The wonder of Creation

By cultivating the gift of wonder and awe in our daily life, I believe we can achieve deeper peace, fuller relationships, and bring God greater glory by looking beyond ourselves to become more aware of God’s majesty. In doing so, our days feel more precious as we recognize the divine fingerprints that cover everything. At our confirmation, we are given the gifts of the Holy Spirit, including the gift of wonder and awe. Want to experience more wonder and awe? Start today. Here are some ideas how. Get outside. Stepping into nature, we are instantly surrounded by God’s creation and invited to experience him intimately through it. To practice wonder and awe, actively notice the beauty of individual leaves on each tree limb, be fascinated by the sounds of the birds, and take delight in the colors of fall. All of creation sings of his majesty! “Nature thus becomes a gospel which speaks to us of God: ‘from the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception of their Creator’ (Wisdom 13:5).

Or be like the saints — St. John Paul II loved to ski, as did St. Gianna Molla. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati liked to climb mountains. There is always enough time and space to be stirred by wonder. As St. Thérèse of Lisieux wrote in her autobiography, Story of a Soul, “I recall the days Papa used to bring us to the pavilion; the smallest details are impressed in my heart! I recall especially the Sunday walks when Mama used to accompany us. I still feel the profound and poetic impressions that were born in my soul at the sight of the fields enamelled with cornflowers and all types of wildflowers. Already I was in love with the wide open spaces. Space and the gigantic fir trees, the branches sweeping down to the ground, left in my heart an impression similar to the one I experience today at the sight of nature.” So, get out and appreciate the beauty of God’s gift to us, His Creation.