Bishop Robert Vasa

07/06/2001

BEND — Given the fact that I usually write about something connected with travel it should come as little surprise to find that this week is no exception. The past week involved a trip to and a brief visit in Juneau, Alaska where I had the opportunity to see and experience many wonderful outdoor scenes of beauty.

I will not bore you with pale attempts to describe the beauties and wonders experienced in Alaska but the magnificence of the landscape does serve as the foundation for this week’s reflection.

Juneau is perched on a narrow shelf of land with the ocean or rather one of its Bays to the west and rugged, spruce covered mountains immediately to the east. One gets the impression that Juneau has just the most tenuous toehold on the mountain and the slightest geological hiccup would push it over into the bay. This tenuousness is also felt as one climbs into one of the numerous private float planes which line the airport. It is also felt as one approaches the face of one of the numerous glaciers by boat or ventures out in a boat to an almost endless expanse of water.

Though Juneau is a relatively small city by most objective standards, Alaska is by no means small and the territory surrounding Juneau is a consistent reminder of the vastness of that land. In my brief stay I discovered that the hearts of the Alaskans are as big as their state. I found it to be a very welcoming place.

In reflecting on the size of Alaska, the beauty of the mountains, the splendid tranquility of the Bay, the ruggedness of the terrain, its isolation and the tenuousness of existence there it was clear that this part of God’s creation clearly does give due praise to God, its Creator. The Psalmist in Psalm 148 calls upon all creation to “Praise the Lord.” One could imagine the Psalmist looking over the wonders of Alaska as he wrote: “Praise the Lord from the earth you sea monsters and all the depths: Fire and hail, snow and fog, gales fulfilling His word: Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars: Wild beasts and all cattle, reptiles and birds of the wing. Let them praise the Lord’s name for His name alone is exalted His majesty is above earth and the heavens.”

In the midst of that grandness I had a very strong sense of my own littleness. I also had a strong sense of my vulnerability. Traveling by boat, while not precarious, certainly does give one pause.

With water temperatures which would insure paralysis in less than ten minutes, one is not preserved by a life preserver. A float plane, while a wonderful invention, is not suited to landing in trees which covered a majority of the terrain below.

Fishing is a wonderful pastime and the trout were excellent but even there with warnings about brown bears one is given to a consideration of one’s mortality. This is especially true after one has walked in the tracks of a brown bear to get to the desired fishing location. The size of the track further reminds one of one’s littleness.

In the midst of that majesty and with a constant reminder of the relative insignificance of the human person I became sharply aware that a single word of praise from the lips of a human person was of greater value to God than the singing of all the whales, the majesty of all the mountains, the grandeur of all the trees and the marvels of the whole rest of the created universe.

I found myself looking at the mountains and appreciating them but also understanding that they do not praise God nearly as much as we can. All creation, simply by being what it is supposed to be, gives due praise to God.

Creation praises God well but this is significantly different than the rational, freely chosen praise which only humans can give. The difference is that nature usually praises well and in accord with its proper nature while we often praise poorly, if at all, because of our failure to live in accord with our proper nature.

This consistency of praise by the created universe is something that each of us needs to learn. It is here that a proper reflection upon nature can truly lift the mind and heart of mankind to God. These things of beauty, while enjoyable in themselves, have as their purpose a pointing to another reality, to God. As they are cause for joy in the heart and a lifting of the spirit so also are we to be a cause for joy in the heart and a lifting of the spirit. As the mountains and the hills point to God and give praise to Him so also are we to point always to God and give praise to Him. To Him be the glory.

The Psalmist must have reflected long and often in beautiful settings for he could write in Psalm 103: “All of them look to Thee to give them their food in due season. If Thou give it to them, they gather it: if Thou opens Thy hand, they are sated with good things. If Thou hide Thy face, they are dismayed: if Thou withdraw their breath, they expire. If Thou send forth Thy breath, they are created, and Thou renews the face of the earth. May the Lord’s glory be for ever! May the Lord rejoice in His works! He looks upon the earth and it trembles: He touches the mountains and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord as long as I live: I will make music to my God as long as I exist. May my hymn be agreeable to Him, even as I will myself rejoice in the Lord.”

There is always ample reason to lift mind and heart to God in prayer and praise but somehow being in the midst of the beautiful creation which God has made makes that lifting a bit lighter and a bit higher.

In the midst of that beauty it often happens that we forget the God of creation while admiring the creation He has wrought. It is for this reason that a day in the mountains or on the ocean, even in Alaska is not substitute for the offering of that “sacrifice of praise” which is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This is true and perfect praise.

It is here that mankind reaches the pinnacle of praise. It is at Mass that we link ourselves, not with the praise of the created universe, but rather with that one perfect sacrifice of praise offered by the Lord to His Father.

Alaska is wonderful and beautiful but it is only a faint reflection of Him who is “clothed with splendor and majesty, who wraps Himself in light as in a mantle.”