"Teilhard(Pierre Teilhard De Chardin) wrote the book,
"The Divine Milieu" in 1927 and dedicated it
"For those who love the world."
It troubled him immensely that while science has revealed
the immensity and unity of the world all around us,
the implications of our tremendously changed worldview
have not been incorporated into theology and religious practice.
He wrote this book to teach how to see God everywhere,
to see him in all that is most hidden, most solid, and most
ultimate in the world.
The book tries to capture the meaning of
two different experiences.
On the one hand it refers to an entire environment, like the atmosphere which surrounds us and the air we breathe.
On the other hand it also means at the same time
a central point, a center where all realities come together,
meet and converge.
The divine presence in the world is this mysterious "milieu"
radiating throughout all levels of the universe,
through matter, life, and human experience.
We are immersed in this milieu, we are bathed in it.
It can invade our whole being and transform us,
if we but let it.
Teilhard called it also a mystical milieu,
a divine ocean in which
our soul may be swept away and divinized.
All realities, all experiences, all our activities,
all our joys and suffering,
have this potential for divinization,
for being set on fire through
the outpouring of divine love.
Teilhard's ardent spirituality was nourished
by his Christian faith,
but also deeply embeded in a unifying worldview,
a unique synthesis which brought together
elements of science, philosophy, religion, and
spirituality. .... His search for overall oneness,
for the unification of
all things, made him see the unity of matter and spirit.
Thus the universal stream of becoming,
which is evolution, was understood
as a process of progressive spiritualization through
increasing union."
---- from the book, "Pierre Teilhard De Chardin, with an introduction
by Ursula King, Modern Spiritual Masters Series" Orbis Books, 2012
Here in the below I present a poem I wrote a few years ago
which fits well with Pierre Teilhard De Chardin's theology.
Teilhard was a scientist and a Catholic priest who was ahead of his time.
The Catholic Church prohibited him from publishing his writings.
His writings were published after his death.
His deep faith and theology were recognized by the church after his death,
and are believed to have contributed much to the reform, Vatican Council II,
The Second Vatican Coucil's "Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation."
His theology and teachings fit very comfortably with modern men and women,
serious intellectuals, and students of science like myself, and accommodates
the eastern mysticisism, Buddhism, Taoism, etc as well as the teachings of
Thomas Merton.
GOD'S LOVE - AGAPE / Hahn Joong Lee
Just imagine!
Without imagination,
Absolutely you have no chance in figuring out
how big, how deep and how important God's love is.
The Earth appears as a tiny blue dot
in the background of blackness of space
on a picture taken from the spaceship
leaving the solar system, which is
a small tiny corner of Milk Way Galaxy, which is
one of billions of galaxies.
That's where humans began to exist recently
as creatures of God.
He loved this particular creature so much
He sent His Son to teach them what His love is like.
After some two thousand years of effort,
this creature still does not show much improvement
in its understanding of His love.
God apparently sits outside our space and time and
watches over us along with His son, all the angels and all the saints.
Our imagination quickly tires itself out in estimating
how big this universe is.
Our imagination fails badly in figuring out
how big His love is.
I am one of the fishes swimming in the Pacific Ocean of HIS love.
I can't live without the water.
I must swallow it every second of my life.
I am one of the birds flying around in the air of HIS love.
I can't live without the air.
I must breathe it every second of my life.
I can't live without God's love because
it is the water and the air.
I must drink it and breathe it every second of my life.
His Son said, " Human beings cannot live on bread alone, but need every word that God speaks."
I live on His love every second of my life.
With the help of the imagination He provided me,
I pray to Him to fill my world to the brim
with His infinite love and
my heart with thankfulness to Him.