Rooted In God
Lynne Elwinger, O.C.D.
Multitudes of autumn leaves blow away before a brisk wind. In just the same way, my first thoughts for this article were instantly scattered by the immensity of the hurricane Katrina disaster and its aftermath. As this story of human suffering became intensely and immediately present to us via the media, the people’s powerlessness to get the needed help left me empty of other thoughts. Out of that experience, this reflection comes.
It sometimes seems to take a disaster of great magnitude, whether personal or communal, to shake us out of the demands, concerns and routines that make up our daily lives. In the wake of disaster, we may find ourselves taking a deeper look at the meaning of our lives, our values and beliefs, our personal priorities, our vulnerabilities. The experience of powerlessness, of being helpless and vulnerable in the face of overwhelming circumstances, is something for which most of us are poorly prepared. In a society in which power, control, self-reliance, action and performance are highly promoted, there is little attention to the arena of inner resources which may be more relevant to our quality of life.
Where The Soul And God Are One
Yet, as we saw over and over in the stories of those devastated by Katrina’s raging winds and the floods following, when occasions arrive for which we are not at all prepared, people can tap an inner resource, which provides a source of strength, courage and compassion they may not have known
existed within them. In those moments, they have knowingly or unknowingly connected with that divine inner center present in each of us where the soul and God are one. Out of that connection came what was needed to survive seemingly impossible conditions and to lend hearts and hands to others in need.
In my reflection on this event, one phrase kept coming to my mind – “rooted in the divine”. These people were literally hanging on by their roots. Perhaps you can recall a time of adversity in your personal life in which you experienced that sense of unexpected rootedness in something greater than yourself that brought you through. We don’t always think about living this way in less catastrophic times.
It seems quite fitting that our St. Teresa’s feast day is in autumn, the time of the roots in nature. The sap returning from leaves to roots in the fall nourishes and prepares them for winter. Very often the deeper roots are not affected by frost and thus preserve the future life of the tree for another season. Deciduous trees let go of their brilliantly colored leaves – their outer lives – to focus their energies on their inner life in their roots. Future leaves and fruits depend on this process.
Surrendering To The Divine Inflow
St. Teresa shows us by her life and teachings that we can live this autumn way as part of each day of our lives. Our spiritual roots need to be tended regularly for the life of the soul. If we devote some portion of every day to deepening our connections with the inner divine ground of our being where we are rooted in God, we will see in time a profound effect in our lives. As in any relationship, giving time and attention is important here. Although our actual rootedness is God’s gift to us, regular connection with it requires our conscious cooperation. Living more in touch with this dimension of ourselves does not require work or effort from us in the conventional sense however. We don’t make it happen. It is more an act of allowing, of surrendering to the divine inflow and outpouring, that is needed on our part. This may require a considerable shifting of gears from the way we usually approach life.
A Homecoming To Our Soul
This shift, however, can change everything. It is a homecoming to our soul’s native soil – the place in which darkness becomes light, powerlessness becomes true inner power, fear turns into courage and vulnerability to strength, whatever our external circumstances. When we neglect our roots, every aspect of our lives suffers. Connecting with our roots, we begin to live as God intends for us to live. And all our roots are ultimately joined with others in the soil of the divine. Standing in our rootedness in God, our strength then becomes strength for others. The life of the roots is always about the leaves, the fruits, and the future of us all.
Sr. Lynne Thérèse Elwinger of the Resurrection O.C.D.