The "laughter of God"
Recently, and over the course of 5 weeks, one evening a week, I attended a Contemplative Prayer seminar at Queen's House of Retreats. It was an enlightening experience with lots of information and some participation. One evening one of the ladies mentioned that, in her time of silence that week, she had sensed God laughing. She was somewhat startled but also pleased.
The "laughter of God" is not something we generally think of. A stern God, a wise God, a pleased or loving God may cross our minds - but a "laughing God" - to speak it or to write it down seems strange and almost sacrilegious. I'm intrigued by the vision of God's laughter echoing across the hills through the fog, or bounding upon the waves to land with aplomb on the sandy shore....as I, sit in silence awaiting some indication that He is indeed there.
Yesterday, I read from Esther deWaal's, Lost in Wonder,
Uncrowd my heart, O God,
Until silence speaks
in your still small voice;
turn me from the hearing of words,
and the making of words,
and the confusion of speaking,
to listening,
waiting,
stillness,
silence.
She continues, with reference to the writings of Thomas Merton, "As the silence opens up in our hearts, and as we listen to it, it is as though we begin to feel the secret presence of the Word expanding 'Like a marvellous hidden smile'."
Merton quotes Isaac of Stella, a 12th cry Cistercian:
Let the Son of God grow in thee,
for He is formed in thee.
Let Him become immense in thee,
and may He become a great smile
and exultation and perfect joy.
Several years ago I was introduced to the writings of John O'Donohue, an Irish mystic and philosopher, who wrote a book of blessings, titled Benedictus. In it was one titled, "A Blessing for Equilibrium" and the last phrase introduced me to the "laughter of God" phrase.
This blessing continues to entice me to listen more deeply not simply for the Word who spoke and yielded up the cosmos... or as Barbara Brown Taylor says, God spoke the logos, the Word "and a solemn procession of creatures steps out of the darkness, so steady on their feet that it is hard to believe they are using them for the first time." But I am enticed to listen more attentively for God's laughter.
And so, I give you "A Blessing for Equilibrium" in this season of Lent - where the ups and downs created by the tension we invariably experience as we walk the path of Jesus through the Passover to Golgotha, where the joy and the sorrow stir up and unsettle our souls - and ultimately bring them once more to equilibrium, a wellness or a "Shalom"of the soul as Jesus promised, "my Peace I give to you..."
A Blessing
for Equilibrium
Like the joy
of the sea coming home to shore,
May the music
of laughter break through your soul.
As the wind
wants to make everything dance,
May your
gravity be lightened by grace.
Like the
freedom of the monastery bell,
May clarity
of mind make your eyes smile.
As water
takes whatever shape it is in,
So free may
you be about who you become.
As silence
smiles on the other side of what’s said,
May a sense
of irony give you perspective.
As time
remains free of all that it frames,
May fear or
worry never put you in chains.
May your
prayer of listening deepen enough
To hear in
the distance the laughter of God.
~ John
O'Donohue ~
