An Ecstatic Hymn of Praise

Homily for Tuesday in the 5th Week of Ordinary Time

About forty percent of the Hebrew Scriptures are written in poetry; today’s first reading includes the first verses of that poetry, verses that tell us that we were made in God’s image and likeness. Of course, every liturgy is enhanced by Hebrew poetry as all the psalms are written in poetry. There is also one other aspect of the psalms that sets them apart, for in addition to being poetry, they are also prayers. As we use the psalms to respond to the readings, we do so through prayer.

Psalm 8, which is used to respond to the creation story of the Book of Genesis today, is am ecstatic hymn of praise to God who has created the world in such splendid order.  Standing as bookends, the psalm begins and ends with the same explosive burst of praise, “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.”

At the very center of the psalm is the proclamation of the paradoxical human condition, at once lowly and glorious. The two Hebrew words for human beings both remind us of our lowly state. The first, “enosh,” comes from the root that connotes weakness. The second, “ben-adam,” reminds us of our descent from the first human creature formed from the clay of the earth. Yet is precisely we weak beings of dust whom the awesome Lord remembers and cares for. It is the final act of creation which is proclaimed as “very good.”

As we read the creation story once again, we are reminded how Solomon wondered if the Temple he wanted to build as God’s home among us could ever be beautiful enough. Human beings, in all their imagination and creativity, have never come close to matching God’s creative powers.

We are called upon today not only to praise God’s creative genius but also reinvigorate our efforts to protect this good home which God has fashioned for us.

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator