From Sea To Sea

A Reflection on the Psalm for January 5th, 2019:
The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

​Psalm 72

R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son. May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice. 

R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more. May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. 

R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts. May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service. 

R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

For he delivers the needy one who calls, the poor and the one who has no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. 

R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

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A Mari usque ad Mare


For those like me, whose Latin is lacking, the above translates to, “From sea to sea”. This is the motto for our country. Did you know that Canada had a motto? I feel like it’s one of those things I learned long ago in a history class but have long since forgotten. However, more recently I learned that this motto comes from Psalm 72. As the psalmist writes, “He shall have dominion from sea to sea”. The story goes that when our country was forming, the premier of New Brunswick at that time suggested that since Canada was being referred to as a “dominion”, the newly forming country should adopt “from sea to sea” as its motto. And they did. Today, if you look at the Canadian coat of arms, underneath it you will find: A Mari usque ad Mare… from sea to sea.


When the founding fathers of Confederation began to bring our country together, faith was an ingrained part of their lives. Faith influenced their every action. What politician today can easily bring up scripture (let alone suggest it play a pivotal role) in discussions on policy or protocol? Yes, the world has changed since 1867 — very much so. Even our Church and it’s followers have changed. Yet Christ has not.


When this motto was agreed upon, the group envisioned the vastness of our country, now the second largest country in the world. They sought to capture the all encompassing nature of what they were building and desired that it be equated to God’s dominion. Having driven almost across our country (twice), I was awed by the size and breadth of Canada; the beauty, the grandeur, the various communities. And yet God’s dominion is so much more. This “more” expressed in Psalm 72, evokes for me the awesomeness of the coming of the King of Kings. In the everyday occurrence of a child’s birth comes the real and extraordinary joy of Christmas. It’s so easy to get caught up in trying to make joy happen through our own actions, that we forget that joy is already inherent in this season — because God made it so. Jesus came to be one of us — with us. For me, the epiphany happens when I allow myself to recognize… remember… that the perfect gift that is Christ, that is Joy, is born into a world so in need of it — then and now. And that Joy is all encompassing! Jesus become incarnate for all, not just some. Not just those who are deemed worthy, or know the right words, or live perfectly by all the rules. He came for those folks — but He also came for those of us who feel we are not worthy, or don’t know the right words, or don’t live all the rules perfectly. He came once, for all, to reveal God’s Joy. For such a gift, it is only fitting that every nation adore Him… from sea to sea.



​Aurea Sadi

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