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Be Holy

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations,

Through Christ Our Lord,

Amen

- an ancient prayer written partially as a song in the 800’s and later as a prayer in the 1200’s.

The Leaves Know

Aspen at Sunrise, Colorado creek drainage, Northwestern Colorado, USA

Leaves know that blessings received are meant to be given away.

They speak of the splendor of your majestic glory, tell of your wonderful deeds. (Psalms 145:5)

The rain falls, the sun shines, the leaves grow, only to turn to gold, saying, “Thanks be to God” before falling to the ground.

The leaves know.

Hearing the Cry

Fledgling Song Sparrow, Olympia, WA, USA

Oh, Little one,

let us hear your cry.

You who do not speak,

cry into our conscience.

Oh, Little One,

Teach us about dignity.

True dignity, found in who we are,

human beings, made in God’s image and likeness.

Oh, Little One,

Teach us about joy.

True joy, found in acts of love

for the most vulnerable among us.

Oh, Little Vulnerable one,

let us hear your cry,

so that one day we might hear your laughter,

and our joy will be made complete.

- Folks at “A Nature Walk With God”

‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ - Matthew 25:40

Instrument of Peace

Diamond Mountain as viewed from Rabbit Ears Peak, Colorado, USA

Prayer for Peace

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

St Francis of Assisi

Wisdom from Above

Sunrise, Colorado creek drainage, Northwestern Colorado, USA

Glorious Splendor

Lake Cushman as viewed from Dry Creek Trail, WA USA

Upward Call

Large Leaf Maple, Squaxin Park, Olympia, WA USA

The bible, the scriptural authors, are not interested in self-determination but in the process by which a person awakens to God’s call. - Bishop Robert Barron

The great adventure is listening to and then following God’s call. From Abraham, to Mary and Joseph, to Paul, to Mother Theresa, the servants of God listen and follow.

My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. - John 10:27

Filled with the Spirit

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Calmed my Soul

“Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35)”. Jesus often found a quiet place where his body, mind and spirit could be alone with his heavenly father. How do you quiet your soul before entering into prayer?

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A Light to My Path

We are truly blessed to have sacred scripture because “in the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children, and talks with them.” ~ CCC 103

This being said, the early Christians were largely illiterate and yet the word of God was fully alive in their hearts, minds and actions. How did Christianity spread so quickly to a vastly illiterate population, with differing languages and cultures, without having any power or wealth?

To put it simply, they followed Jesus. They were not merely a spiritual people, they were the Church, the living body of Christ. They met weekly, sharing in communion, sharing in the precious body and blood of Christ, listening to the scriptures, and sharing testimony. Most of all; however, they saw Christ, the “Word” of God, living in each other, not just at their place of meeting, but in all aspects of their lives.

At its center, “Christianity is the religion of the "Word" of God, a word which is "not a written and mute word, but the Word which is incarnate and living.”(CCC - 108)”. Christianity is feed by divine scripture but it is practiced, through the power of the Holy Spirit, by the Word of God living within us.

For an inspirational example of how the one man following Jesus in the time of the Gladiators changed the world visit our website at http://www.anaturewalkwithgod.com/learnmore and read Reflection #5 - Telemachus.

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Treasure in Heaven

Chipmunk carrying moss, Sequalitchew Creek Trail, DuPont, WA USA

What treasures can we store in heaven? Jesus in the twenty-fifth chapter of the gospel of Matthew tells us that acts of love, particularly love shared for those that are the most vulnerable, are the treasures we can store in heaven. Who are the most vulnerable God has put in your life? What is the best way you can help them?

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” ~ Matthew 25:35-36

It should be noted that Jesus asks us to give from the heart, for he not only cares for the vulnerable, but he also desires that our hearts are transformed to be more like his, full of love.

“For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” ~ Matthew 6:21 and Luke 12:34

Peace be with you.

Your friends at A Nature Walk with God

Fishers of Men

Osprey holding fish, Willapa Hills State Park Trail, Chehalis, WA USA

Look close at this Osprey, also called the fisher hawk. While it rests on a tree next to the Newaukum River it holds a fish in its right talon while seemingly to be constantly searching the horizon for more fish….

Jesus asked two men, Peter and his brother Andrew, simple fishermen, not rabbis or scholars, to follow him, to become his disciples. Jesus would take these two men, and a few others, from small desert villages and transform them, and they would transform the world, not through might but through love.

The invitation that Jesus gave to Peter and Andrew is an invitation to all, to become fishers of men. What does it mean to be a fisher of men? St. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:12 that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” So a fisher of men is a person that invites people to become a new creation in Christ.

For more information on the hope that the Osprey represents to the ecology of the world visit our website at https://www.anaturewalkwithgod.com/learnmore and read “Reflection # 4 – Osprey and Ecological Hope”

Peace be with you.

Your friends at A Nature Walk with God.

The Lord always before me

Cedar Wax Wing sitting on Cow Lilly leaf, McClane Creek Nature Trail, WA USA

Keep me safe, O God;

in you I take refuge.

I say to the LORD,

you are my Lord,

you are my only good.

As for the holy ones who are in the land,

they are noble,

in whom is all my delight.

They multiply their sorrows

who court other gods.

Blood libations to them I will not pour out,

nor will I take their names upon my lips.

LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,

you have made my destiny secure.

Pleasant places were measured out for me;

fair to me indeed is my inheritance.

I bless the LORD who counsels me;

even at night my heart exhorts me.

I keep the LORD always before me;

with him at my right hand, I shall never be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad, my soul rejoices;

my body also dwells secure,

For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,

nor let your devout one see the pit.

You will show me the path to life,

abounding joy in your presence,

the delights at your right hand forever.

~ Psalm 16

Peace be with you.

Your friends at A Nature Walk with God.

Freedom and Love

U.S. Flag flying under flowering trees, Squaxin Park, Olympia, WA USA

We were made for love, love of God and neighbor, and are not completely free, or even completely joyous, until we perfect love through charity. The following are some things to consider on your journey to freedom, a journey of perfecting love through the supreme virtue of charity.

Prayer - We cannot complete this journey on our own but need the grace of God, with the accompaniment of the Holy Spirit, in prayer.

Virtue - Charity cannot stand on its own but needs the accompanying virtues of faith, hope, prudence (~wisdom), temperance (~self-control), justice (~fairness) and fortitude (~courage), all pointing toward love of God and neighbor.

Jesus - In Jesus we have the perfect role model. He is the one that will accompany us on our journey. Just look at Jesus on the cross and you will see all the virtues displayed to perfection pointing toward love of God and neighbor.

Peace be with you.

Your friends at A Nature Walk with God.

Fully Known

Spatterdock or Yellow pond or Cow lily, Millersylvania State Park, WA USA

St. Paul wrote these words of our “knowing partially” toward the end of his dissertation on love. History has held what St. Paul wrote to be true, our knowledge, our skills, and our abilities will all fade away, only to be replaced with other achievements that will also fade away. What we see and understand today is not the complete picture. However, God has given us the ability to participate in things that will not fade away. The things that do not fade, the things we will be known for in heaven, are those things done for, with, and through love (see Matthew 25: 31-46). Love is not an emotion but an act of the will, for to “love is to will the good of the other as other.” (St. Thomas Aquinas – biblical example is the Story of the Good Samaritan, Luke 10:25-37).

An additional reflection on the similarities between the speed of light and love is on our website at https://www.anaturewalkwithgod.com/learnmore and read Learn More “Reflection # 3 – The Speed of Love”.

Peace be with you.

Your friends at A Nature Walk with God.

Rooted in Jesus

Western Hemlock, McLane Creek Nature Trail, WA USA

This large western hemlock tree started as a small seed that fell on top of a tree stump. The seed germinated, and as if by faith, its roots penetrated deep into the stump, gathering nutrients and moisture. Then its branches and needles reached upward, as if by hope, searching for sunlight in the deep shadow of the forest floor. Today it stands tall, built upon where the stump once stood, and as if by love, the hemlock sows its seed across the woodland forest below, yielding fruit a hundredfold. A lot can be learned from a tree and the words of the bible.

“But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.” ~ Matthew 13:23

Let us tend to our soil, let us be rooted in the word of God which is Jesus Christ.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” ~ John 1: 1-5

Let us, rooted in Christ, be a light for the world, yielding fruit a hundredfold.

Peace be with you.

Your friends at A Nature Walk with God

Wildflowers

Learn from the way the wildflowers grow.

Smiling at the rain,

bending in the wind,

reaching up to the sky,

kissing the sun,

blossoming,

radiating color,

bringing forth life,

becoming what God intended,

a colorful light for the world.

Let us learn from how the wildflowers grow.

Worry is a thief. It robs us of the moment. It robs us of our colorful light. Jesus tells us not to worry but to trust in God. “If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?” So let us trust in the Lord and blossom into the people God meant us to be, radiating our colorful light to all through love of God and neighbor.

An additional reflection on living in the moment with trust is God is on our website at https://www.anaturewalkwithgod.com/learnmore and read “Reflection # 2 – Wildflowers”

Peace be with you.

Your friends at A Nature Walk with God.

Abba

Song Sparrow, Willapa Hills State Park Trail, Chehalis, WA USA

“Daddy” is perhaps the best translation for “Abba”. In this one word, Daddy, St. Paul is revealing the heart of God. God is love and he reveals himself to us as a loving father.

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” ~ Romans 8: 14-16

So Christians, let the spirit of God that dwells within you embrace your spirit with fatherly love and transform you into the children God desires you to be.

For more information on how God is a loving father go to the Learn More tab and read “Reflection # 1 – Abba”.

Peace be with you.

Your friends at A Nature Walk with God.

Power in Weakness

Fledgling Pacific Wren, Woodard Bay Conservation Area, Olympia, WA USA

What good can come out of weakness? St. Paul may have wondered the same thing. In his second letter to the church in Corinth, Paul reveals that he had a “thorn of the flesh” that could not be healed. God revealed through Paul the power of trusting in God, even when prayers seem not to be answered.

“Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Cor 12:10

Prayer in weakness and suffering requires great faith. God’s grace, working through great faith, is the strength that Paul is referring to, St. Paul is a spiritual role model. The weaknesses, insults, persecutions and constraints that St. Paul endured are being transformed into God’s glory, even today. Paul could not have imagined the powerful works that God has exhibited through the ages by his faith-filled prayer of uniting his weakness and suffering to those of Jesus Christ.

So, at those times when you are reminded that you are weak, go to prayer, listen to the Lord. Jesus is a master physician. Ask him what he is trying to teach you through your troubles. Give your weakness, even your suffering, to the Lord in prayer and trust that the master physician will work his miracles in transforming you, and others, into the people you were meant to be, just as he did for Paul and is continuing to do in the Church that St. Paul loved so very much.

Peace be with you.

Your friends at A Nature Walk with God.

Mothers, Heaven Sent

We know little of the first 30 years of Jesus’s life. Since, God is God, he could have come into this world anyway he choose. For instance; God could have entered this world from a mountain top, walked to the river Jordan, been baptized by John and then began his ministry. Instead, God became man through a woman. God, the father, gave Jesus, his son, the gift of having a mother, the best mother that ever lived.

I am so very blessed. My mother was great, as was my grandmother. Then I have been blessed by watching my wife lovingly care for our children. I have also been surrounded by great mothers, including my daughter and daughter in-law, and many others. Mothers teach us how to love.

If you need a mother to teach you how to love, Jesus gives you his mother to be your spiritual mother. Hold her hand when you pray to her son. Feel her love. The Father’s gift to Jesus and Jesus’s gift to you.

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. John 19: 26-27