Thursday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

acorns

How beautiful are all his works!

even to the spark and fleeting vision!
The universe lives and abides forever;
to meet each need, each creature is preserved.
All of them differ, one from another,
yet none of them has he made in vain,
For each in turn, as it comes, is good;
can one ever see enough of their splendor?

Speaking of the self, Lisel Mueller concludes her poem, What is left to say with, “Its function is to applaud.” (Out of respect for copyrights I do not copy the poem to my website but I leave it to you to follow the above link.)

When you create something beautiful you want someone to appreciate it. You want to share the courage and love of your creativity with a loved one. When the Lord made the universe he created the human race to see its beauty. Can one ever see enough of its splendor?

How beautiful are all God’s works! It’s too bad Sirach didn’t make the cut into the King James Bible. Perhaps his appreciation of beauty might have dampened our utilitarian ardor. We might be more receptive to our instinct for beauty, instead of always asking, “What’s it good for?”

Just as scientists discover why hundreds of thousands of different life forms appear as they do, each adapted to its circumstances, they disappear before our eyes. And we hear with sadness Sirach’s exclamation,

All of them differ, one from another,
yet none of them has he made in vain,
For each in turn, as it comes, is good;

The function to applaud might seem little to ask of the self. Shouldn’t I be good for more than that? Can’t I save someone? Can’t I help someone be a better person? Can’t I make a difference, or leave the world a better place than I found it?

Yes, you might, if you start with applause for all that is beautiful.