I was looking at the Pacific, at the waves, at the cloud formation in
the sky and reflecting on the beauty and the violence of it all.
It got me thinking about life and death and how grand our little planet
can be and how small I was, standing there, alone....
Suddenly, it even occurred to me that someone else, standing right here,
a hundred years ago, might have had the same thoughts looking at the
same panoramic view.
And I liked that. I like to see us linked beyond time and place.
Now, what about someone standing here 1000 years ago, or even 10 000....
Yes, it is the same link but then my mind - and my imagination - struggle
more to grasp this.
But faith in God helps me understand and internalize better the extremely
big - and the extremely small - as Pascal said.
Faith and reason bring the whole puzzle together. Faith in the God of
history, the Father of the Word Incarnate, brings true coherence and
wholeness.
Thank God for the Judeo-Christian tradition and for its understanding
of time!
Thank God for the Incarnation, thank God for Jesus Christ who came for
all of us, for the whole world!
It seems nowadays that He is even more welcomed in other parts of the
world than the West…
It seems that, for some, the love of science and reason is sometimes
understood only as an "either…or" approach: either you believe in science
or you believe in God. This is one of the most truncating and degrading
view of all. Because both science and religion need to interact with
each other. As JPII said "Each can draw the other into a wider world,
a world in which both can flourish." The temptation of reducing things
and concepts, of putting them in little boxes, each with their own little
label, is a very popular temptation. Watching the waves of the Pacific
help me see the big picture. It helps me embrace a more creative approach.
It helps me see that studying the ocean is as valuable as writing poetry
about it.
We are truly meant for more, for bigger things, for reaching out to
increase beauty and love, truth and justice in the world.
Wow, the negative ions of this stormy weather can certainly energize
me and agitate my thoughts….:)
And then the beauty of this ocean and this sky tonight resonate so well
in my heart that I wish I were a musician so I could share it better.
But I'm not, I can only take photos and write a few comments.
But I am sure that our mind and soul can store everything in more ways
than one, so the energy I feel right now gives me courage and will help
me spread love and peace in this beautiful season of Christmas 2014.
Or so I hope. The truth is, I'm pretty weak on my own and will resort
to self-centered and lazy thoughts any day. This is why I need the grace
of God.
And the blessing of living next to the ocean.
By the way, mountain peaks have the same effect on my soul
which is
why I appreciate so much
being able to share my time between Northern California and the French
Alps.
Enough for tonight, I'm getting cold, I'm going home.
Joyeux Noël à tous!
