February 19/First Monday of Lent
The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. . .
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple. ~ Ps 19.1, 7
To those who have eyes to see, God can be found everywhere – in a Bach cantata or a Monet landscape, in the spikes and flowers of a cactus in bloom, in a baby’s grin or the interlocking hands of a long-married couple on a walk. What we seek to see, we usually find. Sometimes we are so focused on ourselves and our problems that we miss opportunities to see and understand others aright. Sometimes we let ourselves lapse into a pessimistic or negative mindset, and wallow in anger or sadness. As NY Times columnist David Brooks put it in a recent column, “Your way of perceiving the world becomes your way of being in the world.” Today, our psalmist zeroes in on two areas of life where God’s presence shines especially bright: the created world, and the divine word, or “Torah” (a word that means far more than our narrow construal of it as “law”). It is a glorious testament to a glorious God – and I would highly recommend reading the entire psalm, not just today’s lectionary snippets. So marvelous is our God that the heavens themselves are bound to proclaim him, by day and by night, from the rising of the sun to its setting. And so perfect, so sure, so right, so clear are God’s teachings-decrees-precepts-instructions-ordinances (all different names the psalmist uses in consecutive verses) that in the psalmist’s view, they are more to be prized than the most refined gold, sweeter than the most intense honey. The psalm’s structure is itself a paean to God’s glory – its lilting rhythms and repeated verse structure lift us to a place of celestial beauty. Amid the penitence and sacrifice of Lent, we are reminded today that there is much beauty in the world, and in the word, if we but open our eyes to see it.
Magnificent God, Open my eyes to see the world aright, in all its beauty, and open my heart to receive your word aright, in all its truth. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021924.cfm
To hear the congregation of the Metropolitan Tabernacle (London) sing “The heavens declare thy glory, Lord,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awEvlCRZ3WQ
