DIS+1

DIS 1

Discuss how you see "God's Grandeur" and the attached article by Father Tom Hickey (OLPH) as expressing Christian/Catholic themes.

Hint: You want to reflect on sin, change of heart, mystery, God incarnate, repentance.

**EM:** **At Advent we are called to take a step away from our lives and prepare for the second coming of Jesus--Parousia. If Jesus walked into the room right now, would we be ready? Are our lives ready to accept Jesus and all of his greatness? Advent is solely a reminder that we must always be preparing our lives for Jesus--day in and day out. We must be watching, waiting, and listening for Jesus. Father Hickey has a wonderful point in saying that repentance does not only relate to our sins and what we must ask forgiveness for. Repentance is a way of life. Repentance is a reminder that at any time, in the presence of our faith, we have the opportunity to change our lives for the better. Father Hickey reminds us to both expand our mindsets and reflect on our current ones. He offers great insight to the fact that our faith provides us with an excellent opportunity to better ourselves, others, and the world around us. He encourages us to take a breath and observe our lives--similar to the purpose of Advent. At any point, we have the opportunity to turn to Jesus; the opportunity to have contrite hearts; the opportunity to convert our lives for the better. By reflecting on the importance of travel and widening our perspectives, Father Hickey creates great thematic connections with Hopkin's poem, "God's Grandeur." In this poem, God's glory and grace are described as almost "electric forces" that draw us in and illuminate our lives. In the presence of this electricity, we must be inspired and driven to do what Father Hickey is encouraging us to. This electricity must instigate excitement and passion in our minds, bodies, and souls. "Why do men then now not reck his rod?" is a question posed to readers in the fourth line of this poem. We as readers are asked to follow God now--emphasis on the word "now". We are asked to to recognize His "grandeur", but more importantly, we are inspired to expand our worlds so that they may include Him, which is also what Father Hickey is calling us to do.**

**GG: All true. I think what Fr. Hickey and G. M. Hopkins want to reiterate is that sometimes we humans are on some "hunt for God," and we want to find God in rather profound and majestic ways and places. Hickey and Hopkins both stress that God is here, in our midst, in front of our faces IF we choose to see him.**

BK: My time to step away from the constantly buzzing world around me is when I go to Appalachia each summer for a week with my church group. Despite these glorious mountains being only about a seven hour drive away, it can often seem like a completely different world because of not only the unusual geographical setting, but also the dissimilar living conditions and culture from what we're accustomed to. When I'm there, I feel at ease with myself and with my relationship with God. Like Father Hickey felt when living in the west Chicago suburbs, it opens me up to a new world that I know almost nothing about. As mentioned before, the scenery in these ancient mountains is nothing like our flat city with a huge lake. A highlight for me is being able to see both the dazzling sunrise and the warm, comforting sunset. I can't help but think of God's mystery when witnessing this phenomenon and can easily connect this to Hopkin's description of the sun as the "Holy Ghost" with its "bright wings." I see God in all the wonderful creation when I'm in Appalachia, including the people around me. Father Hickey mentions that those who blindly followed Jesus were probably looking for something new and different to wow them. This summer there is about sixty youth going on this service trip from our church and while many may be going "blind" to God's love and forgiveness, I know that they will be able to feel His love in the creation around them and be able to see God incarnated in those serving around them, whether they realize it now or not. Father Hickey is encouraging us to go out and "recognize His 'grandeur'" as Eleanor mentioned and to not be afraid to step outside of our comfort zone's in order to spread God's message of reconciliation and unconditional love.

GG: So many find God in nature. If we read Genesis, especially as poetry iteself, it makes perfect sense that God is vibrantly present in all of Creation. Your voice, BK, is lyrical. You write like a poet! Good of you, too, to comment on EM's insights.

**JR:** **Our lives are filled with temptation and sin. Sometimes it seems nearly unavoidable and we don’t always realize its overwhelming presence. Father Hickey reflected on his times living in Chicago with similar sentiment. He needed a new perspective to help open his eyes to the misfortune surrounding him. Much like Father Hickey’s own experiences, we all need a change of scenery to help us realize the purity, renewal, and majesty of God’s creation. In Hopkins’ poem, there is a subtle theme of renewal and escape. The images of the sun, God’s welcoming, warm wings, and nature’s everlasting life can help to remind us that we can seek forgiveness and renewal when we open our hearts to God- no matter how we may have been led away from the righteous path by sin. Father Hickey asks why the disciples were so willing to give up their livelihoods to follow Jesus. This question, rather apropos to last Sunday’s homily, can be answered by the common theme in both the poem and the article- a need for change of scenery to gain new perspective. This perspective helps one understand that he is part of a community of people who value each other instead of using each other for a means to an end.** **The poem mentions nature’s secrets. This idea is directly connected to God’s mystery and omnipresence in nature- a principle that every Christian is familiar with. His glory can be seen etched into every detail of life and that helps people reconnect with God when they journey through new places. Father Hickey was able to see the glory of God when he became aware of the diversity around him. When we can truly see God in life around us, we can be open to new opportunities and a stronger faith with Him.** **No matter how far we stray from God, he has the power to forgive those transgressions and rekindle one’s faith with Him. The poem demonstrates how humans have used the Earth for her many resources and keep using her. Even though nature seems to be ravaged to no end, God makes sure that the sun will rise the next day and nature will wake refreshed. This can be correlated to how God treats anyone who has strayed from him. He will welcome us back, with open wings, and tomorrow will begin anew.**

**GG: Yes, the truth is often right before us. You note "nature's secrets." Curious because the secret is right "out there" eagerly awaiting our discovery. Very nice reflection, JR.**

LD:

There is a sense of mystery when it comes to faith. I know that I change my mind of what I believe in all the time. Especially when your in your youth its hard to fully accept all the elements of one religion. I agree with Breanna that I feel most spiritual and at one with God when I’m in nature. I love the line in “God’s Grandeur”, “And for all this, nature is never spent”. No matter how many times I stop or start believing in God, that place, that sense of spirituality is always there. Like nature, the spirit of God is all encompassing; it never dwindles or fades. Sometimes I feel like the reason I am so wishy-washy about religion is that I get too caught up in the small aspects of the church that I disagree with. Even though these bother me, but I should stop letting it interfere with my personal relationship with God. Looking at all the religions of the world, many are so similar. They are separated by certain cultures and customs, but the essence of a loving and omnipotent God is the same. It is like how nature differs in so many ways, from trees to flowers to oceans, but all compile to create nature's outstanding beauty. Despite our world being divided in more ways then one, these two ideas, nature and religion, are found in every corner of the world. They are so intertwined in their beauty and longevity. People anywhere can find their sense of peace and calmness in them. The face and facts of God will always remain a mystery but the spirit of it will never be spent.

GG: its = possessive pronoun; it's = it + is :) Grammar teacher, what can I say? Your photography certainly shows that, LD. You have one in Paris where you capture the sign for Hotel Dauphin. I know that street well!