What is man, O Lord, that Thou art mindful of him?

O Lord our Lord, how admirable is thy name in the whole earth! For thy magnificence is elevated above the heavens. Out of the mouth of infants and of sucklings thou hast perfected praise, because of thy enemies, that thou mayst destroy the enemy and the avenger. For I will behold thy heavens, the works of thy fingers: the moon and the stars which thou hast founded.



What is man that thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man that thou visitest him? Thou hast made him a little less than the angels, thou hast crowned him with glory and honour. And hast set him over the works of thy hands. Thou hast subjected all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen: moreover the beasts also of the fields. The birds of the air, and the fishes of the sea, that pass through the paths of the sea. O Lord our Lord, how admirable is thy name in the whole earth! (Psalm 8, from Douay-Rheims Bible Online)



I find these pictures of deep space captivating and it makes me think of Psalm 8. It is incredible that we are not alone in this gigantic, unfathomably huge Universe. It is incredible that the Maker of all these things cares for us, that He came to a small planet floating in the depths of space and became the smallest creature for us, at His Incarnation in the womb of the Blessed Virgin. The Author of Life has not forgotten us, even in the tragedy and heartbreak of natural disasters and He Himself has endured all sufferings and even death itself. The Catholic Faith and the Mystery of Creation should fill us with a sense of awe. We are so small yet we are greatly loved!