Both books
Irish philosopher and wandering scholar extraordinaire John Scotus Eriugena (ca. 815–77) taught that there are two books through which God speaks to us... The first is the ‘small book.’ This is the book of Holy Scripture. The second is the ‘big book,’ the text of the created universe - the sun, moon, stars, earth, sea, and sky; and the creatures of these realms.
Eriugena said we need to read both books. If we read only the little book, we can miss the vastness and wildness of the created world. We can skim right over all that vibrates with the eternal hum of God. If we read only the big book, we risk missing the intimacy of the voice; the for-you-ness of the eternal Word/Logos that calls us to faithfulness in relationship to God, self, others, and the created world.1
In Joy,
Jonas+
Every morning, I walk my dogs next to the Intra Coastal Waterway where we live. This is my very special prayer time. I see my God in the fast-flowing water, the majestic trees, and the sun that fights its way through fleecy clouds. I see Him everywhere. I feel his presence in the breeze. I hear Him in the call of the birds. The "big book" is very much a part of my life.
While I was until now unaware of this Scottish philosopher, it resonates with what a dear (departed) friend would say: - he met the divine in nature, on city streets, in domestic pets, people. He didn’t go to church regularly (I think the institutional church disappointed him - Catholicism - which he viewed as corrupted).