Script
0:00
God labours through the humblest forms of life to sustain, heal, and reconcile creation. We ask that our leaders might receive this wisdom.
God speaks to Moses out of the burning bush saying, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
As we enter this time of imaginative prayer, consider the ground on which you stand. Where are your feet planted? How does it feel?
Extend your imagination for a moment. Feel the warmth of the soil beneath the ground you stand on. Notice all that is alive in it; creatures scarcely noticeable to touch or sight.
Consider, too, the roots of trees and plants and how they labour, drawing nourishment out of the soil. What it is like for you to be rooted in God?
What nourishment do you need? Can you let yourself receive it from God?
Let us take a closer look at this invisible world. Humbler still than worms and roots, mycelia, thread-like fungal; strands of fungus weave in and through, connecting the roots of all things that grow in the soil.
This ancient, underground, deep living web that helps trees and plants converse with one another, that composts decaying matter and spreads nourishment wherever there is need.
Consider how God labours in and through this humble yet intricate form of life, touching the root of every thing planted in the soil, causing and supporting growth, weaving all life forms into one reciprocal community of life, giving and receiving, to bring forth fruit for eating and leaves for healing, beauty for delighting?.
Wonder at how God gives life to all things. Wonder at how God works in hiddenness and by the humblest means.
Wonder too at what we have to receive from the hidden and humble of the earth. What wisdom can indigenous peoples make known to us? What have we to learn from peoples attuned to the earth, who live by it, and suffer its woundedness? How can they help us learn how to also give as well as receive and be part of the renewing of creation.
As we pray for our reconciliation with creation and with one another, we stand with reverence on holy ground and recognise how God labours in the small things, in poor and humble things.
As we consider the cry of the poor and the needs of our common home, we pray for our political leaders and decision-makers. May they be graced with the humility to draw and from the wise roots of experience of the poor and indigenous peoples of the Earth and receive enrichment and healing. May they be graced with openness to see and learn new ways to give back as well as receive from the earth. May they be graced with renewed vision and courage to lead by example and guide us back into a Holy Oneness with all things.