Universal Life and the Breath of God

For the psalmist, all creation is a multicolored theophany, a reverberating sacrament, pregnant with His presence, majesty and divine power. On the whole, the Psalms are a jubilant dance in which rivers clap, oceans roar and mountains tremble (Ps 98).

God shows Himself to the human race by means of palpable signs: clouds, the wind, storks, rivers, mountains, fields, cedar trees, and livestock; the wind is His messenger; the burning fire is His deputy (Ps 107). That is to say, all life in the universe is an immense breath of God.

God establishes the mountains, controls the roaring of the oceans, at the break of dawn and dusk He fills the people with gladness, waters the dry lands, and prepares the wheat fields. By His divine action, the hills are adorned with happiness, the meadows are covered with livestock, and the valleys are clothed with grains (Ps 65). He brings forth the wind from His storehouse, with lightning; He unleashes the rain (Ps 134). The whole earth is pregnant with God. Each creature is a living image of the Invisible, one that echoes over and over again the identity of the One who is the Great Silent One. Throughout the whole universe, His name resounds and shines forth for humanity to see, so that they acclaim and sing His glory.

From the book “Psalms for Life” by Father Ignacio Larrañaga