Sunday Reflections with Mystics: The Word of God

by April Bender

In an effort to collectively honor our ancestors and those wisdom-bearers that have come before us to help illuminate the way, I thought it would be lovely to carve out one day a week in which to reflect on their wise words and counsel around a particular theme or topic. I chose Sunday simply because that seems to be the day of the week when most people are home relaxing and mentally and/or emotionally preparing for the week ahead. Please enjoy this interlude by allowing the following words and resonance to wash over, inspire, and uplift you. I know I personally find great value and insight in also reflecting upon and journaling about them.

Topic: The Word of God

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
                                                                                                                     -the Bible

The Word is living, being, spirit, all verdant greening, all creativity. This Word manifests itself in every living creature.
                                                                                                     - Hildegarde of Bingen

The whole world and all creatures will be to you nothing else than an open book and a living Bible, in which you may study, without any previous instruction, the science of God and from which you  may learn God's will.
                                                                                                              -Sebastian Franck

Every creature is a word of God and is a book about God.
                                                                                                               -Meister Eckhart

The universe is the primary revelation of the divine, the primary scripture, the primary locus of divine-human communion. 
                                                                                                               -Thomas Berry

The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao;
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.
The named is the mother of ten thousand things.
                                                                               -Laozi (Lao Tzu), in Tao Te Ching

The Word of God is a closed Book until it opens to you. But once it opens to you, it opens up your destiny immediately.
                                                                                                         -Benjamin Suulola

We must allow the Word of God to confront us, to disturb our security, to undermine our complacency and to overthrow our patterns of thought and behavior.
                                                                                                            -John R.W. Stott

The true contemplative is not one who prepares his mind for a particular message that he wants or expects to hear, but is one who remains empty because he knows that he can never expect to anticipate the words that will transform his darkness into light. He does not even anticipate a special kind of transformation. He does not demand light instead of darkness. He waits on the Word of God in silence, and, when he is answered it is not so much by a word that bursts into his silence. It is by his silence itself, suddenly, inexplicably revealing itself to him as a word of great power, full of the voice of God” 
                         ― Stephen Cope, The Wisdom of Yoga: A Seeker's Guide to Extraordinary Living
                                                                                                        (Submitted by Dominique Lagae)


Please share any additionally significant quotes related to this topic in the comments section or send them to me via the Contact Form in the sidebar menu.

You may also want to explore some of my spirit/soul inspired poetry.