In the statement to the community from the General chapter of the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette, came a call for the exploration of the ecological aspects of reconciliation. This is no doubt a challenge. I will take this opportunity to tell you the story of how this blog was conceived. There is no way to escape the providential nature of this turn of events.
One day about three or four weeks ago a man by the name of Jose Gutierrez aka Joseph Gutiz called me to ask if I was in a position to sponsor him as a photographer/reporter on a pilgrimage to Rome that Belle and I are organizing. I thought that this was a challenging request, so I engaged Jose in a serious conversation about his purpose for asking. He explained that he and his wife are writers, photographers and publishers. They have children and of course they are living the life of the "starving" artists. He pointed me to his website/gallery. He is a photographer who loves to capture nature because for him, it is God's voice shouting out to the world. He has a large gallery of photos. Each of them has a message, both to him personally, and of course, to those who look upon them.
During the conversation I decided that I would initiate a blog to which he could also contribute. This blog would be about how recognizing God in the world around us can bring us closer to Him. It can even help us to change our lives and make us live in closer harmony with our neighbor. In short, it can be a spur to our reconciliation to ourselves and to others. That is why I chose the cover image and the title to fit it. It looks like a huge hug, a dear embrace from God and His mother.
Then, the other day when we were presented the final statement of the missionaries of La Salette and it contained the directive to explore the ecological aspects of reconciliation, I knew that someone had whispered in my ear. So, here we are. There will be more to come.
If you want to spend a few moments in meditative reflection with Joseph's photos, click on the picture of the arch which occupies the top position in the right margin. Many of them will appear here in reflections about our Mother at La Salette as well as our Mother Nature.
1 comment:
I am graciously humbled by the words of Paul Dion. I don't consider myself your common landscape photographer by no means. I consider myself a disciple of God that just wants to share his art to the whole world. I feel blessed to have been given this duty by God because he knows that I want to spread and conserve his art that he made for all of us to enjoy while we are here on Earth.
I guess it is a way to tease us all on the whereabouts of Heaven. I know that every time I go out to enjoy his work, I feel a sense of peace from his embrace.
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