God's great creation, Part Three: Man

Today, we conclude our short series on God’s great creation by focusing on the pinnacle of God’s creation, the greatest thing he ever created, man.

The Catechism in #355 lists four ways that man is unique among all of God’s creation:

1)      Man is made in the image of God.

2)      In his own nature, man unites the material and spiritual worlds.

3)      Man is created male and female.

4)      God establishes man in his friendship.

Man is made in the image of God.   Only man can know and love God.  He is the only one created for his own sake, not for the sake of something else.   He alone is called, by knowledge and love, to share in God’s life.  This is why he was created.   Only he is capable of self-knowledge and has the freedom to enter in communion with another.  He can respond with faith and love to God in a way no other creature can.  God created everything for man, and man was created, in turn, to love God back and offer creation back to him.   Because of his common origin in God, the human race forms a unity, and is called to solidarity and charity.

In his own nature, man unites the material and spiritual worlds.   Man, body and soul, is willed by God.  Man was formed from the earth, but only became alive when life was breathed into him.   The soul is the spiritual principle in man.  One cannot be a human person without a soul.  Because it animates the body, the body shares in the dignity of the aforementioned “image of God”.    The soul is created by God, and since, as we said, one cannot be a human person without a soul, we can say it is God who creates human persons.    The body and the soul are so united that we can say the person is truly one, even as he is both body and soul.

Man is created male and female.   God created men and women equal in dignity, but different in such that they become complimentary to each other.   He willed them to be together, and each for the other.  They are not incomplete and only, therefore, complete with the other.   No, they are complete as individuals, but together, they form a communion of persons, and transmit life.  In both of these, they reflect God, who is a communion of persons, and who transmits life.   They reflect him as Trinity and as Creator.   They are called to “subdue the Earth” as stewards of God, who share his providence for his creatures.

God establishes man in his friendship.   Man was created in friendship, and in harmony with creation.  (This state is only surpassed by being made new creatures in Christ where we become divinized and live in God as adopted children, not just friends with him.)   In his original state, man was in harmony and at peace with himself and all creation.  He would not have to suffer or die.   He would master himself, and master creation.  All this will be lost, however, by original sin, which we spoke in the series we did on suffering, most specifically in this post:

http://jimscatholicblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-mystery-of-suffering-part-two.html

What dignity man has.    It is imperative that society get back to a more highly exalted view of man.  All the components that we discussed here must be emphasized; that we are made in the image of God, that we are body and soul, that we are male and female and therefore, meant for each other, and that we are called to be friends with God, participants in, and stewards of, all creation.   If we get back to honoring man as he should be, then our respect for all of God’s great creation will be all it can be, and the world will be a better place.

Let us close this post and this series with the beautiful words of Psalm 8, which speak glowingly of man, and indeed, of all God’s great creation.

O Lord, our Sovereign,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.
²     Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
    to silence the enemy and the avenger.

³ When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars that you have established;
⁴ what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
    mortals that you care for them?

⁵ Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
⁶ You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under their feet,
⁷ all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
⁸ the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

⁹ O Lord, our Sovereign,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Saint Joseph, model of artisans, pray for us.

God's great creation, Part Two: The visible world

In the last series, we looked at God as Father and Creator.  In this series, we are looking at what God created, namely, in the words of the Apostles’ Creed, the heavens and the earth.   In the last post, we looked at the invisible world, the heavens.  In this post we will look at the visible world, the earth.

God created this visible world, just as he did the invisible one.   The creation of the visible world is outlined in the story of the six days of creation as found in Genesis.   God creates in order from day one to day six: light, the sky, water, land, the sun, the stars, sea creatures, air creatures, land creatures, and finally, man.   Then God rests on the seventh day, and blesses it. 

This story points to several important truths about this world that God has created.

1)      Nothing exists that does not owe its existence to God the Creator (#338).   God created out of nothing, so nothing would exist without God.  This includes everything that is, was, and will ever be.

2)      Each creature possesses its own particular goodness and perfection (#339).   Everything that God created was “good”, as we read in Genesis.   Each creature reflects in its own way a ray of God’s wisdom and goodness.  We have to treat each other with that truth in mind.

3)      God wills the interdependence of creatures (#340).  Creatures only exist in relation to each other.  We are dependent on each other, we complete each other, and we are called to serve each other.   There is solidarity among all creatures (#344).

4)      There is beauty of the universe (#341).   The relationships among creatures point to a unity and harmony in the world, in the midst of all the diversity.  It reflects the beauty of the Creator.

5)      While all creatures are good, there is a nonetheless a hierarchy of creatures (#342).  God loves all his creatures, but some reflect his perfection more than others.  The six days of creation reflect an order from less to more perfect creations. Man is the summit of the Creator's work (#343).   Our Lord says, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight.   But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows."  (Luke 12:6-7)     

6)      There is something special about the sabbath - the end of the work of the six days (#345).  He blessed this day, unique among all days.  On this day, God finished his work of creation.  His special blessing of this day, which occurs immediately after the initial creation of the world is completed, points to a few realities: that creation is good, that God’s laws of creation are good and trustworthy, that all creation is oriented towards the Sabbath, to the worship of God, and that keeping his commandments is to correspond to the laws of creation.  Respect for laws inscribed in creation and the relations which derive from the nature of things is a principle of wisdom and a foundation for morality (#354).

7)      For Christians, however, there is a greater work than even creation, and that is redemption.   When we are re-created in Christ, we enter the “eighth” day (#349).   (For more on the Sabbath, and the 8^th day, read my post:

http://jimscatholicblog.blogspot.com/2017/03/sunday-mass.html

As we stated in the last series, God created the world to show his glory.  Both the visible and invisible worlds radiate the beauty, truth, love, and power of God.  The fact that he freely chose to create both a visible and an invisible world shows that there is something noble in both; things that can be seen, like animals and nature, and things that cannot be seen, like intellectual thought and sensual feeling.  All things point toward God and when used rightly in accordance with his laws, lead us to Him, who is our end and destiny.  We must treat both the spiritual and the natural worlds with the respect each deserve.

But nothing in creation radiates the glory of God as much as man, and as such, the topic of man deserves its own post, and that will be next as we conclude this short series on God’s great creation.

Joseph most obedient, pray for us.


(The attached painting is Jan Brueghel's the Garden of Eden.)

God's great creation, Part One: The invisible world

In the last series, we looked at God as Father.  The last few posts in that series dealt with God as Creator.  

Now, it is time to look at what God created.  In this post and the next, we will look at the created world, or as the Creed refers to it, the heavens and the earth.   (This post will focus on the heavens, and the next will focus on the earth.) In the final post, we will look at the pinnacle of his creation, man.

The Catechism explains what is meant by the phrase “the heavens and the earth”.  We read in #326: The Scriptural expression "heaven and earth" means all that exists, creation in its entirety. It also indicates the bond, deep within creation, that both unites heaven and earth and distinguishes the one from the other: "the earth" is the world of men, while "heaven" or "the heavens" can designate both the firmament and God's own "place" - "our Father in heaven" and consequently the "heaven" too which is eschatological glory. Finally, "heaven" refers to the saints and the "place" of the spiritual creatures, the angels, who surround God.    As we hear in the Nicene Creed, God created all things “seen and unseen”.  So basically, Earth is what we visibly see around us, while the "heavens" refer to the unseen, but real nonetheless, creation of God, a "place" that surrounds him.  God, as creator, made both;  the angelic, and the earthly.

What are angels?   They are servants and messengers of God.  They are purely spiritual, with no bodies.    They have intelligence and will, and surpass us in perfection. (There’s a big but to that, however, which we will get into later in this series.)

Angels were created through and for Our Lord Jesus Christ.  We read in Paul’s letter to the Colossians:  for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:16).   They serve at his pleasure, but what is most important for us now, is that they are messengers of his saving plan.  We see angels in the Infancy narrative, and then again at the empty tomb.  (We also saw them throughout the Old Testament, as well, as the way was prepared for Christ.)

The Church, in her liturgy, joins the angels in worshipping God.   We think of the phrase we often hear at Mass, “With the choirs of angels in heaven, we now join in their unending hymn of praise.”  They guide the Church, and all of creation.  Each one of us has our own guardian angel.

The Catechism does not go into this, but I think it interesting just to list the different orders, or “choirs” of angels that have been discerned in the tradition of the Church. This list comes courtesy of Catholic.org.  There are nine.   We will start with the highest rank, and work our way down.

1)      Seraphim are the highest order or choir of angels. They are the angels who are attendants or guardians before God's throne.

2)      Cherubim have intimate knowledge of God, and praise him continually, just slightly below the seraphim in the order of rank.   Like the seraphim, they are intimately associated with the glory of God.

3)      Thrones are the angels of pure humility, peace and submisssion. They reside in the area of the cosmos where material form begins to take shape. The lower angels needs the thrones to access God.   They exist at the boundary between heaven and earth.

4)      Dominions are angels of leadership. They regulate the duties of the angels, making known the commands of God.

5)      Virtues govern all nature. They have control over seasons, stars, moon; even the sun is subject to their command. They are also in charge of miracles and provide courage, grace, and valor.

6)      Powers are warrior angels against evil defending the cosmos and humans. They fight against evil spirits who attempt to wreak chaos through human beings. (I like these guys!)

7)      Archangels are generally taken to mean "chief or leading angel.  They deliver important messages at critical times in the history of salvation.   Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael are all archangels.

8)      Principalities are hostile to God and human beings.  The fact that Christ rules over them shows the reign of Him as King, and so, they still serve a purpose.

9)      Angels While all the choirs are known as angels, the lowest order has no special name; they are just called angels.  These angels are closest to us.  (These would include our guardian angels.)  They deliver the prayers to God and God's answers and other messages to humans. Angels have the capacity to access any and all other angels from any other rank at any time. They are the most caring and social to assist those who ask for help.

For a little bit more personal reflection on angels, please read the post I did on them back in 2015:

http://jimscatholicblog.blogspot.com/2015/07/angels.html

Now there is more to the invisible world, to the heavens, than just angels.  There are the Saints who have gone before us.   They all surround the throne of God, singing his praises, and delighting in doing his will.  However, while it is a holy place, it is still separate from Him, and cannot be equated with God himself.  It is still indeed a creation of God, just like our visible world is.  It was created, like our world was, for God’s glory. 

Heaven is indeed where we wish to be some day.  But keep in mind that our destiny is not just to enjoy heaven as a creation of God, but rather, to enjoy God himself.  This, I think, should caution us to make a slight distinction when we refer to the heavens as a created place, versus heaven as our destiny.  Heaven as our destiny will encompass all the wonderful things about “the heavens”, but it will be even more!   For the most part, heaven is beyond words, but over the centuries, many Saints and scholars have come up with words to describe a little of what it will be like there.   That is beyond the scope of this particular post, though, but I hope to come back to it someday.  

(If you are new to this blog, however, I did speak of heaven in general in a post back in 2016.   Here is a link if you are interested:

http://jimscatholicblog.blogspot.com/2016/10/tough-teachings-heaven_82.html

In the next post, we will turn from the invisible to the visible creation.

Joseph, diligent protector of Christ, pray for us.

(Attached picture is angels by 14th century painter Guariento Di Apro.)