"I burn for your peace"

Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things that you created. You were with me, but I was not with you.

Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you, they would not have been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me;

I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burn for your peace.

-- Confessions of St. Augustine

Whew!

I know, right?

Phyllis Tickle read this (and showed it) during her teaching on the feminine side of the Holy Spirit. Trust me, you're gonna wanna listen to the podcast. It is even better in that context. Under 5.3.09 titled: "A Treasure We Don't Understand."

For my part, the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity - part of the Christian faith - which has always confounded me. This is the first time I've felt like I progressed in that understanding. Although, to call it "understanding" is a bit misleading, because it's not like it makes sense in my head any more than it did before. However, hearing about the Spirit's feminine side - and from such an authoritative source who is a woman! - somehow makes me more comfortable with the mystery of the Person (the Spirit). It is a knowledge that transcends my intellect because I know the comfort of my mother's embrace, even though I may not know everything there is to know about her.

So, I suppose, it is a bit like having been hugged.