God's Plan for Us Begins with Creation - SFX RCIA 2014 - Luke Reutens' presentation

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

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 Providence
Seven: 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 the
admiration ofadmiration of
scholars.scholars.
It reflects theIt reflects the infiniteinfinite
beautybeauty of theof the
Creator and oughtCreator and ought
to inspire theto inspire the
respect andrespect and
submission ofsubmission of
man's intellect and will.man's intellect and will.
The Visible World: Beauty

Psalm 104Psalm 104
O Lord, how manifold are Your works!O Lord, how manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You haveIn wisdom You have
made them all…made them all…

The Earth is fullThe Earth is full
of Your possesof Your possessionssions
This great andThis great and
wide sea,wide sea,
(con’t Ps 104)(con’t Ps 104)

..In which are..In which are
innumerable teeminginnumerable teeming
things..things..
..Living things both..Living things both
small and great. (con’tsmall and great. (con’t
Ps 104)Ps 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

The Woman is not merely his helper
in t he work of cult ivat ing t he garden,
she is his helper in t he work of
becoming f ully 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.

God's Plan for Us Begins with Creation - SFX RCIA 2014 - Luke Reutens' presentation

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