REVIEW; EVERYTHING SO FAR..

God (Our meaning & purpose in life!)

Jesus (God in the flesh/Incarnation)

Faith (Man’s response)

1. Sacred Scripture 2. Sacred Tradition

REVIEW OF LAST WEEK

The Bible has…

many many many layers of literature!!!

Narrative, mythical, statutes, poetic, parables, sermons, epistles, apocalyptic,genealogies, etc.

The BASIC questions…!!!

"Where do we come from?" "Where are we going?"

"What is our origin?" "What is our end?"

"Where does everything that exists come from, and where is it going?"

The BASIC answers…???

Creation Myths?

Philosophies?

GOD ANSWERS: Divine Revelation

God is the answer…!

Prof. Andrew Parker: Scientific accuracy of the Creation Story.

Scientific Theory of Evolution..?

Science and Theology

Dr. Robert J. Russell founder & director for the Center for Theology & the

Natural Sciences, Berkeley, California, said: “As a Christian we can say God is the Maker of

heaven & earth: That’s a theological statement. Evolution is how God does it: That’s a scientific

statement”.

Gen 1:1 “In the beginning, God created heaven and the earth…” God is creator of all that is seen and

unseen. (Nicene Creed)

Gen 1:2 “The Earth was formless, void; darkness…” God made out of nothingness…

Gen 1:2 “…the Spirit of God hovered over the waters..” similarities to baptism, birth and life

MYTHICAL LITERATURE:The Trinitarian God

FIRST QUESTION:Why did God create the world?

CCC 293: "The world was made for the glory of God… not to increase his glory, but to show it forth and to communicate it", for God has no other reason for creating than his love and goodness:

"Creatures came into existence when the key of love opened His hand."

NEXT QUESTION:How does God create?

God speaks.

God names.

God blesses.

God isn’t a God of manifestation, God is one of proclamation. (Fr. Barron)

P.S. Doesn’t Jesus Christ do the same?

God’s Act of Creation;the First 6 DAYS

Day 1 : Light and dark, day and night Day 2 : Sky and earth Day 3 : Seas and land; and living flora on land

Day 4 : The lights in the heavens / sky Day 5 : The living creatures in the sea & sky

Day 6 : Living creatures on earth. And Mankind

The Seventh day of creation, God sanctifies it; makes it holy, and rests- because creation is complete.

The Jewish Sabbath; day of worship

It is the rest of God, the rest His people find in Him.  (St Augustine)

God’s rest signifies the rest of those who rest in God. (St. Aquinas)

God’s Act of Creation;the 7th DAY

Divine ProvidenceSeven: signifying completion (‘Sevenfold’: “completely”)

CCC 302 Creation … did not spring forth complete … was created "in a state of journeying" toward an ultimate perfection, yet to be attained, to which God has destined it. We call "divine providence" the dispositions by which God guides his creation toward this perfection..

Everything that God has made is GOOD!!!

CCC 337 …the inner nature, the value and the ordering of the whole of creation (is for) the praise of God."

CCC 339 Each creature possesses its own particular goodness and perfection… is willed in its own being, reflects in its own way a ray of God's infinite wisdom and goodness.

They call forth theThey call forth theadmiration of admiration of scholars. scholars. It reflects the It reflects the infiniteinfinite beautybeauty of the of the Creator and ought Creator and ought to inspire the to inspire the respect and respect and submission of submission of man's intellect and will.man's intellect and will.

The Visible World: Beauty

Psalm 104Psalm 104

O Lord, how manifold are Your O Lord, how manifold are Your works!works!

In wisdom You have In wisdom You have made them all… made them all…

The Earth is full The Earth is full

of Your possesof Your possessionssions

This great and This great and

wide sea, wide sea,

(con’t Ps 104)(con’t Ps 104)

..In which are ..In which are innumerable innumerable teeming things..teeming things..

..Living things ..Living things both small and both small and great. (con’t Ps great. (con’t Ps 104)104)

Stewardship of the Earth

Gen 2:15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

Creatures: Interdependence CCC 340 Creatures

exist only in dependence on each other, to complete each other, in the service of each other.

These all wait upon You,That You provide them their food in due season(con’t Psalm 104)

Creatures: Dignity

Creatures: Not be abusive to God’s creatures

You open Your hand They are filled with good You hide Your face They are troubled (con’t Ps104)

Creatures: “Animals have souls…”St. Pope John Paul II.

You take away their breath,they die (con’t Psalm 104)

Hierarchy of Creation

CCC 342 The hierarchy of creatures is expressed by the order of the "six days", from the less perfect to the more perfect.

God loves all his creatures and takes care of each one. Nevertheless, Jesus said: "You are of more value than many sparrows“ / "of how much more value is a man than a sheep!"

Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness…

… man has the dignity of a person; someone, not something. (CCC357) and is above other creatures.

From the 1st Creation Story

Gen 2:7 And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground(adamah), and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

From the 2nd Creation Story

Only man is corporeal and spiritual (CCC362)

“..man can know and can love God…”

Man has a share in the divine life (CCC375).

Original Grace

(CCC375) Original holiness and justice; if man remained in divine intimacy, man would not suffer or die, but to share in the divine life.

Original Justice

(CCC 376) The inner harmony of the human person, the harmony between man and woman, and finally the harmony between the first couple and all creation, comprised the state called "original justice".

Something is “It is NOT GOOD…” ???

Gen 2:18 “It is NOT GOOD that man should be alone…”

Prior to creation of another human being, he is somehow incomplete; for the first time, something in Creation is “not good.”

tells us that this is the fulfillment of something that he has deeply desired.

God; The father figure…

What image does this scene seem to us?

(Gen 2:19)

What does Adam do.. for him to receive God’s gift? (not much…)

Ish - Man

Ish’a - Woman

Woman

WHOA, MAN !!!

Woman

The Woman is not merely his helper in the work of cultivating the garden, she is his helper in the work of becoming fully human.

Qaw’rah - recite; from the mind

A’mar - to speak / utter from the heart

When Adam speaks…

So God created man in His own image; male and female, he created them. Gen 1:27

And Adam said,

“This is bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh…” Gen 2:23

Gender Equality

The Marriage Covenant (Mt 19:4-5)

Gen 1:27 …male and female, He created them…

Gen 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

(What about same sex marriage…?)

Gen 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

HOMEWORK: Read Gen 3

Father in Heaven, Creator of all and source of all goodness and love, please look kindly upon us and receive our heartfelt gratitude in this time of giving thanks.

Thank you for all the graces and blessings. You have betowed upon us, spiritual and temporal: our faith and religious heritage. Our food and shelter, our health, the loves we have for one another, our family and friends.

Dear Father, in Your infinite generosity, please grant us continued graces and blessing throughout the coming sessions.

This we ask in the Name of Jesus,

Your Son and our Brother.

Amen.

HOMEWORK

Read: Gen 3