This book of the Bible, part of the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, begins today’s section with something like a hymn in praise of the Creator. We are told that all creation obeys the will of God. What on earth, or anywhere in the universe for that matter, does this really mean? I think there is a simple answer to that question that involves our understanding that as the Creator, God has placed an inner logic or law within it that governs the way the world and the universe work. This needs to be understood in both a simple and more complex way. Simply speaking, God has created the world and within His creation there is a natural law that governs the behavior of the creation. In other words, the scientific world can seek to discover the various laws of the universe through its disciplines and thus help us to understand better the way things work and hopefully suggest ways and means for humanity to improve the world’s living situation.
The more complex or subtle understanding is expressed by St. Augustine at the start of his autobiography, Confessions (1:1). Here he tells us that God has created us for himself and we will be forever restless until we rest in him. Augustine recognizes that there is a fundamental truth to the fact that human fulfillment (indeed all fulfillment) is all about being in relationship with God according to His plans for our lives. The difficult aspect of this is having to let go of our human capacity to achieve things and recognize that the most important aspect of our life — fulfillment — rests in the hands of God. This makes a lot of sense since God has created us in the first place. But this does not mean people will readily accept this reality. The world is full of people seeking inspiration and fulfillment in all the wrong places. Let us pray that we will never be numbered among them.Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL
Reflection Question:
How much time and effort do I spend following my own path in seeking human fulfillment? Is it worth it?
Jesus, I need You to show me the path that leads to fulfillment in my life. Help me to discern Your plan for my life. Please grant me the grace to follow the true path once I discover it.
Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska, pray for us.
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