Journey Back to Eden.pdf - St Mark Coptic Orthodox Church Chicago

A TIME OF NEW BEGINNINGS 29your Word became flesh to dwell among us. Now our flesh isnourished by your Word, and your flesh is our very food. Youare speaking; your word fills the world and covers all flesh.Life quickens in the womb at your word, and the dead areawakened when you call their names. The breath of a “word”from your mouth was rolled into clay, and our very flesh washeld in your hands. The bread in our hands is blessed by yourWord, and your flesh is provided to seal our union with you.Blessed may you be who gave us the ears of our heart tohear you! Before our tongues can speak, we are able to hearand to ponder. Blessed may you be who stills every voice andquiets all earthly tumult till your word pierces the heavensand reaches us. And blessed may you be forever whose silent,eternal discourse of love within the mystery of your one unspeakableName has become a Word of revelation in our hearing,and a message of salvation before our eyes.Thank you for giving me the grace of contemplating yoursilence at this moment in my life. Here, in this place withoutboundaries and barriers, walls or roads, signs or properties, Ihear nothing. I see only the featureless, open expanse of space,and at length I see nothing. Blessed may you be whose silencein the nothingness of uncreated grace has become my meditation,that as I continually transcend the words and things ofmy life, I can find you in the purity of this desert retreat.An American Spy?OCTOBER 19, SUNDAYPilgrims passing through today pressed me for the reason formy presence here. After a lengthy explanation, which I thought wasclear enough, I heard the father of the visiting family sum it all upin the English word: SPY!Yikes! That was not my meaning. I must shore up the pilgrimageaspect of this sojourn, or I shall get nowhere. And, come tothink of it, why should I do otherwise? Always, I am thrown backto considering that God has done intensive anthropological fieldworkby the Incarnation of his Son. He did so not to spy on us, butrather, by the pilgrimage, the transitus, the exodus of his Cross topermanently abide with us, and we in him.