Since we were studying Italian in northern Italy, a few weels back I took a trip with one of the other seminarians to see the nearby Swiss Alp. Interlaken, Switzerland, is famous for its pristine views of the highest mountains in Switzerland, and as a base for their exploration. Truly it was an encounter with the creator.

It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful place. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains in the middle of August, with other tall tree-covered peaks gracefully descending to the valley below, there sits a town between two large Alpine lakes (Brienzersee and Thunersee). The rolling alpine meadows are full of summer flowers and the valleys echo a chorus of bells from the herds while the quaint Swiss chalets complete the scenic panorama. Through an exhausting yet rewarding 6+ hour hike overlooking the Bernese Oberland, I encountered the beauty of nature and the peace and serenity of the creator. What a tremendous gift to reflect on the beauty of creation, God’s great love and care for us, and in particular to pray in Thanksgiving to the maker of Heaven and earth!

For me, perhaps the most powerful yet intimate moment of the day was praying Morning Prayer, and meditating on the great gifts God has given me, and the great plan that he has as well. Since we were there for the Feast of the Assumption, our prayer had a greater solemnity.

I’ve included some of the text of the psalms below, which it seemed God had arranged for us, at that specific moment in time. That is the beuaty of the prayer of the Church – it is for everyone in every situation.

First we prayed in the Invitatory psalm:

Come, let us sing to the Lord and shout with joy to the Rock who saves us.

Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving and sing joyful songs to the Lord.

The Lord is God, the mighty God, the great king over all the gods.

He holds in his hands the depths of the earth, the highest mountains as well.

He made the sea; it belongs to him, the dry land, too, for it was formed by his hands.

(Psalm 95)

What awe we were filled with as we gazed upon these mountains, this wonderful creation, what a sense of reverence with which we were filled! Indeed, as the psalmist continues,

Come let us bow down and worship, bending the knee before the Lord our maker!

It only got better as we prayed in the Office of readings, and we were reminded of our vocation not only to climb this mountain, but more importantly to climb the mountain of the Lord, towards the heights of holiness:

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?

Who shall stand in his holy place?

The man with clean hands and pure heart,

who desires not worthless things,

who has not sworn so as to deceive his neighbor.

(Psalm 24)

In psalm 46 we prayed:

God is for us a refuge and a strength,

A helper close at hand, in time of distress:

So we shall not fear though the earth should rock,

Though the mountains fall into the depths of the sea,

Even though its waters rage and foam,

Even though the mountains be shaken by its waves.

The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our stronghold!

Yes – The Lord was with us here on the mountains—it is as the scriptures say, if I climb to the heavens, God is there! And not only that, God was bigger than these mountains, than any challenges we may face in our lives, and he will take care of us. He is our strength! Finally, in our morning prayer we could say with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, in the book of Daniel,

Let the earth bless the Lord.

Praise and exalt him above all forever.

Mountains and hills, bless the Lord.

Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord.

You springs, bless the Lord.

Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.

You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord.

All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.

All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord.

You sons of men, bless the Lord.

(From Daniel 3)

Seeing all of this stunning natural beauty makes one question how anyone, on a purely natural level, could deny the existence of a good God. This scenery is so beautiful, so fantastic, so spectacular that it must have come from an intelligent being, and not from some ‘random chaos’. Indeed, what a silly idea that is! Yet, the devil has tricked so many into believing it.

As Catholics we know from God’s own divine Self-Revelation of the great love that he has for us –so great that our God came to live with us, and ultimately to die for our salvation.

Time and time again as we approached new climbs on our 6½ hike , we thought of different challenges we’d face in priestly ministry or of people or causes for which to pray – for particular people, the people of our dioceses, our vocations, or things like an end to abortion and the conversion of our nation. As Catholics, part of the beauty of our faith is to encounter and experience the redemptive value of suffering – such that none of the fruits of our labors, physical or spiritual may be lost.

The rest of my ‘free weekend’ in Switzerland was simply wonderful. Surrounded by natural beauty I not only encountered the Swiss culture but more importantly climbed higher in my relationship with God through his creation.

How often do we experience the beautiful wonders of God’s creation and take them for granted? Perhaps today we can allow ourselves to be filled with a sense of awe all over again as we marvel at the handiwork of the creator – who knows and loves us intimately and is waiting for us to return that love.