True reverence
A Thought
Renowned Jewish theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel writes eloquently about the challenges of living a religiously authentic life. In an essay entitled “An Analysis of Piety,” he defines true reverence.
“The inner value of any entity — men or women, trees or stars, ideas or things — is, as a matter of fact, not entirely subject to any purposes of ours. They have a value in themselves quite apart from any function which makes them useful to our purposes. . . .
“Further, piety is an attitude toward reality in its entirety. It is alert to the dignity of every human being, and to those bearings upon the spiritual value which even inanimate things inalienably possess. The pious man, being able to sense the relations of things to transcendent values, will be incapable of disparaging any of them by enslaving them to his own service. The secret of every being is in the divine care and concern that are invested in it. In every event there is something sacred at stake, and it is for this reason that the approach of the pious man to reality is in reverence. This explains his solemnity and his conscientiousness in dealing with things both great and small.
“Reverence is a specific attitude toward something that is precious and valuable, toward someone who is superior. It is a salute of the soul, an awareness of value without enjoyment of that value or seeking any personal advantage from it. There is a unique kind of transparence about things and events. The world is seen through, and no veil can conceal God completely. So the pious man is ever alert to see behind the appearance of things a trace of the divine, and thus his attitude toward life is one of expectant reverence.”
An Excerpt from Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity: Essays by Abraham Joshua Heschel edited by Susannah Heschel
A Prayer
Holy God, you gather the whole universe
into your radiant presence
and continually reveal your Son as our Saviour.
Bring healing to all wounds,
make whole all that is broken,
speak truth to all illusion,
and shed light in every darkness,
that all creation will see your glory and know your Christ. Amen.
Music
And Can It Be
A Christian hymn by Charles Wesley, sung in the video by the Altar of Praise Chorale, from their album ‘Amazing Love.’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMCOyY0Rlus