In his Easter homily, Pope Benedict XVI addresses this concept of the heavens declaring the glory of God. He said:
The darkness that poses a real threat to mankind, after all, is the fact that he can see and investigate tangible material things, but cannot see where the world is going or whence it comes, where our own life is going, what is good and what is evil. The darkness enshrouding God and obscuring values is the real threat to our existence and to the world in general. If God and moral values, the difference between good and evil, remain in darkness, then all other “lights”, that put such incredible technical feats within our reach, are not only progress but also dangers that put us and the world at risk. Today we can illuminate our cities so brightly that the stars of the sky are no longer visible. Is this not an image of the problems caused by our version of enlightenment?
In one of my favorite books ...
a young American, Benedictine monk, travels to Egypt to study monastic life in the Coptic monasteries, as part of his anthropology project. The book provides insight into a deeply spiritual pilgrimage and the profound impact it had on one man's life. Being in the desert, Fr. Gruber looks up into the sky and experiences what the OT Patriarchs felt, seeing the myriad stars. I would recommend this book to everyone. It is so addictive that I have read it several times, learning something new on each reading.