Today is Mar. 1, Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time.
At today’s Mass, we read in the Book of Sirach, “His majestic glory their eyes beheld, his glorious voice their ears heard” (Sir 17:13).
In these verses, we are reminded of our humble beginnings and the finite nature of our earthly lives. Sirach says, “God from the earth created man, and in his own image he made him. He makes man return to earth again, and endows him with a strength of his own” (Sir 17:1-2). This passage is a summary of the human condition, a description of our origin and end.
God endows us with authority and responsibility over creation. He imparts strength, wisdom, and understanding, crafting us in his own image and granting us the faculties to discern good from evil. Above all, he gives us the capacity to know and to love him. Sirach puts it this way: “He created for them counsel, and a tongue and eyes and ears, and an inventive heart, and filled them with the discipline of understanding” (Sir 17:6). Our lives and destinies are God-given, filled with purpose and meaning.
Honoring God’s work and purpose
But in our day-to-day lives, it’s all too easy to have our minds and hearts distracted from that original purpose. Sirach reminds us, “An everlasting covenant he has made with them, his justice and his judgments he has revealed to them. His majestic glory their eyes beheld, his glorious voice their ears heard” (Sir 17:12-13). We must pause to remember the noble purpose for which we were made and to marvel at the incredible things that God has done for us!
This month, in the March issue of Our Sunday Visitor magazine, we’re reflecting on our relationship with God. With Lent just around the corner, we’re considering how to align our lives more closely with his will. Every Christian needs to stop, take stock and reflect. In doing so, we honor the majesty of His works and fulfill the purpose for which we were created.
Let us pray,
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that, always pondering spiritual things, we may carry out in both word and deed that which is pleasing to you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
