“I understood that if, in the order of nature, Jesus is pleased to sow beneath our feet such delightful marvels, it is only to aid us in reading into the more hidden mysteries of a superior order that He is working at times in souls.” St. Thérèse of Lisieux
Throughout the year, God has given us many things to marvel at with each passing season! He gives us the snow in the winter, the flowers and blooming plants in the spring and summer, the gorgeous colors in the trees during fall, and the list goes on! Have you ever seen these things as an inspiration to have greater confidence in Him? In Genesis, God places man at the head of creation, His only creature made in His image and likeness – the only rational creatures (aside from the angels) capable of having a relationship with Him! Why else would He create the mysteries of nature other than to bring delight to Himself and to us?!
It often blows my mind to look at the tiny snowflakes and think that each is unique – each has its own design – and throughout all creation there have been zillions of them! Who other than a loving Father would put so much love into making each so special, just hoping that one of His Children might catch it on their glove and be overcome with awe at His love for them! Who other than a loving Father would cast so many beautiful colors and imaginative clouds into the sky and make the stars and the moon light up the night? Just think of all of NASA’s discoveries of the universe – it is all a gift of love for us! Christ Himself uses nature as an encouragement to trust in our Heavenly Father when He says that “if God so clothes the grass of the field . . . will He not much more provide for you, O you of little faith (Mt. 6:30)!”
I often reflect on what it must have been like for Christ to experience creation from the earth as one of us, He who was there with the Father and the Holy Spirit when the earth and sky were formed – how much joy it must have brought Him! And how sad it must have been for Him when He saw these marvels simply passed by and ignored. When we really contemplate the mysteries of God’s creation, they should fill our hearts with wonder. This wonder isn’t the sappy sentimentality that limits St. Francis to bunnies and birds or St. Thérèse to her flowers. It is being awe-struck at the Truth, Beauty, and Goodness of God and being filled with a desire to ceaselessly adore Him with our entire being in all that we do! Mother Mary Francis, in her book Come, Lord Jesus, beautifully writes:
“Wonder is so radical to the human heart . . . In eternity many expressions of our humanity will cease; there will be no hunger or thirst – but wonder will be eternally there, the wonder of God. . . This wonder which perdures for all eternity is, like all wonder, a growing wonder . . . . We want to use this great faculty, which will find its fullness in eternity, as God wishes us to use wonder.”
As we have just contemplated the Incarnation of Our Lord as a helpless little child, let us be brought to wonder by the beauty of our God! Let us, His beloved children, allow this wonder to be transformed into a bold confidence in His love and providence in our lives!
~ Written by Sister Marie Thérèse