What Do You and the Oysters Have in Common?

Psalms 145:10

All thy works shall give thanks to thee, O LORD, and all thy saints shall bless thee!

One of the quirkier and most endearing habits of the Old Testament writers is their practice of calling on everything from mountains to whales to join them in praising and giving thanks to God.  But this charming trait of the biblical writers preserves a real truth about the gospel of Christ: namely, that it is not a “private faith” but an overwhelmingly public one which involves, quite simply, the entire created universe from quark to quasar.  In their own ways, everything from a plate of oysters to kangaroos to a thunderstorm to the butterfly is a testimony to the glory of God who creates.  But out of all creation, we alone have the chance to praise and thank God with tongues instead of with the muted sorts of praise that beautiful creatures like a butterfly can give.  If we offer that praise and thanks we shall, in the grace of God, fulfill the silent prophecy of the butterfly, break out of our cocoons of sin and be transformed into what no other of God’s works can become: saints.  Today, join in with all of creation in praising God.  You’ll be surprised at how it changes your day.

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Mark P. Shea is a popular Catholic writer and speaker. The author of numerous books, his most recent work is The Work of Mercy (Servant) and The Heart of Catholic Prayer (Our Sunday Visitor). Mark contributes numerous articles to many magazines, including his popular column “Connecting the Dots” for the National Catholic Register. Mark is known nationally for his one minute “Words of Encouragement” on Catholic radio. He also maintains the Catholic and Enjoying It blog and regularly blogs for National Catholic Register. He lives in Washington state with his wife, Janet, and their four sons.

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