Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
The first chapter of the Book of Genesis details the seven days of creation, one of many rather different accounts of creation in the Old Testament. The late Pope Benedict XVI made it clear that we need not take this text literally. On the other hand, he was also clear that science alone cannot explain everything. God has made himself known in creation. So, from this text of Genesis let us continue to reflect on the truths which God wants us to grasp regarding Himself and the world around us and within us. Today:
The Seven Days of Creation | Day 4 | Let There Be Lights In The Dome (Genesis 1:14)
With the big bang we are told that space and time began. In relation to God, time is a strange thing. It is not as though he created the universe in time or at a certain time. Rather, time begins in creation itself. God is eternal, completely outside of time, and yet he has chosen to relate to this cosmos and to us who are very much caught up in time. And this time thing is good according to our text. In our corner of the universe, the sun and moon are mere symbols of that goodness.
Yet, we know that we who are bound by time have a beginning and an end on this earth. This is probably what makes us and all of creation somewhat restless. It is always moving toward something and away from something else. And this has been going on for over 13 billion years. One might wonder why did it take so long to get to us! Of course, in the mind of God, who is timeless, there is no long or short. But for us, it is a good question.
The whole story of creation in the first chapter of Genesis is a reminder to us that while the process of evolution has moved along at a pace which we find phenomenally slow, there is always the loving care and concern of God, who planted these laws of nature, leading directly to us as the objects of his love. We call this care of us and of our universe divine providence.
The Catechism (#302) puts this so well: “Creation has its own goodness and proper perfection, but it did not spring forth complete from the hands of the Creator. The universe was created ‘in a state of journeying’ (in statu viae) 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.”
Sisters and brothers, each of us has come to be “in time” as has everything around us. We know that our own presence here is temporary and that the Creator destines us for eternity. But while here, let the sun shed its light and warmth upon us and let us daily realize how good this all is, governed as we are by God’s divine providence.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
+ Earl Boyea
Bishop of Lansing
