“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 all the earth!”
While the first two sentences of this section may seem to be mere repetition, there is a distinction. Adam was not a son of man, but was made by God: “And the Lord God formed man of the slime of the earth: and breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7), and represents the human person that has not yet put on the new man: “And put on the new man, who according to God is created in justice and holiness of truth” (Ephesians 4:24). Alternatively the son of man, a title Jesus uses for Himself often: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), refers to this new person, recreated in grace and living a life of love, a child of the Father: “But as many as received him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his name” (John 1:12). With the first, it is extraordinary that God has a mind for little, sinful man, desiring him to turn and know how loved he is: “Be converted to me, and you shall be saved, all ye ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is no other” (Isaias 45:22). God, then, upholds and has compassion upon the one that is lost and does not know Him: “And seeing the multitudes, he had compassion on them: because they were distressed, and lying like sheep that have no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36), and thus He is “mindful” of this man. But the son of man has this intimacy: “Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called, and should be the sons of God” (1 John 3:1), and therefore is visited by God, receiving the light of His truth: “In thy light we shall see light” (Psalm 35:10), which is the knowledge of how loved they are: “They shall be inebriated with the plenty of thy house: and thou shalt make them drink of the torrent of thy pleasure” (Psalm 35:9). Therefore, it is great wonder that all people God looks upon as His precious creation, being mindful of all, but sharing in love with those who know Him, which is a greater wonder. Angels are extraordinary beings, knowing God intuitively and having immense power: “Bless the Lord, all ye his angels: you that are mighty in strength” (Psalm 102:20), insight: “Come up hither, and I will shew thee the things which must be done hereafter” (Apocalypse 4:1), and love: “Who makest thy angels spirits: and thy ministers a burning fire” (Psalm 103:4), and man is second in dignity only to these. Furthermore, these angels are “all ministering spirits, sent to minister for them, who shall receive the inheritance of salvation” (Hebrews 1:14), as they know how loved they are and are delighted to share this gift with men: “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will’” (Luke 2:13-14). Now, the knowledge of God, which is unveiled by angels: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him… sending by his angel to his servant John” (Apocalypse 1:1), is a kingly crown upon the soul, and is the glory and honor of a man, and is what you are invited to attain: “Come from Libanus, my spouse, come from Libanus, come: thou shalt be crowned from the top of Amana” (Canticle 4:8), that you may know His unfathomable love for you. Or, this can mean that man is crowned with dignity and honor above all visible creation, his very life being a gift, but then on top of this is the crown of knowledge and love of God, which is his glory. Because you have the ability to know and love, you surpass animals by great bounds, who can only follow their instincts, whereas you can encounter true love and live it out according to right reason. However, there is a spiritual meaning to the animals listed. By the “sheep” this can mean your heart, for this is what Jesus seeks: “What think you? If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them should go astray: doth he not leave the ninety-nine in the mountains, and go to seek that which is gone astray?” (Matthew 18:12), which you can give to Him in meditation on His life and telling Him that you love Him, therefore it is under your dominion. The oxen represent your mind and your actions, for “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out thy corn on the floor” (Deuteronomy 25:4), because by your mind you work to understand what is divine, and then proclaim it to others, and “Where there is much corn, there the strength of the ox is manifest” (Proverbs 14:4), for by always choosing love in your actions, you will reap an abundant harvest of souls and grace: “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening let not thy hand cease” (Ecclesiastes 11:6). These can be clouded by the “beasts of the field,” which are the temptations that arise that would lead you to bestial living, which pollutes the soul: “The beasts have rotted in their dung” (Joel 1:17); “And man when he was in honour did not understand; he is compared to senseless beasts, and is become like to them” (Psalm 48:13), turning you from the way of love to a life of easy pleasure, which is denoted by the field. The “birds of the air” can represent temptations to pride, being lifted up on the winds of self-importance, and the “fishes of the sea” can be temptations to vanity, as those who are concerned with worldly honor delve deep into different matters for a temporary crown, thus they “pass through” the sea. All of these buffet the soul of the lover of God, but in setting your mind on God and always choosing love, you have dominion over these things by grace. Thus, it is necessary to pray: “Lead us not into temptation” (Matthew 6:13), for to hold the Father’s hand through the storms of temptation is to safely navigate through the devil’s antics and the lusts of the flesh and eyes. In seeing the victory of God’s love in your life, you can then cry out with joy: “O Lord, our Lord, how admirable is thy name in all the earth!” for your love story is unbroken, and your crown of grace is preserved.