Be Present

Easter, unlike years before, falls on the last Sunday of April. Due to this belated arrival, the seasonal change is more evident in the garden. The cold winter is gone and we keenly appreciate the splendor spring brings to the Myra House — numerous unblushing blooms, intense sweet fragrances, new stems, fresh garden leaves and ripened citrus fruits, The nature in our garden vividly teaches us:

Be present! Freely be as you are!
Trust each moment to bring out your highest potentials.
Be aware of what is in you and what God is doing for you.
You are becoming the best you are supposed to be—what is right, good and beautiful.

Just as our spring garden reveals aspects of the image of God, the story of Easter also reveals aspects of the image of God. About two millennium years ago, a young man named Jesus lived near Palestine. He was different from others. His energy was spent on healing the wounds, comforting the hopeless, empowering the voiceless and seeking divine guidance.

His unconventional manner agitated the local officials. He was indicted and went through a public trial. In the end, he was killed by the death penalty. He tried neither to blame anybody nor look for a way around. Rather he accepted his fate in the face of affliction and injustice. His mortality could not reverse the death charge. It was God whose almighty loving power brought his lost life back. Accordingly, Jesus was liberated from death. His spirit has become immortal and present even now. The life of Jesus disclosed God’s image.

Every person is able to live akin to the example Jesus set for us. With a conviction that God’s nature is in us and God is working for us we can embody God’s image: goodness, beauty and faithfulness during our life span.

However, the human condition reveals that death-like incidents interfere—hatred, war and natural disaster. Our ordinary life is often daunted by self-generated thoughts such as fear, anger and loneliness.

Spiritual masters teach us that our lives can be enlivened by rekindling the image of God within us through practicing deep silence. During silent meditation and prayer, we become free from troubling thoughts, detach ourselves from what our bodies and minds crave and our highest potentials are awakened. Taking each breath with the inhale and exhale, we connect with the deepest part of ourselves, where we experience the pure, untarnished and powerful presence of God. During this form of prayer we enter the realm of infinite stillness and utter selflessness. And there we experience peace and the power to embody God’s image.

As I perceive the generative power and animated beauty in our garden, I am convinced each plant and tree manifests God’s nature. We as human beings can embody God’s image if we truly believe God is in us and working for us. When we are attentive and mindful of each moment with absolute trust, our lives transform to lives of peace and happiness.
SJS, 0430’11