"Glance at the sun. See the moon and the stars. Gaze at the beauty of earth’s greenings. Now think. What delight God gives to humanity with all these things. All nature is at the disposal of humankind. We are to work with it. For without it, we cannot survive.” These words were written by Hildegarde of Bingen, a German Benedictine nun who was named as a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XVI. Like Hildegarde, the author of the book of Wisdom in our first reading saw God in creation. The author did not make the marvels he saw in creation an idol, for doing so would be foolish and ignorant according to him. So many of the faithful see God in the beauty and wonder of nature, and this serves to strengthen and confirm our faith in God. I know I feel that way every time I have hiked through the beautiful countryside of northern Spain on the pilgrimage of St James.
Christians are called to serve the Lord in different ways, to see him in the different facets of the world. One of the saints we celebrate this week is St Hugh of Lincoln. Hugh was a monk in a Carthusian monastery in France in the 12th century. The Carthusians are one of the monastic orders that observe a strict vow of silence. At the age of 40, he was asked to open a Carthusian monastery in England. He earned the respect from the people when he made sure that the poor who were displaced by the building of the monastery were justly compensated for their land. He later was appointed Bishop of Lincoln in England, where he showed a special love for the sick, the poor, and the lepers of his diocese. One one occasion, he personally shielded a group of Jews from an angry mob.
We see God in creation, and we reflect God’s love and mercy in how we treat God’s creation and our brothers and sisters in the reality that is present in our lives. Let us think the Lord for the greatness and beauty of his creation, for the way we see God’s majesty in all of creation in the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment