 40:26: “Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name.” (NIV)
Question to Ponder: How does contemplating infinity lead you to a deeper sense of awe?
Action to Take: Meditate on Tagore above, allowing the infinite to whisper in your heart.

Wednesday Awe: The Beauty of the Cosmos

  • St. Augustine: “The beauty of the cosmos reflects the infinite beauty of its Creator.” (Confessions)
  • Thomas Aquinas: “The order and harmony of the universe bear witness to the wisdom of God.” (Summa Theologica)
  • William Blake: “To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wildflower is to glimpse eternity.” (Auguries of Innocence)
  • Catherine of Siena: “Creation is a mirror, reflecting God’s love and beauty in every corner.” (The Dialogue of Divine Providence)
  • Odes of Solomon 16:11: “The beauty of the Lord is upon His works, and His love is the radiance that fills all things.”
  • Genesis 1:31: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” (NIV)
Question to Ponder: How does the beauty of the cosmos inspire you to worship its Creator?
Action to Take: Observe a flower, tree, or another small piece of creation today, noticing its intricate beauty.

Thursday Awe: The Order of the Universe

  • St. Thomas Aquinas: “The natural laws of the universe reveal the mind of God.” (Summa Contra Gentiles)
  • Johannes Kepler: “Geometry is the language of God, through which He wrote the universe.” (Harmonices Mundi)
  • Hildegard of Bingen: “The harmony of creation sings the praises of its Creator.” (Scivias)
  • Rumi: “Every turning sphere, every orbiting star, moves in the rhythm of God’s love.” (The Essential Rumi)
  • Tao Te Ching 42: “Out of the Tao came order, and in order, all things found their path.”
  • Job 38:33: “Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?” (NIV)
Question to Ponder: How does the order of the universe reveal the wisdom of God?
Action to Take: Study the stars or a natural pattern today, marveling at God’s order in creation.

Friday Awe: Experiencing Wonder

  • C.S. Lewis: “Wonder is the proper response to the glory of God in His creation.” (The Weight of Glory)
  • St. John of Damascus: “When I contemplate the heavens, my soul rises to praise the Maker of all.” (Exposition of the Orthodox Faith)
  • Henri Nouwen: “Wonder opens the soul to the presence of God, who fills all things with awe.” (Life of the Beloved)
  • Julian of Norwich: “The marvels of creation are endless, as is the love of the Creator who makes them known.” (Revelations of Divine Love)
  • Rig Veda 1.6.4: “The vastness of the universe brings the mind to silence before the Eternal.”
  • Psalm 8:3-4: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” (NIV)
Question to Ponder: What does it mean to wonder? What does wonder do to your heart?
Action to Take: Take time today to reflect on the vastness of God’s creation and how it points to His glory.

Saturday Awe: The Vastness of the Universe: Experiencing Wonder

  • John Chrysostom: “Gaze upon the stars, and let your heart be lifted to the Creator who set them in place.” (Homilies on Genesis)
  • Tagore: “The infinite whispers in the heart of the finite, inviting it into wonder.” (Gitanjali)
  • Catherine of Siena: “Creation is a mirror, reflecting God’s love and beauty in every corner.” (The Dialogue of Divine Providence)
  • Rumi: “Every turning sphere, every orbiting star, moves in the rhythm of God’s love.” (The Essential Rumi)
  • Henri Nouwen: “Wonder opens the soul to the presence of God, who fills all things with awe.” (Life of the Beloved)
Question to Ponder: What does wonder invite you into?
Action to Take: Find a flower, a leaf or a crystal or stone. Look closely at its intracule details. Experience AWE – become Aware, Wonder, Enjoy.

God is Love: The Incomprehensibility of Divine Love

Sunday Awe

“Love is patient, love is kind; it is not envious.

Love does not brag; it is not arrogant.

It is not rude; it is not self-serving; it is not easily angered or resentful.

It does not rejoice in injustice, but rejoices in the truth.

It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

(1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, 13 NET)

Everything that love is, God is; for God is love (1 John 4:16). To say, “God is love” is much more than a simple statement of fact, like “Grass is green.” It is personal and intimate, meaning “God loves me.” As we will explore this week, God’s love is unconditional, unfathomable, unending, and transformational.

This means that God loves me unconditionally, beyond anything I can grasp, without limit or end. Sometimes, it helps to personalize a passage like the one above:

“God is patient and kind toward me, never arrogant or overbearing. God does not harbor anger or resentment toward me. God is for me, not against me, believing, bearing, and hoping for all good things for me. God’s love for me never ends.”

Some people often feel that God is against them. This perception can stem from various sources. They may have experienced childhood trauma and felt unloved by their parents, leading them to question, “If my own parents don’t love me, how can a Divine Parent love me?” Others may face hardships that cause them to doubt God’s love, thinking, “If God allowed this in my life, He must not love me.” Additionally, some are taught a distorted view of God as an angry tyrant eager to punish them for their sins. Or, it may be more subtle thoughts like, “Yes, I know that God loves me, but I don’t think He really likes me. I disappoint Him so often.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Here is how Paul expressed it:

“If God is for us, who can be against us? … Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? … No, in all these things we have complete victory through Him who loved us! For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:31, 35, 37-39 NET).

There is no sin, no thought, no action larger or greater than the love of God. There is nothing any of us can ever do that can separate us from God or God’s love (they are the same thing). We may be guilty of wrongdoing, but that does not diminish God’s love for us in the least.

This theme of unconditional love is common among those who have had near-death experiences (NDEs). Almost universally, they describe experiencing unconditional love beyond anything they can articulate. Paul had visions and may have had an NDE himself. He certainly had an experiential understanding of the immensity of God’s love for us and prayed that others would come to grasp that love:

“I pray that…because you have been rooted and grounded in love, you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19 NET)

I did not intend to quote the Apostle Paul so often in this reflection, but he wrote so articulately and gracefully about love. This message often gets lost in performance-based religion. Jesus illustrated it well in the parable of the prodigal son. After squandering wealth and reputation, as he returned home, his father rushed out, embraced him, and welcomed him back without hesitation or condition.

Remember, God loves you just as you are, with all your faults, failures, blemishes, and weaknesses. There is nothing you can do to earn or lose God’s love for you. It is inclusive, accepting, unconditional, healing, and unending. You may not always feel God’s love, but it is always there, surrounding you and within you.

Monday Awe: Love as the Essence of God

  • Henri Nouwen: “God is love, and it is through this love that we find our true selves.” (The Return of the Prodigal Son)
  • Catherine of Siena: “The fire of God’s love burns without consuming, filling the soul with light.” (The Dialogue of Divine Providence)
  • Simone Weil: “To love God is to know that God alone is love.” (Gravity and Grace)
  • Odes of Solomon 8:11: “He wrapped me in a garment of love, and His love brought me to life.”
  • 1 John 4:16: “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” (NIV)
Question to Ponder: What does it mean to me that God is love?
Action to Take: Meditate or contemplate on 1 John 3:16.

Tuesday Awe: The Depth of God’s Love

  • St. Augustine: “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” (Confessions)
  • Julian of Norwich: “I saw that love was God’s meaning. Who showed it to me? Love.” (Revelations of Divine Love)
  • Thomas Merton: “The root of all creation is love, for it is through love that God made the world.” (No Man Is an Island)
  • Rumi: “Love is the bridge between you and everything.” (The Essential Rumi)
  • Bhagavad Gita 12:20: “Those who are filled with love, who see Me in all things, and love all beings, are closest to Me.”
  • Ephesians 3:18-19: “May you have power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.” (NIV)
Question to Ponder: How does experiencing God’s love help you understand its depth?
Action to Take: Write a prayer thanking God for loving you and asking to love others as you are loved by God.

Wednesday Awe: The Unconditional Love of God

  • St. Francis de Sales: “The measure of love is to love without measure.” (Introduction to the Devout Life)
  • Thomas Aquinas: “God loves all things because they are His creations.” (Summa Theologica)
  • Rabindranath Tagore: “God’s love is not a reward but a gift, flowing freely to all.” (Gitanjali)
  • John Wesley: “The love of God is the love that knows no end, no limits, and no conditions.” (Sermons)
  • Tao Te Ching 67: “I have three treasures: compassion, simplicity, and love. With love, all things are possible.”
  • Romans 8:38-39: “I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God. (NET)
Question to Ponder: If God is love and nothing can separate you from God’s love, then what can you do to separate you from God?
Action to Take: Reflect on any conditions you place on love and ask God to help you love unconditionally.

Thursday Awe: Love Manifested in Creation

  • St. Irenaeus: “The love of God is the life of creation, binding all things together.” (Against Heresies)
  • St. Hildegard of Bingen: “The world is infused with God’s love, a living song of His heart.” (Scivias)
  • Rumi: “The entire cosmos is filled with love, for it is the heart of creation.” (The Essential Rumi)
  • T.S. Eliot: “The fire and the rose are one—love’s union at the heart of all being.” (Four Quartets)
  • Rig Veda 10.191.3: “May love and unity pervade all things, as it does in the mind of the Creator.”
  • Psalm 145:9: “The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” (NIV)
Question to Ponder: How does God’s love in creation inspire you to care for the world?
Action to Take: Spend time reflecting on creation and how you can better care for it as an act of love.

Friday Awe: The Transforming Power of Love

  • C.S. Lewis: “To love at all is to be vulnerable, for love transforms and enlarges the heart.” (The Four Loves)
  • St. John Chrysostom: “Love transforms all things into beauty, for it is the presence of God.” (Homilies on Corinthians)
  • Simone Weil: “To be rooted in love is to be transformed by the eternal.” (Waiting for God)
  • G.K. Chesterton: “Love looks not with the eyes but with the heart, and it makes all things new.” (Orthodoxy)
  • Bhagavad Gita 6:29: “The one who is filled with love sees all beings as the same and rests in the divine.”
  • 1 Corinthians 13:13: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (NIV)
Question to Ponder: How does knowing that God loves you, transformed you?
Action to Take: Write down how you’ve been changed by God’s love and thank God for that transformation.

Saturday Awe: God is Love: The Incomprehensibility of Divine Love

  • Odes of Solomon 8:11: “He wrapped me in a garment of love, and His love brought me to life.”
  • Rumi: “The entire cosmos is filled with love, for it is the heart of creation.” (The Essential Rumi)
  • St. John Chrysostom: “Love transforms all things into beauty, for it is the presence of God.” (Homilies on Corinthians)
  • Bhagavad Gita 6:29: “The one who is filled with love sees all beings as the same and rests in the divine.”
  • 1 John 4:16: “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” (NIV)
Prayer: May the eyes of my heart be opened to see the incomprehensible love of God and may I be an instrument of this love to those around me.

God is Light: The Illuminating Radiance of the Divine

Sunday Awe

At the quantum level, the energy of light represents the underlying essence of the universe, as expressed in Einstein’s equation, E=mc². To say, “God is Light,” affirms God as the Ground of Being and the sustaining energy of the universe, a concept we have previously explored.

Light has long been a powerful symbol of the Divine, embodying that which reveals and guides. Saying “God is Light” further asserts that God is the source of truth and wisdom that illuminates our path. Just as physical light enables us to see the world around us, divine light allows us to perceive deeper realities, guiding us toward clarity and understanding.

Across various spiritual traditions, light signifies the presence and purity of God. St. John writes, “This is the message we heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). This statement is not merely metaphorical; it reveals the very nature of God. In God, there is not even a trace of darkness—no evil, arrogance, or ignorance. Too often, people mistakenly believe that God harbors anger against them and is out to “get them.” Yet, John categorically states that the message Jesus imparted from the beginning is that there is absolutely no darkness in God. God is wholly pure and benevolent, for us and not against us.

To say “God is Light” is also an invitation to experience God as the radiant force that dispels fear, shame, and every negative energy. These do not originate from God; they are merely the absence of light. When we open ourselves to this Light, our inner darkness dissipates, setting us free and healing us. As Paul wrote, “…everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes light” (Ephesians 5:13 NIV).

Light does not impose itself upon us but gently calls us to awaken. It shines even in the darkest places, offering hope and renewal. Like the sun breaking through after a long night, God’s light brings warmth and assurance, reminding us that no darkness—whether in the world or within ourselves—is beyond its reach. In moments of doubt or difficulty, when all we see are shadows, we can trust that this light is always present and that the shadows are merely temporary obstructions to the light.

Living in the light of God means walking in awareness and integrity. It involves choosing love over judgment, courage over fear, wisdom over ignorance, and connection over division. It calls us to reflect that light into the world, becoming beacons of kindness, justice, and compassion. Jesus said we are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). Just as a single candle can brighten a dark room, even the smallest act of kindness or a smile can bring hope to someone.

Ultimately, the light of God is not something we must search for out there somewhere; it is already within us, waiting to be recognized. It may only be a twinkle, but the more we attune ourselves to its presence, the more we see and experience a radiant life.

Monday Awe: Light as a Symbol of God’s Presence

  • St. John of the Cross: “God’s first language is light, illuminating the path of the soul in its dark night.” (The Dark Night of the Soul)
  • Hildegard of Bingen: “The light of God permeates all creation, reflecting His glory in every corner.” (Scivias)
  • Meister Eckhart: “The light of God is not found in the outer world but within the depths of the soul.” (Sermons and Treatises)
  • Dante Alighieri: “In His will is our peace, and it is light that reveals the truth of that peace.” (Divine Comedy)
  • Bhagavad Gita 10:11: “Out of compassion, I dwell within the hearts of all beings, and I dispel the darkness born of ignorance with the luminous lamp of knowledge.”
  • Psalm 27:1: “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” (NIV)
Question to Ponder: How does God’s light illuminate the path of your life?
Action to Take: Spend time today in silence, reflecting on areas in your life where you need God’s light to guide you.

Tuesday Awe: The Light of Revelation

  • Origen of Alexandria: “The Word is the true light, shining in the hearts of all who seek understanding.” (Homilies on Genesis)
  • Thomas Aquinas: “The divine light reveals the mysteries of faith to the humble of heart.” (Summa Theologica)
  • Simone Weil: “God’s light is the source of our vision, yet it blinds us with its brilliance.” (Gravity and Grace)
  • Rabindranath Tagore: “The light of the stars sings to the Eternal, whose radiance fills the sky.” (Gitanjali)
  • Tao Te Ching 52: “From the source of light comes clarity, and in clarity, the path is made visible.”
  • 2 Corinthians 4:6: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” (NIV)
Question to Ponder: How has God’s light brought clarity or revelation to your life?
Action to Take: Write down a time when you felt God’s guidance, thanking Him for revealing His truth.

Wednesday Awe: God’s Light in Creation

  • St. Basil the Great: “Let there be light was the first word of creation, and all things came to life in its brilliance.” (Hexaemeron)
  • St. Francis of Assisi: “Praise be to you, my Lord, for Brother Sun, who is the light of day, and Sister Moon, who shines in the night.” (Canticle of the Sun)
  • William Blake: “The sun does arise, and heaven rejoices in the holy light.” (Songs of Innocence and of Experience)
  • Rumi: “Don’t you see? The light of God dances in every leaf, every stone, and every star.” (The Essential Rumi)
  • Odes of Solomon 11:1: “He has filled me with words of truth, that I may proclaim Him. And like flowing waters, truth has shone forth in my heart, and His light is in me.”
  • Genesis 1:3-4: “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.” (NIV)
Question to Ponder: How does the beauty of creation reveal God’s light to you?
Action to Take: Take a walk in nature and meditate on how God’s light shines through creation.

Thursday Awe: The Transforming Power of God’s Light

  • St. Teresa of Ávila: “The light of God transforms the soul, making it a mirror of His love.” (Interior Castle)
  • St. John Chrysostom: “The light of God’s Word penetrates our hearts and transforms us from within.” (Homilies on the Gospel of John)
  • Julian of Norwich: “All shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well in the light of God’s love.” (Revelations of Divine Love)
  • Tagore: “Let your light be the guide that transforms every shadow into the dawn of understanding.” (Gitanjali)
  • Tao Te Ching 58: “In transforming darkness, the true light emerges and brings peace.”
  • Ephesians 5:13: “But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.” (NIV)
Question to Ponder: How has God’s light transformed you?
Action to Take: Reflect on areas in your life that need transformation and ask God for His light to shine there.

Friday Awe: Light as Eternal Hope

  • C.S. Lewis: “The light of heaven shines on the road ahead, leading us home.” (The Great Divorce)
  • St. Augustine: “God’s light is the eternal hope of the soul, never extinguished.” (Confessions)
  • Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “Hope is like a star, shining brightest in the darkest night.” (Letters and Papers from Prison)
  • Simone Weil: “Even in affliction, God’s light remains as a beacon of hope.” (Waiting for God)
  • Rig Veda 7.86.3: “May the eternal light of truth guide our steps, dispelling the darkness of ignorance.”
  • Revelation 22:5: “There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.” (NIV)
Question to Ponder: How does God’s light bring you hope, even in darkness?
Action to Take: Light a candle and reflect on how God’s light brings eternal hope to your life.

Saturday Awe: God is Light: The Illuminating Radiance of the Divine

  • Hildegard of Bingen: “The light of God permeates all creation, reflecting His glory in every corner.” (Scivias)
  • Tao Te Ching 52: “From the source of light comes clarity, and in clarity, the path is made visible.”
  • Rumi: “Don’t you see? The light of God dances in every leaf, every stone, and every star.” (The Essential Rumi)
  • Ephesians 5:13: “But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.” (NIV)
  • Simone Weil: “Even in affliction, God’s light remains as a beacon of hope.” (Waiting for God)
Question to Ponder: How can I open myself up to see the light better?
Action to Take: Bring to mind a moment or place of darkness in your life. Fully feel the darkness. Now imagine the light filling the darkness. Accept the healing.

God is Life: Reflecting on the Sacredness of Being Alive

Sunday Awe

This is the first installment of a three-week mini-series on “God is Life,” “God is Light,” and “God is Love.” While these phrases may seem clichéd, it is easy to overlook the profound depth they convey.

To say “God is Life” is to affirm the sacredness inherent in every breath, every heartbeat, and every moment of existence. Life itself is a miracle—an unexplainable, intricate, and interconnected web of being that pulses with energy. From the mitochondria in our cells to the sprouting acorn and the massive blue whale, all of creation reflects the life-giving presence of God.

When we pause to reflect on the simple fact that we are alive, we encounter a profound mystery: the mystery of being and conscious existence. Last week, we explored God as the Ground of Being, the life-force that sustains everything. This life-force, which is God, is not distant or removed but intimately present in the very fabric of our being—in the breath that fills our lungs, the energy that fuels our cells, and the beating of our hearts. God is not only the Source of our life but is, in fact, our life.

To see God as Life invites us to approach the world with awe and reverence. It calls us to recognize the sacredness of our own existence and the lives of others. Each person, each creature, and even the natural world itself becomes a reflection of the Divine. When we honor the sanctity of life, we step into a deeper awareness of our connection to everything and everyone around us through the Spirit of God.

This understanding also carries a responsibility. If life is sacred, then how we live matters. We are invited to care for this precious gift—not only within ourselves but in all forms of life. Acts of kindness, compassion, and love become acts of worship—ways of honoring the Source of Life that dwells within us and all creation.

Ultimately, to reflect on God as Life is to awaken to the wonder of being alive. It is to recognize that every moment is infused with divine purpose and possibility—even those moments filled with pain and sorrow. It is to trust that the same Life that brought us into being will continue to sustain, provide for, and guide us now and forever.

Monday Awe: The Breath of Life

  • St. Gregory of Nazianzus: “The soul is the breath of God, a divine essence that gives life to the body.” (Orations)
  • Meister Eckhart: “God’s spirit flows through all things, as life flows through the veins of the world.” (Sermons and Treatises)
  • Julian of Norwich: “In God’s sight, we live forever, for we are kept by His unending love.” (Revelations of Divine Love)
  • Bhagavad Gita 15:7: “An eternal portion of Myself, having become a living soul, enters into the world of life.” (The Bhagavad Gita)
  • Job 33:4: “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” (NIV)
Question to Ponder: How does recognizing God’s breath within you inspire reverence for life?
Action to Take: Take a deep breath and spend five minutes in quiet meditation, focusing on the gift of life within you.

Tuesday Awe: Life as Sacred Gift

  • Catherine of Siena: “Life is the holy arena in which the soul encounters God’s grace.” (The Dialogue of Divine Providence)
  • St. Francis of Assisi: “Praise be to you, my Lord, for our sister, Mother Earth, who sustains us and produces all manner of fruits.” (Canticle of the Sun)
  • Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “Life belongs to God, for it is given to us as grace and entrusted as responsibility.” (Ethics)
  • Rumi: “With life’s first cry, the soul remembers God’s love, for all life returns to the Beloved.” (The Essential Rumi)
  • Tao Te Ching 1: “The Tao gives birth to all things, sustains them, and nourishes them until their return.”
  • Psalm 36:9:“For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” (NIV)
Question to Ponder: How does recognizing life as sacred transform your daily actions?
Action to Take: Write down three ways you can honor the sacredness of life in your day-to-day routine.

Wednesday Awe: The Interdependence of All Life

  • Thomas Merton: “Every being exists in interconnection, reflecting the unity of God’s creation.” (New Seeds of Contemplation)
  • St. Basil the Great: “The earth, the air, and the seas—every part of creation—is interwoven with God’s handiwork.” (Hexaemeron)
  • Simone Weil: “All creatures are like leaves on the tree of God, trembling in the same life-breath.” (Gravity and Grace)
  • Albert Einstein: “Our task must be to widen our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” (Ideas and Opinions)
  • Odes of Solomon 16:2: “The breath of the Most High has given them life, and they have received strength from His Spirit.”
  • Acts 17:25: “He himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.” (NIV)
Question to Ponder: What does it mean for you to be interconnected in life?
Action to Take: Spend time in nature today, observing the ways all living things rely on one another.

Thursday Awe: God as the Sustainer of Life

  • St. Augustine: “The life of the soul is in God; He sustains and nourishes all that exists.” (Confessions)
  • Jean-Pierre de Caussade: “The present moment is always filled with infinite grace, for God sustains us at all times.” (The Sacrament of the Present Moment)
  • Maximus the Confessor: “The cosmos is sustained by God, who breathes life into all that is.” (Ambigua to John)
  • Rabindranath Tagore: “God’s life-giving spirit is the pulse of existence, renewing all things endlessly.” (Gitanjali)
  • Isaiah 42:5: “This is what God the Lord says—the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it.” (NIV)
Question to Ponder: How does knowing God sustains all life change how you see your own existence?
Action to Take: Reflect on how God provides for you and express gratitude in prayer today.

Friday Awe: The Sacred Cycle of Life

  • Henri Nouwen: “All life moves in the sacred rhythm of birth, growth, death, and renewal, drawn toward God.” (The Way of the Heart)
  • St. John of Damascus: “God weaves the threads of life, bringing beauty through the passage of time.” (Exposition of the Orthodox Faith)
  • T.S. Eliot: “In my beginning is my end. In my end is my beginning.” (Four Quartets)
  • Evagrius Ponticus: “Life’s cycle is a reflection of God’s eternal wisdom, guiding all things back to Him.” (Chapters on Prayer)
  • Rig Veda 10.129: “From the eternal came all things, and to the eternal shall they return.”
  • Ecclesiastes 12:7: “The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” (NIV)
Question to Ponder: In what ways do you accept or resist the cycle of life?
Action to Take: Think of someone you know (maybe even yourself) that is struggling with accepting their current place in the cycle of life and do something to affirm or encourage them.

Saturday Awe. God is Life: Reflecting on the Sacredness of Being Alive

  • St. Gregory of Nazianzus: “The soul is the breath of God, a divine essence that gives life to the body.” (Orations)
  • Albert Einstein: “Our task must be to widen our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” (Ideas and Opinions)
  • St. Augustine: “The life of the soul is in God; He sustains and nourishes all that exists.” (Confessions)
  • St. John of Damascus: “God weaves the threads of life, bringing beauty through the passage of time.” (Exposition of the Orthodox Faith)
  • Psalm 36:9: “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” (NIV)
Question to Ponder: What does it mean for God to be my life?
Action to Take: Do something today to honor the sacredness of life in another living being.
Explore by Month