THE FOURTH WINDOW

The Third Beatitude

Blessed are the humble, they will inherit the earth.

Matt. 5:5. (James Moffatt Version)

This is the creation window.  Central in this painting is the hand of God.  He created the heaven and the earth and all living things.

A cataclysmic explosion has occurred.  The atmosphere is filled with a burst of flame and rushing water.  All the necessary elements of the universe have combined and synthesized to bring the earth and life into being.

A pine tree is firmly rooted in the rocky mountain side, surrounded with air, sun, and rain, with nourishment to sustain its growth.

As we ponder the mystery of our existence and try to answer the question of where we came from and how it is possible for us to live in each succeeding day, we are aware of our dependence upon a power over which we have no control.  Who we are, how we live, and what we become has been given to us.  We are not the Creator; we are the recipients.  We have been entrusted with the capacity to appropriate and use the resources for our growth and fulfillment.

The unseen power of life and growth is symbolized by the open hand of God and the flame of his spirit.  Our awareness of our dependence on God is the ground out of which humility and meekness grow.  When we are most aware of who we are, we know that it is in God that we live and move and have our being.

Humility and meekness are not apathy, weakness or lack of spirit, but rather humility is power blended  with gentleness.  It is the majesty of self-control.  It is the high state of mind in which all of our faculties function under the sway of the divine spirit.

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