The other night, Sue and I were sitting on the deck at the very end of the day as the light was fading and darkness was just creeping in. The crickets and the frogs were doing their thing incredibly loud, a crescendo of spindly legs and balloon-throated amphibians, a symphony of sound that rose and fell every 30 seconds or so, as if led by an invisible, knowing, baton-wielding hand. But whose?
“The whole of creation comes from God, goes back to God and is in God,” Paul Coutinho writes in his newest book, An Ignatian Pathway. “Creation finds its identity in God and the interconnectedness of all life.”
Ignatius once described the trinity as a three-note chord. And so I wonder, listening to the crickets and frogs, how many individual notes are sounding tonight, all of them resonating with the pure tone of the trinity ringing throughout the universe?
Praise God from whom all music flows. Praise God all singers and players here below. Praise God above the heavenly strains of sound and silence. Glory be to the composer, and to the singer, and to the conductor, one God forever and ever. Amen.
Ask yourself in silence: What do I hear when I take the time to be silent and listen? How does music connect me to God?
4 comments On Today’s Word: Doxology
It seems in the sounds of silence we hear the loudest: the praises and songs that emanate from all things . . from all of creation . . . and from deep within ourselves. In nature it is so easy to feel close to God! Such a gift to be able to “hear,” in His gift of all creation to us, our oneness with it. Just as in a symphony, it is often difficult to single out one instrument because of the beauty of the blending of each one, isn’t it incredible to imagine the sound going to God’s ears when we blend our prayers and songs; our joys and sorrows too. Yet, we know, at the same time, He clearly hears us individually! Thought provoking on many fronts. Thanks again, Steve! Kathleen
A doxology to the Holy Trinity is best manifest when the priest says these words during Mass “Through Him and with Him and in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honor and glory is Yours Almighty Father, forever and ever, Amen.” And therafter, when we receive the Eucharist into our human vessel, we know we have within us the most potent and powerful mystery of our Faith – the Holy Trinity!
And then as we sing our praises to God during Mass, we must not foget to remember that it is with His Blessing that we have our beautiful voices, our talented lyricists , our music composers and choir masters to gel all the parts together so that our voices can rise in one chorus of praise to the Lord our God.
God Bless, Steve.
Lily
Thanks, Lily. Beautifully and musically said!
Thanks, Kathleen. The metaphor of the symphony is so strong and true.