Reflection
The capacity for experiencing wonder and awe is an important part of our spiritual foundation. The perception of the world as a manifestation of God, with everything as beautiful or good in itself, enables us to experience it with grateful admiration, to live in fascination, to feel peace and ultimately to be at one with ourselves and all else. This is a quality that seems to be in short supply when we base all our satisfaction in material things. We lose the capacity to be awestruck when we forget that all creation is God’s gift. Material possessions come and go, but, the beauty of creation is forever. Are we awestruck or do we take it all for granted?
Prayer
May we recapture the awe and wonder of childhood when everything seemed new and “wonder-full”.
Action
Today try to notice and appreciate the wonderful in the ordinary.
Suggested Reading
The beginning of wisdom is awe in the Lord and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Proverbs 9: 10-12
As stewards of God’s creation, we are called to make the earth a beautiful garden for the human family. When we destroy our forests, ravage our soil and pollute our seas, we betray that noble calling.
Pope Francis
Mankind will not perish for want of information; but only for want of appreciation. The beginning of our happiness lies in the understanding that life without wonder is not worth living.
Abraham Joshua Heschel
Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.
John Milton
He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.
Albert Einstein
If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.
Buddha
If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.
Rachel Carson