As I sit in prayer this morning, I trust that all is well with each one of you…that this time of quiet and reflection is feeding the soul’s need for stillness. Be still and know…that all is well. Be still and know…that Divine Order is always unfolding. Be still and know…that there is Beauty to be noticed and experienced in every moment.
I turn my attention this morning to Beauty…maybe because as I look outside at the gray, rainy day, my spirits are a little dampened. I notice my own tendency, especially as I am spending a lot of time at home, to want to go outside…to spend time in the sunny, warm springtime. And that time will come, but for now it soothes my soul to look for the Beauty in this moment.
As I read from Christian Mystics, Day 92, I find this quote by Thomas Aquinas: “God is supersubstantial beauty and God bestows beauty on all created beings.” Wow! Supersubstantial beauty! This is a word I have never seen, but there is no doubt what Aquinas was talking about. Super refers to above or beyond, and substantial, from its Latin roots means standing firm in one’s essence. And as I research the definition of beauty to see if there is a meaning other than that which is pleasing to the eye, I find another surprise. Beauty is linked to that which is fine, and the etymology of fine refers to completeness. So God is that which, above all else, stands firm in Its Essence and Completeness. And God expresses Its Essence and Completeness in, through and as all created beings. For me, this is a different way to view Beauty. Of course, there is nothing wrong with seeing that which is beautiful as being pleasing to the eye, but when I expand my definition, I begin to understand why beauty is also pleasing to the soul. When I witness the world through this lens, the complete and perfect Essence of Creation comes into focus. All is complete and perfect…all is Beautiful.
For many years now, I have been listing Beauty as an attribute of God. Until now, I have simply accepted this as true and questioned it no further. Now as I move through my day, I can tune into the Essence and Completeness of what is before me and experience the Beauty in every moment. I can acknowledge my own Essence and Completeness as an expression of God, feeling and knowing my own Beauty.
Unity’s Daily Word had this message for me this morning: “The grace of god is with me always.” Sometimes this grace becomes obvious as that which surrounds and supports me. And sometimes it comes through me. This morning it has come through my questioning mind…my primary human avenue of awareness. It has come through a greater understanding of Beauty and of my Divine Nature and Essence as that which is Beautiful…Complete. “Grace is an expression of the love of God, always available, never needing to be earned…I know that grace is mine, and I receive it with gratitude.”
As part of the Grace given today, I would like to leave you with a prayer from Ernest Holmes in his Science of Mind text:
Be still and know that I am God. I am the Christ, the Son of the Living God within me. I am the Principle of Peace within me. I am the manifestation of Love within me. My mind is poised in peace and beauty. All sense of fear or doubt is gone. I rest in calm trust and rely on the Law of Spirit to bring good into my experience.
I contend with none, argue with none, and am filled with wonderful peace and light. There is no uncertainty about my future and no fear as a result of my past. I live in an eternal Now which is filled with good alone. Goodness and beauty follow me. Peace and joy accompany me. Happiness and wholeness fill my entire being with realization of love and perfection. This inner mind of mine is now Divine and Complete…I am the perfect law of Truth and the complete presence of beauty…I am Christ, the Son of the Living God within me. And so it is…Amen.
May we all be well…stay in touch…know our Unity…and thrive!
And may we know the Absolute Beauty and Wonder of this Grace-filled, once-in-a lifetime day…
