Go Ríg na n-uile rís íar m-búaid léire;
ro béo i flaith nime i n-gile gréine
Be thou mine inheritance now and always
Inheritance has several connotations. It is a form of “riches” (see part 13) though clearly meant to stand in contrast with the kind of riches mentioned there. This, more of a relational treasure; ephemeral; non-corporeal and deeply personal. Personal in the fact that the substance of the inheritance is a person.
I don’t think I grasp the singular nature of this idea like I should: to consider the presence of another person, their proximity, simply their existence as a valued commodity. As I have mentioned earlier, seeing what the other person can create in me is the default value. But to see their intrinsic value – just their being as valuable has eluded me for the most part.
Apart from brief moments with God, Brenda (my wife) and a handful of others, the closest I’ve come to this is parenthood. I can say with out equivocation, that my daughters have occupied a place of simple, intrinsic value in my heart that entirely transcends “what they can do for me”.
Are WE the metaphor?
Once again, the metaphor of God as Father advances in it’s precision to such a degree that one might start considering biological fatherhood as the metaphor for what God is to us. I simply reflect an imperfect image of THE Father.
Also, inheritance speaks of the treasure which is both “now” and “not yet”. The inheritor possess a lovely promise (in a sense he/she possess the treasure in a legal sense) even before he/she receives it physically.
Ah, the promise of Heaven! Let it be an encouragment here and now…for it is mine.
