Saturday of the Second Week of Advent
December 15, 2007
"Whose glory is equal to yours?."
- Sirach 48:4

I was silent and listening in the desert recently. It was night and I was gazing on the countless stars in the infinite sky. The light of the stars we see comes from hundreds and even thousands of years ago. They are that far away! And the stars we see are in our galaxy. And we are just one galaxy among billions of galaxies! Ponder the vastness of creation. As I was thinking about the beauty of the infinite sky and of all creation I had a thought of the Holy Spirit, "All of this wants to be inside of me! God, who only partially reveals himself in all that I see in creation, wants to pour himself out totally in me! What I see in the vastness and beauty of all creation is only a limited viewing of all that God wants to share with me." In awe, I stood speechless.

The infinite vastness of all the beauty you see in the created world wants to thrive in you and me! In Psalm 19:2 we read how the heavens declare the glory of God and the earth proclaims his handiwork. The glory of God fills the earth! It is everywhere- all the time. And all of creation is filled with that glory- except with one possible exception- you and me. All of creation has accepted the glory of God but the human person is the only part of creation that can deny it. Even in his omnipotence, God can not make us say "Yes" to the infinite beauty he desires to share with us.

We deny infinity with our sin and pride. What is in the middle of sin and pride? "I"! We can make ourselves, our plans and way of life the center of all we do and thereby deny God pouring out all of himself, his plans and ways for us. When you think of the light of the stars coming from hundreds and thousands of years ago and that we are just one galaxy out of billions of galaxies, don't you feel pretty small? And what does this thought make God who created it all?

Isaiah 66:2 tells us how the eyes of the Lord are drawn towards the person who has a humble and contrite heart. Look at the infinite stars and ponder their vastness. That is just a small viewing of the infinite life there is to view. And all of that wants to be inside of you.

In light (no pun initially intended) of Isaiah 66:2, are the eyes of the Lord drawn to you?

We are infinitely blessed!

+ Fr. John