Like Roots
Our hands imbibe like roots,
so I place them on what is beautiful
in this world.
And I fold them in prayer,
and they draw from the heavens
light.
–St. Francis of Assisi
(Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West translated by Daniel Ladinsky, p.40)
St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) was a Roman Catholic saint who loved animals and nature. His fiery love for God expressed through Francis’ life and words motivated people throughout the ages to passionately worship God. In this poem, he uses nature imagery (roots) to portray drinking in the divine (light). Instead of absorbing moisture from the soil, his “hands like roots” drink the divine light from the heavens. Drinking light . . . that’s certainly imbibing beauty.
The Cup of Light
And remember, his hands are folded in prayer. So prayer makes the connection to the “heavens,” allowing our hands to draw in God’s light . . . God’s presence. The “heavens” become the symbolic soil that allows us to be rooted in God. We share the water of life, we drink from the cup of light . . . with all God’s creation.
Drinking Beauty
Touch the crystal lake absorbing the reflected sunlight through your hands, infusing your body with light. “Ye are the light of the world. . . . Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14, 16, KJV).
Photo Credit: Photo by Leland Francisco at Flickr Creative Commons.
Linked with Thought-Provoking Thursday.
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