Reading 1 Ez 17:22-24
Thus says the Lord GOD:
I, too, will take from the crest of the cedar,
from its topmost branches tear off a tender shoot,
and plant it on a high and lofty mountain;
on the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it.
It shall put forth branches and bear fruit,
and become a majestic cedar.
Birds of every kind shall dwell beneath it,
every winged thing in the shade of its boughs.
And all the trees of the field shall know
that I, the LORD,
bring low the high tree,
lift high the lowly tree,
wither up the green tree,
and make the withered tree bloom.
As I, the LORD, have spoken, so will I do.
REFLECTION
"Birds of every kind shall dwell beneath it, every winged thing in the shade of its bough"
One of my favorite morning activities is to go for a walk right when the sun is starting to come out. In that moment the air is fresh, the mosquitos are sleeping, and the birds are starting to sing. There is just enough light to break the darkness and the colors of the sky can be incredible.
These moments make me ponder about God's creation. I feel the beauty of nature, and how God is present in every being, from the blade of grass to the Mississippi kites looking for breakfast. I would stop whatever podcast I am listening to, and pay attention to the cardinals and the mockingbirds singing up in the trees. In that moment I feel part of creation, and not creation something apart from myself. And I ponder if the birds are praising God and giving thanks for another morning.
Pope Francis tells us in his encyclical Laudato Si'*: "Our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us.".
In Spanish we have a song of praise that goes like this: "In the morning the flowers sing praises to Christ our savior.... In the morning the birds sing praises to Christ our savior... and you my brother, how come you are not singing praises to Christ our savior..."
The CCC** tells us:
2639 Praise is the form of prayer which recognizes most immediately that God is God. It lauds God for his own sake and gives him glory, quite beyond what he does, but simply because HE IS. It shares in the blessed happiness of the pure of heart who love God in faith before seeing him in glory. By praise, the Spirit is joined to our spirits to bear witness that we are children of God, testifying to the only Son in whom we are adopted and by whom we glorify the Father. Praise embraces the other forms of prayer and carries them toward him who is its source and goal: the "one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist."
Today, the Lord's day, let's stop for a moment and praise and adore Him for the beautiful creation He has given us. Sing to Him if you can!
God bless y'all!
* Laudato Si':https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html
** CCC 2639: https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_four/section_one/chapter_one/article_3/v_prayer_of_praise.html
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