God has created an astounding array of creatures and we hear the angels crying to one another--

"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts!"
they cried one to the other.
"All the earth is filled with his glory!"

God created matter, plants, animals, humans and angels to show forth his glory. Every creature reveals the attributes of God-His power, intelligence, wisdom, love, goodness, truth, beauty, etc. Every creation has value in itself because it is the handiwork of God, but there is also a hierarchy of relationships with man at the pinnacle of creation because he and she are made in God's image. Man can never be the master of creation but rather its gardener, the one who cares for it. He depends on other creatures for his life and if he seeks, out of greed, to exploit the lower creatures, he is only harming himself. We need to recapture a sense of wonder and love of creation. "When we fall in love with the awesome Mystery of the cosmos; when we ponder minute particles and distant galaxies; when we are present to the weed, orchid, paw-print, ocean, or the fly crawling up the window pane, we begin to see how interconnected we are and to sense a unity beyond our imaginings. Stewardship of creation beings by seeing our place in the order of things as helpers so that God can go on saying, 'It is very good!' " (Elizabeth Canham, Weaving, Stewards of Creation, Vol. XXIII, No. 5, Sept/Oct, 2008, p.29)

The countless diverse creatures constantly remind man of God. To be fully human is to stand in wonder at the mumber and diversity of creatures in the world.

Please click image to See and hear Morning has broken...

Recorded at St. Joseph Chapel, Valatie, NY
Organist: Bro. Renatus Foldenauer, CSC
Singer: Bro. Gilbert Pretto, CSC & Brothers of Holy Cross

1. Morning has broken like the first morning;
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird.
Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!
Praise for them springing fresh from the Word!

2. Sweet the rain's new fall sunlit from heaven,
Like the first dewfall on the first grass.
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden,
Sprung in completeness where His feet pass.

3. Mine is the sunlight! Mine is the morning,
Born of the one light Eden saw play!
Praise with elation; praise ev'ry morning,
God's recreation of the new day!

8. A Question of Justice and & Common Good