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Reading
Ezekiel 1:1
In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the exiles by the river Chebar, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
Devotion
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| Closeup of stained glass, Trinity Chapel, Cambridge, UK |
I love stained glass. The intricate mosaics of colored glass through which light passes captures my imagination. It makes me think about Divine Light passing through the lens of our spirits. It makes me look at people's lives seeking to behold a vision of God, to see the heavens opened through who they are and what they are doing.
This particular window is found in Britain at a great university. It portrays Bishop Robert Grosseteste (Big Brain!) who lived 1168ish to 1253. Today is his feast day. He was a marvelous pastor of pastors, church reformer who challenged both King and Pope, and moreover, a disciplined and curious scientist. His work on optics and light reveals a steady dedication to the scientific method which also crossed over to his writing on theology and scripture. I like how the stained glass remembering him shows a religious person holding in one hand the university and the other the shepherd's staff. Religion and Science need not be two mutually exclusive world views!
I find it fascinating that some great scientific minds of today are turning their thoughts to religion. Dr. Harold Koenig from Duke and Dr. Lisa Miller from Columbia have done extensive, rigorous, peer-reviewed longitudinal studies on the effects of religious practice and spirituality on human thriving. Their work reveals that those engaged in spiritual practices are:
- 50-80% less likely to die by suicide
- 60% less likely to suffer depression
- 80% less likely to suffer addiction
- 70% less likely to participate in risky behavior.
Dr. Lisa Miller, Professor of Psychology and Religion at Columbia, “There is no protective factor identified by clinical sciences that in scope or scale compares to the protective benefits of religion and spirituality against suicide.” (see Spiritual Readiness: Essentials for Military Leaders and Chaplains by Koenig M.D., Harold G., Carey Ph.D., Lindsay B., Al Zaben M.D.)
Where are your own spiritual practices this week, dear reader? What vision of God do you behold? What difference is it making in your life?
Prayer
O God, our heavenly Father, who raised up your faithful servant Robert Grosseteste to be a bishop and pastor in your church and to feed your flock: Give abundantly to all pastors the gifts of your Holy Spirit, that they may minister in your household as true servants of Christ and stewards of your divine mysteries; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Lesser Feasts and Fasts)