Dear Friends,
As I mentioned in last week’s column, I would like to spend some time discussing the Gospel, the Good News, of Jesus Christ. We could call it Salvation History or the story of Christianity. Whatever we call it, this story should captivate us, inspire us, overwhelm us. Admittedly, the written text may not be as captivating, inspiring, or overwhelming as the spoken words, but I will do my best.
Where to start? In the beginning, of course. Those words, “In the beginning,” introduce us to Genesis, the first book of Sacred Scripture. It may be easy to get bogged down into the historical and scientific accuracy of the Creation accounts in Genesis, but it’s good to remember that the author of Genesis (the Holy Spirit along with the human author) was not interested in conveying historical or scientific facts. Nevertheless, the Creation accounts in the Book of Genesis contain truths: not ideas, fantasies, platitudes. I’ll repeat it: the Creation accounts in the Book of Genesis contain the truth. What is the truth that Genesis conveys? God created the universe, the world, all things visible and invisible. God created everything out of nothing. Everything that God created was and is good. Everything that God created has order; God eradicates chaos. Similarly, God created with abundance, filling the emptiness.
As the pinnacle of His creation, God created humanity in His image and likeness; this is a dignity and gift bestowed on no other creature, not even the angels. God gave the man the responsibility of caring for the garden, naming the animals, birds, and fish, and having dominion over the rest of creation; in other words, there is dignity in work. Genesis tells us that God recognized that it is not good for the man to be alone, so he created woman from the side of the man; the truth here is that we are social beings, that marriage is a partnership between man and woman, and that while men and women are different, they are to be accorded the same dignity and respect. God gives man and woman the command to be fruitful and multiply. With the creation of humanity, God looked at creation and now declared it to be very good. In all of this, we are told that man and woman walked in easy fellowship, easy friendship with God in the garden. There was harmony between humanity and God, and not just harmony: there was friendship, fellowship, and communion with God.
I have tried to condense all of the truth of Genesis, and I haven’t done it justice. However, we could and probably should be left with a single question: why? Why is there something rather than nothing? Why did create all of this and all of us? A simple answer could be that God created all of this out of love. Love is diffusive and expands, so God, who is love, wanted to share His life with others. God created all of the universe and continues to sustain His creation out of love for you—not just a large group of nameless, faceless people, but for you specifically, for you whom God knows by name. God creates the breathtaking sunrises, captivating snowfalls, stunning landscapes, beautiful beaches, the stars and the moon all for you.
There are some quadrillion stars out in the sky. The galaxy is vast, and the universe is expanding (I think), and yet, in the midst of the immensity of everything, what matters to God is you. You matter to God. Why is there something rather than nothing? Why did God create all of this? For you. God created all of this because He wants more than anything else for you to share in His life of communion (intense union), of peace, of joy, of love. God wants you to walk in easy friendship with Him, so He has created this universe in order for you to be with Him. May we reflect upon the grandeur of creation and be filled with awe: awe at the majestic creativity of God and awe that God has created of this so that we may share in His life.
We are saints under construction, beloved sons and daughters of the Father, created in His image and likeness, called and invited to share in His life. Have a great week!
In Christ,
Fr. Matt