Unitarian Universalists view as sacred what they deem worthy of their highest respect and reverence. They avoid distinctions between what is sacred and secular.  They may speak of the sacred as manifest in people, or nature, or even all of creation. Or, they may speak of it as the human impulse toward the transcendent.  Whether perceived as an external or internal orientation, sacredness is what turns us to the deeper “connectedness” that is always present and available to us wherever we look or are willing to find it.

We best experience connectedness by extending loving attention to the particulars of our lives and our relationships–thereby recognizing that we all are part of intricate networks beyond ourselves. This recognition motivates us to contribute to healing our community and our planet.

An attitude of reverence, awe, and ultimate respect is baked into the human psyche.  Humankind has cultivated a sense of the sacred for thousands of years.  This attitude is what binds us to our fellow living beings and to the Earth, which is our home.  We all possess the instinct to cherish and protect what we consider sacred.

People’s sacred bonds vary widely in how they are expressed, but they are fundamental to our shared humanity. No religion has a monopoly on what is sacred.  We are all co-creators and preservers of what is in our art, in our science, in our spiritual traditions, in our service to high ideals, and in our devotion to the good and the just.

We each are part of the cosmos, fragments of its holiness. The sacred stems from our relation to the whole, and is experienced as reverence, joy, gratitude, and compassion. It is the larger love which transcends all understanding.

[published September 29, 2023]