"Fr. Clyde Painting Luke Painting Mary"
 
All matter is graced by God’s presence. Matter cannot exist without God’s presence. Through evolution, God continues to display his humorous, imaginative creative power. In this process, matter has been given many forms. The human form, of which we partake, is supreme.

Our creator has graced us with the ability to co-create. He has further mandated us to co-create, to increase and multiply. God, who is love, mandates us to increase that love in the world.

Recognizing our total dependence on God requires deep-rooted humility. And it requires the deepest respect for matter. We can take it and form it into something beautiful, giving it back the beauty it had before the fall.

In 1986, I took up a little brush and began learning the technique of icon painting. Before that, I painted the house and barn with a large brush. The form is now different, a small board compared to the barn, but the gift of co-creating is the same. Both were made beautiful with God’s guiding hand.

Thank you, Lord, for giving each one of us this gift.
 
(c) 2018 Clyde Rausch, OMI