Lenten Day 5: Beauty without Borders – Honoring Sufi-Muslim Voices of Faith and Poetry
I
like when
the music happens like this:
Something in His eye grabs hold of a
tambourine in
me,
then I turn and lift a violin in someone else,
and they turn, and this turning
continues,
it has
reached you now. Isn’t that
something? by Jalaludin Rumi
Today I want to honor the Sufi-Muslim voices of Faith that teach the inexhaustible love and beauty of God. In this photo, you can see some Hellebore blooms otherwise known as Lenten Roses and a book of sacred poetry called Love Poems from God – Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West, translated by Daniel Ladinsky. I brought the flowers and read from this poetry book at this morning’s contemplative silence at Eagle Harbor Congregational Church. If I had to give up all my poetry books except one, this is the one I would keep.
For those that love the combination of Love+God+Poetry, Rumi is a the go-to poet. He was born in Afghanistan in the 13th century, and yet it is said he is America’s current top selling poet (http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20140414-americas-best-selling-poet)! That’s something!
Rumi claimed that if his readers “Stand with dignity in the magnificent current of my words and they will carry you into God’s arms.” Try experimenting and placing yourself in Rumi's current of lovely words. What would our generation be like if we gave up borders that would keep us from the world's rich sources of God’s love and beauty?
