Many people go through the day oblivious to the miracle of existence… If you carefully consider even the most common of things, however, such as a piece of bread, for instance, you will soon realize that it represents a series of causes leading back to transcendental power, and finally, to the Creator and Sustainer of all things. A piece of bread comes from flour, which is milled from seed grown in topsoil through an amazing synthesis of light, air, minerals, and water. However, photosynthesis is a secondary effect of more fundamental forces such as the energy of the sun, the elements of earth, water, and atmosphere, the pull of gravity, and the marvelous inner “form” or intelligence of the seed itself… The “germination” of a seed is really quite miraculous, replicating the body and energy of a plant in miniature form (“this acorn I hold in my hand contains a thousand oak trees”). My point here is simple. Life is full of mysteries, though we can suppress consciousness of its wonders by means of ingratitude for our existence. God is never silent, however, since “The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky above proclaims the work of his hands; Day to day pours out speech; night to night reveals His knowledge” (Psalm 19:1-2).
Hebrew Lesson
Psalm 19:1-2 Hebrew reading:
A sense of wonder and mystery is central to faith, since “the last step of human reason is the confession that there are an infinite number of things that are beyond it” (Blaise Pascal). Just as human reason and logical principles ultimately point beyond itself, so faith points beyond itself to the Lord as the Source and the End of all mystery, beauty, goodness, love, and truth… The idea of mystery is not a confession of ignorance as much as it is an awareness of the inherent sanctity of life and of the ultimate triumph of love…. Faith believes that everything will ultimately be healed by God’s overarching will, through which the universe is sustained and made intelligible to us. Therefore, Da lifnei mi attah omed: “Know before whom you stand!” We are constantly surrounded by an ongoing procession of the glory of God (Isa. 6:3). May the Lord our God help us open our eyes to see…