God not only preserves, but also rules the world; He is solicitous for
all things; He orders and governs all things with wisdom and mercy to
the end for which He created them. "The eyes of all hope in thee, O
Lord: and thou givest them meat in due season. Thou openest thy hand,
and fillest with blessing every living creature" (Ps. cxliv, 15-16). Of
what little value is a flower which so soon withers? And yet the divine
solicitude extends to this humble flower. Indeed, is not the flower of
the field clothed more beautifully by the hand of God, than was Solomon
in all his glory? What is there about a man of less account than a
single hair of his head? And yet each of these hairs is counted, and
not one falls from the head without the knowledge and will of God. We
see how the care and providence of God extends to all things, even the
most insignificant.

God, furthermore, orders and governs all things according to their
appointed end. He created the world and all that is in it for His
glorification and for the welfare of mankind, and provides in all
things that this end may be attained. Nothing can withdraw itself from
the rule of God. There is no blind chance, no blind fortune. The
prophet Jeremias asks: "Who is he that hath commanded a thing to be
done, when the Lord commandeth it not?" (Lam. iii, 37). "Thy
providence, O Father, ruleth all things," so we read in the Book of
Wisdom. And so God orders and disposes everything in our lives, that we
may attain the eternal goal. We have but to commit ourselves to divine
Providence and place our trust in God. For this reason we should
exclaim with David: "The Lord ruleth me: and I shall want nothing. For
though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear
no evils, for thou art with me" (Ps. xxii).

In the first article we profess our faith, therefore, in the