Quotes about Breath

Perpetual inspiration from the Holy Spirit is as necessary to a life of goodness, holiness, and happiness as the perpetual respiration of air is necessary to animal life.

Where I a pris'ner chain'd, scarce freely drawThe air imprison'd also, close and damp,Unwholsome draught; but here I feel amends,The breath of heav'n fresh blowing, pure and sweet,With day-spring born; here leave me to respire.Milton'sSampson Agonistes.

As virtuous men pass mildly away, and whisper to their souls to go, whilst some of their sad friends do say, the breath goes now, and some say no.

As virtuous men pass mildly away And whisper to their souls, to goe, While some of their friends doe say, The breath goes now, and some say, no: So let us melt, and make no noise...

Thy breath in the congregation, thy word in the church, breathes communion and consolation here, and consummation hereafter;

The breath of God, and then in turn exhaling onto others the breath of life they have received from their Creator. This is what our Messiah did as well. After His resurrection He appeared to His disciples, who were hiding for fear. He said, "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you" (John 20:21). Then Jesus breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit" (verse 22).

There were in her at the moment two beings, one drawing deep breaths of freedom and exhilaration, the other gasping for air in a little black prison-house of fears. But gradually the captive's gasps grew fainter, or the other paid less heed to them: the horizon expanded, the air grew stronger, and the free spirit quivered for flight.

To live is in itself a value judgment. To breathe is to judge.

O heavenly Father, protect and bless all things that have breath: guard them from all evil and let them sleep in peace.

The breathing into Adam (Genesis 2:7) has become the breathing out of Jesus (John 20:22)

As I said, this Spirit has two jobs. First, she creates diversity, as exemplified in the metaphor of wind—just breathing out ever-new life in endlessly diverse forms. But then the Spirit has another job: that of the Great Connector—of all those very diverse things! All this pluriform life, the Spirit keeps in harmony and "mutual deference"267—"so there shall be one Christ, loving Himself," as Augustine daringly put it.268

As I'm coming to realize more and more, God holds everything together in a mysterious quantum entanglement. With each breath we participate in the life-death-life pattern that always ends in resurrection. My hope is that each of us will choose to participate consciously, aware of this privilege and delight in being co-creators with God. Just pray that I can do whatever God wants me to do.