I will raise myself beyond these symbols

I am reading, or have just begun to read An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor. That title reminds me of the opening of Hymn of the Universe by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. "Since once again, Lord -- though this time not in the forests of the Asine but in the steppes of Asia -- I have neither bread, nor wine, nor altar, I will raise myself beyond these symbols, up to the pure majesty of the real itself; I your priest, will make the whole earth my altar and on it will offer you all the labours and sufferings of the world."

I remember reading many things by and about Teilhard in a class a few years ago. Some basic things from that course have stayed with me, giving me a way to understand suffering and vitality. The poetic, inclusive opening of Hymn of the Universe is unforgettable for me.