Gratitude
November 23, 2016
Detail of a miniature of God creating the sun and moon; British Library
LAST WEEK, the moon was reportedly the most remarkable it has been in appearance since 1948. They call it a “super moon” because of its close proximity to the earth. And it was super. Anyone — rich or poor — could look up and see the brilliant, luminous circle that had been not long before been what Emily Dickinson would call “a chin of gold” in the sky.
The Moon was but a Chin of Gold
A Night or two ago—
And now she turns Her perfect Face
Upon the World below—
Her Forehead is of Amplest Blonde—
Her Cheek—a Beryl hewn—
Her Eye unto the Summer Dew
The likest I have known—
Her Lips of Amber never part—
But what must be the smile
Upon Her Friend she could confer
Were such Her Silver Will—
(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)(Credit: AP)
How disappointing photos of the surface of the moon up close are compared to its appearance in the sea of night from here below. Even the view of a normal full or half moon is inspiring, but the surface of the moon, up close, is a relatively sterile, almost lifeless terrain. Interesting for its comparative impoverishment, amazing for all that it does not have.
There are things more fascinating and remarkable than even the moon.
In comparison, a single human body is a world of superior diversity and interest. Think of all the millions of people who have devoted their lives to studying the human body and still don’t fully understand it. The skeletal, the respiratory and the intestinal systems each encompass a mineral, vegetable and animal microcosm. The airways of the lung are pathways of intricate complexity. Each bodily system interacts with its surroundings in such a way that if certain conditions were a little off — if, say, the chemical composition of the atmosphere were only slightly altered — the entire body would cease functioning.
Take any person — a genius or a simple man, an athlete or a cripple in bed, a good man or a criminal — and he is a physical masterpiece. It doesn’t matter what he has done or what he will be. Each human being is an astounding work of artistry.
There are two important aspects of gratitude. One is the appreciation for something that truly exists. The other is the recipient of the gratitude. Gratitude cannot be given unless something good exists. It cannot be given unless someone is there to receive it.
In thinking of what we can be grateful for on the beautiful feast day of Thanksgiving, we don’t need to look far. There is the moon in the sky. There is the physical shell in which we exist. The human body is not just mineral, vegetable, and animal. It partakes of the angelic order too. The body is ordered toward protecting this angelic component. The eyes, the nose, the ears, the mouth, the skin — all seek knowledge and convey it to the mind and the soul.
God finds the human being the most fascinating of all his creatures, even more fascinating than the angels themselves, despite their intellectual superiority, because the human being is the most compelling composite of the physical and spiritual. We are His masterpiece. Our hands, with their dexterity; our feet with their stability; our legs with their locomotion; our ribs as the delicate cage of our hearts — if we were to meditate on what the body alone tells us about Creator we would be overcome with gratitude.
In order to be thankful for all that is around us we must thank someone.
If we were to meditate on the simple things we have, we would sing our gratitude to the Creator of our bodies and the Creator of the moon every moment of the day as St Francis of Assisi did in his Canticle of the Sun (which is best read in Italian or Latin, but is in English here):
Most High, all powerful, good Lord,
Yours are the praises, the glory, the honor,
and all blessing.
To You alone, Most High, do they belong,
and no man is worthy to mention Your name.
Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures,
especially through my lord Brother Sun,
who brings the day; and you give light through him.
And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor!
Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.
Praise be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon
and the stars, in heaven you formed them
clear and precious and beautiful.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind,
and through the air, cloudy and serene,
and every kind of weather through which
You give sustenance to Your creatures.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water,
which is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom you light the night and he is beautiful
and playful and robust and strong.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Mother Earth,
who sustains us and governs us and who produces
varied fruits with colored flowers and herbs.
Praised be You, my Lord,
through those who give pardon for Your love,
and bear infirmity and tribulation.
Blessed are those who endure in peace
for by You, Most High, they shall be crowned.
Praised be You, my Lord,
through our Sister Bodily Death,
from whom no living man can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin.
Blessed are those whom death will
find in Your most holy will,
for the second death shall do them no harm.
Praise and bless my Lord,
and give Him thanks
and serve Him with great humility.
— Comments —
Hurricane B. writes:
That is a lovely article, with all that poetry. Here’s a wee something that takes my breath away, too:
God sleeps in the minerals,
awakens in plants,
walks in animals, and
thinks in man.
– Arthur Young
You are probably familiar with it.
Laura writes:
Thanks.
I was not.
