In the video below you will see a visual representation of Worldwide Airline Traffic in a 24 hour period. Each plane is represented by a small dot of yellow light.
As you view the video consider some of the following:
- Every dot is a plane that carries hundreds of people.
- Each individual has a story.
- Some are joyful and flying out to attend a wedding or family event.
- Some are sad and flying to funerals.
- Some are nervously flying to a job interview in a distant city.
- Others are flying to conferences or preparing to give business presentations.
- Each dot is a plane filled with people who have both gifts and struggles.
- Their lives intersect with hundreds of other people.
- Some are influential and well known.
- Others live more hidden lives, but are very precious to others.
- There are mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, children, spouses, young and old.
- Some of the people on those planes, represented by those dots, will die soon.
- Others are just beginning their lives.
- All of the people on these planes have lives that are swept up into the great mystery of God’s unfolding plan.
- None of them are accidents, or surprises to God.
- Each have the dignity of being an intentional and loving creation of God.
- Each is known to God more then they know themselves.
- God knows everything about every person on every plane represented by every tiny dot.
- He knows their past, their present and their future.
- He sustains every fiber of their being.
- Before they were ever formed in their mother’s womb, God knew them, loved them, intended them.
- Every one of their days was written in God’s book before any of those days came to pass.
Each dot, a plane. Each dot, a gathering of people. Each person with a history and a destiny unfolding, known to God, loved by God, sustained by God.
Behold the mystery and the dignity of of Humanity as seen in a thousand points of light:
A Prayer for travelers: O God, Who didst cause the children of Israel to traverse the Red Sea dryshod; Thou Who didst point out by a star the road that led the Magi to Thee; grant us we beseech Thee, a prosperous journey and propitious weather; so that, under the guidance of Thy holy angels we may safely reach that journey’s end, and later, the haven of eternal salvation.
Hear, O Lord, the prayers of Thy servants. Bless their travels. Thou Who art everywhere present, shower upon all, the effects of Thy mercy; so that, insured by Thy protection against all dangers, they may return to offer Thee their thanksgiving. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Simply beautiful!
So that’s what it looks like on the outside looking in.
Neat video, meditation, and prayer.
So many people in so many aeroplanes and so many of them searching. So many others elsewhere also searching and, how many who are unaware of what they’re searching for? Some travel to search in holy places in the Middle East and other places that are regarded as spiritual such as Stonehenge, the areas of Buddhist influence or that of Kung Fu Tse (Confucius) who was mentioned in Charley Chan sayings not long ago here; 24 March 2012 http://blog.adw.org/2012/03/100-charlie-chan-sayings-and-proverbs-a-surprisingly-good-selection-of-truisms-and-insights-for-your-reading-pleasure/
Some look to books like our Holy Scripture or the sayings of Buddha, Kung Fu Tse and more. Yet somehow the bible seems to remain the most controversial and contentious, what with break away sects, divisions, Protestant churches that form and sometimes further divide, disagreements between groups and between theologians, things like St. Nicholas in a fist fight over the “Arian heresy” http://blog.adw.org/2011/12/the-real-st-nicholas-not-fat-and-not-particularly-jolly/, many wars fought between groups that claim to have the one and only interpretation/explanation of some of the hard to understand lessons of the New Testament.
For much of this Christianity has been much criticized, especially the wars. Sure, other religions have had wars but usually between two different religions rather than sects, groups or the like within a given religion. Debates may sometimes lead to raised voices but I haven’t heard much about extreme violence. And that’s not all, Christianity si a religion of the One who was called the “Prince of Peace” in Isaiah 9:6 and taught a gospel of love of everyone – even our enemies.
Seems pretty contradictory at first but then, things are not always what they seem. Other religions or spiritual philosophies or whatever comprehensive name one prefers seem to get along internally so much better than us but … why? The others may have debated fine points of their belief system and the meanings of quotes, lessons, etc – even to the point of scowls but I don’t hear of them having internal wars and executions around the Protestant breakaways (ie. Pilgrimage Of Grace) and so often before or since. Yet these other beliefs certainly seem to mostly agree on the many of the founders’ quotes and spiritual lessons. In the New Testament Christ sometimes had to explain the meaning of His parables and other metaphors and lessons and even now there’s groups having schisms over who has understanding while telling people to disbelieve other so-called understanding. New meanings pop up that sometimes involve conflict and sometimes not. How long has there been a comparison between the parable of the “Widow’s Mite” (Mark 12:41-44 & Luke 21:1-4) and the concept of relativity.
So, why is it that so many people appear to get the other sets of sayings, quotes, spiritual lessons and the like with a fair degree of harmony but … that there appears to be such a struggle to define Christianity without so much conflict?
Is it because of a failing that critics seem to imply or … is it because the other philosophies are very well designed by humans who are probably exceptional but who worked within finite human limits that, all too often, saw the symptom(s) as the cause and tended to try to make the solutions to the symptoms contribute toward a harmonious end in a way that compromised the core truth which was being sought? Is it also because the New Testament, especially the first four Gospels, were – and still are to a, possibly, somewhat lesser degree – were so Divinely perfect that we’ve had to struggle for almost two thousand years to “get it” and learn how to accept those lessons into our hearts? Do the lessons still remain far enough beyond us as to still be called Mysteries as they continue to challenge us?
Furthermore, I’ve heard detractors talk about other religious wars being between religions but not being between different groups of religions like in Christianity but, do insistance on the truth of these claims prove them? I’d like to see some research on this some day.
In closing a note on; “Prince of Peace” I’ve occasionally heard criticisms on that prediction because it apparently doesn’t show up in the New Testament. However, many have called Our Lord the Prince of Peace through the centuries and pretty sure that the prediction didn’t say where the Name would be used.
I read an interesting thing about the late Alexander Solzhenitsyn who was not only a dissident who suffered for criticizing Soviet policy before glasnost and perestrioka but was, as I’ve recently heard, a devout Christian. An article writer compared one of his statements to a scriptural quote, ” … truth seldom is sweet; it is almost invariably bitter. A measure of bitter truth is included in my speech today, but I offer it as a friend, not as an adversary.” Long before, Solomon said something about that, too. ‘The kisses of an enemy may be profuse, but faithful are the wounds of a friend.” Proverbs 27:6
In his larger statement Gospodin Solzhenitsyn was criticizing western Christianity in a seeming attempt to give an objective viewpoint in an effort to help overcome human imperfection. Can be found at http://thinkchristian.net/remembering-a-modern-day-prophet-alexander-solzhenitsyn
I see my commentary as about human philosophers seeking to define holy spirituality in the ways and means of this world which could be more comfortable than the lessons of the New Testament but, in a way that keeps our hearts trapped here and separate from God. However, if I’m of base perhaps others can help me to correct, revamp, fine tune, whatever.
At any rate, as long as I’m on quotes, how about one from tennis great the late Arthur Ashe; “If I were to say, ‘God, why me?’ about the bad things, then I should have said, ‘God, why me?’ about the good things that happened in my life.”
Thank you for making me feel small, Msgr. Pope. This is awe-inspiring. Peace and God bless.
Reminds me of a song lyric I like:
“I am counting the stars and the telegraph poles
And each one represents the hopes of soul.” –Joe Strumer R.I.P.