Holy Leisure and Awe

                                                     Brother Stella Maris


Surfing is one of the many forms of holy leisure that draws us into a deeper love of God. It inculcates a sense of wonder when you see the seemingly endless sea before you and the myriad of mysterious creatures that call it home. From the flocks of pelicans that glide just across the surface of the waves to the dolphins who surprise you with their acrobatic playfulness- all this occurring as the shades of color reflecting from the water’s surface gradually change from blues and greens to peach, violet, and amber with the rising and setting of the sun. The breath of God that hovered over the watery chaos at the beginning of creation and formed the cosmos is ultimately the source of the solar energy that causes wind, which causes the waves. The most remarkable moment is when one realizes that God is inviting you to not only observe the beauty before you, but to enter it- as if He is saying “Go my child, play in the mystery of my creation.” Surfing a wave is an opportunity to humbly enter harmony with the creative Word, and if you try to control it, you will quickly learn the taste of sand. ​

---