Blog
The Companionship of Empowerment
Mar
I was recently intrigued by a quote from Teilhard de Chardin. “Our role is no longer to merely ease suffering, bind up wounds, and feed the hungry, but through every form of effort to raise the powers of love upward to the next stage of consciousness.”
He certainly isn’t saying to neglect the works of mercy, but to enhance them with a determined intention to bring an awareness of Divine Presence into everything we do. Our task is to become more and more aware of Divine presence within and among us, this is a raising of consciousness.
Historically we have used words like Reign of God or Body of Christ. “Wherever two or more are gathered in my name, I am there in their midst, within and among them.” de Chardin, in his integration of evolutionary principles into this realization, called it the Divine Milieu.
Everywhere and everything hosts the sacred Presence of the Creator, Spirit, Love. We are each bearers of the Divine Image and that image is Divine Reality. This is a daunting concept to internalize. Jesus certainly kept challenging his friends and disciples to get it.
Mike Reiling in his presentation on the Divine Milieu at Centering Space last week, referred to Louis Savary’s interpretation of this reality in which we live and move and have our being as the “Companionship of Empowerment.” I haven’t read Savary’s book, but I’m captivated by the concept.
We are companions on our life journey in Christ. We bear divinity not merely alone, but as communities of family, friends, co-creators. And the challenge of this great gift, is that we should use it to make the world a better place, to enliven the Divine Milieu in which we live.
Both de Chardin and Savary are calling us to respond to this power by consciously accepting, living and celebrating together the reality that Jesus called the Reign of God. We have this ability to raise up the power of Love, the power of God who is Love, when we encourage and bless and cherish one another, not just those who we like, but all of God’s people.
In the prayer circles that gather here at Centering Space I experience this phenomenon over and over. New people come and are welcomed, supported and energized to become their best selves. I, too, find myself recreated and energized, lifted up in Love.
All the people we share the planet with are companions. Our challenge becomes to exercise the Companionship of Empowerment even with those whose ideas and actions we oppose. Now that’s a honest challenge!
What are you reading on this topic? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
I’m glad to see this blog. Much food for thought. Two suggestions:
1) print is too small and I wasn’t able to adjust it by “tapping” my Ipad screen
2). The print appears gray in color and and there is not a sharp contrast w. The white background and it’s very difficult to read
Thanks you, Carol. I encourage all sensitive folks to “wake up” in the words of Budda. Awakening bring new consciousness and a desire to be alive and ACT.
Thank you Sister Carol. My time at Centering Space truly does empower me. We alone can take the steps we need to grow, but with companions beside us we can face the difficulties with courage.
I am reading Diarmund O’Murchu’s book, Inclusivity: a Gospel mandate. He uses the term and its really the focus of his book as he opens up the idea of being truly inclusive.
I think it’s John Dominic Crossan’s phrase actually.
That makes a lot of sense. Thank you for publishing this.