“Let all Things Now Living” (ASH GROVE) by Katherine K. Davis (1892-1980) reflection:
Let all things now living A song of thanksgiving To God our Creator triumphantly raise. Who fashioned and made us, Protected and stayed us, By guiding us on to the end of our days.
The Source of all praise IS God our Creator. When my daughter was an infant, I would say to her daily, “God Loves You, because He created you”. I would follow up by singing, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”. We have been created in his image and likeness. We are his adopted sons and daughters by our baptism. We shall return to Him at the end of our time on earth. For the time God has given us, we give back to Him as a gift. God’s banners are o’er us, Pure light goes before us, A pillar of fire shining forth in the night; Til shadows have vanished And darkness is banished, As forward we travel from light into Light. At the Incarnation, we read from St. John’s gospel, the Light came into the world. Really, the light was there the whole time, but in the incarnation, Christ made Himself manifest to us in the Flesh. From the very beginning the Light was present. That light will never leave us. Evil is also present, but the good always will prevail. As we journey onward, we recognize our individual identity. God has chosen us as an individual to journey onward. We are given the free will to choose to follow the Light. If we journey on and live in the light, we will one day encounter the Light in fullness for all eternity. That is a guarantee. For at the end of time, all darkness will be banished. We ain’t seen nothing yet!
His law he enforces, The stars in their courses, The sun in its orbit obediently shine. The hills and the mountains, The rivers and fountains, The depths of the ocean proclaim God divine.
How beautiful! God has blessed us with our senses. If he has not blessed us with all of them, he has blessed us with a few of them. We have eyes to see the beauty of the stars and our surroundings, ears to hear the sounds of the rivers and fountains, noses to smell the fragrance of flowers, and taste and drink of the living water that sustains our lives. We can feel the gentle breeze, experience the warmth of the sun and tread the mighty waters. All of these are a glimpses of heaven, what we will experience for eternity, the ever presence of God with every breath. This is the mystery of our faith!
We too, should be voicing Our Love and rejoicing With glad adoration, a song let us raise: Til all things now living Unite in thanksgiving, To God in the highest, hosanna and praise.
As a musician, this is were it is! I often imagine, what beauty it will be in heaven, listening to the beautiful melodies sung by the angels and the voices of the communion of saints and the beautiful sounds of the melodic instruments. Were there is music, there is harmony. Will I be singing with the heavenly choir? This is my hope. Is it yours? The Eucharist is a prayer of Thanksgiving. The Eucharist unites us. Let us pay attention! We are all parts of the mystical body. This is where we hope to be for all eternity. Let us unite our voices at every Eucharistic celebration! What a glorious sound it is when we all sing with one voice!
A side note, If any of you outlive me, please have this hymn played at my funeral Mass!