This observation is further broadened according to the consideration of seven kinds of number by which one climbs fully, as up seven steps, into God. This is what Augustine says in the sixth chapter, "On Music", of his book The True Religion, where he assigns different kinds of number, ascending stepwise from perceived things into  the universal Creator, so that God might be seen in all things. For he holds that there are numbers in bodies and, primarily, in sound and voices, which he calls "sounds". There are numbers which have been abstracted and received by our senses, which he calls "indicators". There are numbers proceeding from the soul into the body, as are perceived in gesticulation and in activity, and these he calls "movements". There are numbers in the delight of the senses, which comes from noticing the perceptions which are received, and these he calls "sensations". There are numbers in retained memories, and these he calls "memories". There are even numbers, through which we distinguish all things, which he calls "decisions" and which, as has been said, are necessarily superior to the mind as infallible and indistinguishable. These also imprint upon the mind artificial numbers, which Augustine does not include in these steps since they are connected with decisions. And from these flow the movement numbers, from which are created many forms of artificiality, with the result that there appears an ordered descent from the highest level to the lowest, via that which is in between. From these, we also ascend stepwise via numbers of sound, by way of the indicators, sensations, and memories. Since all things are beautiful and, to some extent, give delight, and since beauty and delight are not other than proportionate, and since proportion is found at first in number, it is necessary that everything be numerical. Thus, "number is the foremost exemplar in the Maker's mind" and, in things, the foremost imprint which guides us to wisdom. Because, when it is most evident to all and closest to God, it is most nearly as though the seven kinds of numbers lead into God and cause Him to be realised in all physical and perceived things. While we apprehend the numerical, we take delight in numerical proportion and analyse most securely by means of the laws of numerical proportion. (Journey 2:10)

 

 

 

Sing a new song unto the Lord
Sing a new song unto the Lord
Songs of praise and thanksgiving
Singing and dancing in this celebration

 

 

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. (Romans 12:9-18)

 

 

Christian spirituality proposes an alternative understanding of the quality of life, and encourages a prophetic and contemplative lifestyle, one capable of deep enjoyment free of the obsession with consumption. We need to take up an ancient lesson, found in different religious traditions and also in the Bible. It is the conviction that “less is more”. A constant flood of new consumer goods can baffle the heart and prevent us from cherishing each thing and each moment. To be serenely present to each reality, however small it may be, opens us to much greater horizons of understanding and personal fulfilment. Christian spirituality proposes a growth marked by moderation and the capacity to be happy with little. It is a return to that simplicity which allows us to stop and appreciate the small things, to be grateful for the opportunities which life affords us, to be spiritually detached from what we possess, and not to succumb to sadness for what we lack. This implies avoiding the dynamic of dominion and the mere accumulation of pleasures.

 

Care for nature is part of a lifestyle which includes the capacity for living together and communion. Jesus reminded us that we have God as our common Father and that this makes us brothers and sisters. Fraternal love can only be gratuitous; it can never be a means of repaying others for what they have done or will do for us. That is why it is possible to love our enemies. This same gratuitousness inspires us to love and accept the wind, the sun and the clouds, even though we cannot control them. In this sense, we can speak of a “universal fraternity”.

 

The universe unfolds in God, who fills it completely. Hence, there is a mystical meaning to be found in a leaf, in a mountain trail, in a dewdrop, in a poor person’s face. The ideal is not only to pass from the exterior to the interior to discover the action of God in the soul, but also to discover God in all things. Saint Bonaventure teaches us that “contemplation deepens the more we feel the working of God’s grace within our hearts, and the better we learn to encounter God in creatures outside ourselves”.

For Christians, believing in one God who is trinitarian communion suggests that the Trinity has left its mark on all creation. Saint Bonaventure went so far as to say that human beings, before sin, were able to see how each creature “testifies that God is three”. The reflection of the Trinity was there to be recognized in nature “when that book was open to man and our eyes had not yet become darkened”. The Franciscan saint teaches us that each creature bears in itself a specifically Trinitarian structure, so real that it could be readily contemplated if only the human gaze were not so partial, dark and fragile. In this way, he points out to us the challenge of trying to read reality in a Trinitarian key. 

 

God, who calls us to generous commitment and to give him our all, offers us the light and the strength needed to continue on our way. In the heart of this world, the Lord of life, who loves us so much, is always present. He does not abandon us, he does not leave us alone, for he has united himself definitively to our earth, and his love constantly impels us to find new ways forward. Praise be to him! Laudato si’! (LS 6: 222,228,233,239,245)

 

 

 

Consider the ravens
They do not sow and they do not reap
Yet God the Father provides for them
Yet upon the earth
These are among the smallest things

 

Consider how the lilies grow
They do not spin and they do not weave

 

But I tell you now not even Solomon
In all of his splendor was arrayed
Like any one of these

 

So seek ye first the kingdom of God
And the wealth of His righteousness
For wherever your treasure lies
There will you find your heart

 

Be not concerned for your life
Or your body
What to eat, what to wear
Or what you will do for tomorrow
Seek out instead His heavenly kingdom
And the rest upon the earth
In its own time will follow

 

So seek ye first the kingdom of God
And the wealth of His righteousness
For wherever your treasure lies
There will you find your heart