Genesis Notes: Revelation About the Universe and Man

GENESIS 1:1-31
I am in awe of the amazing amount of information revealed through details, and of the scholars knowledgeable enough to tease this info out and convey it in an understandable way. Here are a few of the "aha" moments; things I never "got" until going studying Genesis. Well, ok, I already knew the "male and female" thing but thought it was cool so I threw it in.

THE SUN AND MOON

In vs. 16, God makes "the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night." Note that the sun and moon are not named. In the ancient world, the very words "sun" and "moon" were synonymous with the names of deities. In contrast, Genesis teaches that the sun and moon are not powers to be feared but created things with a God-given purpose in the universe. They are put in dominion over day and night - but have no jurisdiction over man or the earth. Psalm 19 tells us of another function: to tell the glory of God. When we gaze at them, we should recognize the power and beauty of God in them. The text says these lights (sun, moon, stars) are for "signs" and to mark out time and seasons. What might they be signs of? Think of the star that the magi followed to find the newborn King. Think also of the eclipse of the sun on Good Friday. They are elements used by God to communicate with His creation.

MALE AND FEMALE
God, who is Spirit and thus neither male nor female, is nonetheless reflected in mankind only by male and female together. Man and woman are created "equal as persons -- and complementary as masculine and feminine" (CCC 372). Each has the inherent dignity of being created in God's image. In communion together, and particularly in the context of the family, they fully reflect the image of the Divine Family, which is God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

SHARING IN GOD'S WORK
In asking man to reproduce and fill the earth, God is asking man to help complete that which He began to do in the beginning. In giving man the responsibility to be fruitful, He allows him to participate in the creation of human life. In giving him charge over the earth, God is vesting man with some of His own authority, in effect asking man to share in His work of ruling. Man's two-part vocation is thus a reflection of God Himself. It enables him to be what he was created to be: a creature made in God's image. And it is in fulfilling this vocation that he gives praise and glory to God.

Genesis Part I: God and His Creation

This series first ran in 2004 and 2005. I'm refreshing it as I go. For links to the whole study, go to the Genesis Index. For more about the resources used, go here.

Well Said: The Kingdoms of the World

In the Gospel of Matthew, we find the account of Jesus’ confrontation with the devil in the desert. After tempting Christ with sensual pleasure (“turn these stones into bread”) and with glory (“throw yourself down and the angels will hold you up”), the devil entices him with the allurement of power: “all these kingdoms, I will give you if you but fall down and worship me.” What is most interesting about this final temptation is that the devil couldn’t offer all of the kingdoms of the world to Jesus unless he, the devil, owned them. Indeed, in Luke’s account, this is made explicit. Satan says, “I shall give to you all this power…for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish.” I don’t know a passage in any of the literature of the world that is as critical of political power as that one! All the kingdoms of the world belong to a fallen spiritual force.

Bishop Robert Barron, Vibrant Paradoxes

I added that italic emphasis. This socked me between the eyes when I read it. Of course, I know Jesus said that Satan is the prince of the world, but somehow this application of that idea completely escaped me. As well as the fact that, for it to be a temptation, Satan would have to be able to deliver. Because he owns them.

Once again, I see how paramount it is to carefully pick my way through current politics while keeping my eye on God's kingdom. No wonder there is no one party or plan that fully handles this world's problems well. I mean to say, I knew that already. But this reminds me of one of the root causes of the problem.

Worth a Thousand Words: Bridge in the Rain (after Hiroshige)

[show]Vincent van Gogh, Bridge in the rain (after Hiroshige), 1887
via Lines and Colors

Amoris Laetitia: Apostolic Exhortation on the Family by Pope Francis

Amoris Laetitia: Apostolic Exhortation on the Family by Pope Francis

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


For those who feel this is too long to face, take heart. I didn't actually read the 264 page book formatted by the Vatican and released as a pdf. I was able to copy and paste it into my own document which came down to 50 pages. The pdf's tiny pages, large type, and big margins are what made it so long in published form.

I read it a little each day, finding it a complex, thoughtful, and rich work. It was especially interesting to consider that the Pope kept mentioning the other contributing bishops from the synods on the family. This is not just one person's vision. It is that of many of those who serve families around the world.

I especially liked, as John Allen remarked, that we are seeing some of the inner workings of pastoral care recommended in it.

For Mediterranean cultures, which still shape the thought-world of the Vatican to a significant degree, law is instead more akin to an ideal. It describes a moral aspiration, but realistically it’s understood that many people much of the time will fall short. (If you don’t believe it, come to Italy sometime and watch how the locals approach traffic laws!)

A frustration I’ve long experienced as an American journalist covering the Vatican is that when the pope or some Vatican department issues a new law, it often comes off as terribly draconian and harsh in media coverage and public discussion. It’s difficult to explain that always encoded into the legislation is the common-sense expectation that bishops and pastors will use good judgment in applying it in ways that reflect their local circumstances.

It’s difficult, that is, primarily because the Vatican never says that second part explicitly – perhaps out of fear that it will come off as encouraging hypocrisy, rather than presuming a good-faith effort to live up to the value the law expresses.

They don’t usually say it, that is, until now.

One striking point about Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis’ sweeping new apostolic exhortation on the family, which was released in a Vatican news conference on Friday, is that it lifts up this long-standing Catholic capacity for flexibility and nuance in pastoral practice, and sets it squarely alongside the law in full public view.

Allen's whole piece is well worth reading but you get the important points.

It is that, perhaps, which makes Amoris Laetitia feel so timeless and also so relevant. It weaves high spiritual points with the basics of real human families. In fact, I was surprised to see that, in preparation for discussion love in marriage, Pope Francis discusses each line of St. Paul's famous "love is patient, love is kind" passage (1 Cor 13:4-7). I was delighted with Pope Francis's thoughtful and down-to-earth reflections.

I highly recommend it. It's just terrific.

Well Said: "I Believe in One God" is a Subversive Statement

Joseph Ratzinger commented that the opening line of the Nicene Creed, Credo in unum Deum (I believe in one God), is a subversive statement because it automatically rules out any rival claimant to ultimate concern. To say that one accepts only the God of Israel and Jesus Christ is to say that one rejects as ultimate any human being, any culture, any political party, any artistic form, or any set of ideas.”

Bishop Robert Barron, Catholicism

Well, I knew that was true. But I hadn't remembered it lately. Now seems like a good time to keep this in mind, especially the way the political scene is shaking out.

Worth a Thousand Words: Slaking Thirst

Slaking Thirst
taken by the incomparable Remo Savisaar

Good heavens, I have no idea how Remo gets such amazing photos. Do check out his site, including this photo which is even more incredible.

Jesus, Pope Francis, and a Protestant Walk into a Bar

Jesus, Pope Francis, and a Protestant Walk into a Bar by Paul Rock

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So Jesus, the pope, and a Protestant walk into a bar. The bartender asks, "What will it be today?" As the pope reaches for his wallet, Jesus winks at his companions and say to the bartender, "Just three glasses—and keep the pitchers of water coming."

Presbyterian Paul Rock is a Pope Francis fanboy and consistently uses examples of papal humility, poverty, and Christlike love as a springboard for promoting Christian dialogue and ecumenism. This author's heart is in the right place but that isn't enough to make this book appeal across denominational lines.

These chapters began life as a sermon series … and it shows both in good and bad ways. The author's enthusiasm and ability to promote religious harmony is evident. It can be very inspiring.

However, Rock's drive to make a point is so rapid that it often only skims the surface, occasionally in a way that may leave various Christians (and certainly this Catholic) confused or indignant. In some cases this is a good opportunity to strive to ignore what divides us, but surely a better way would have been to educate both sides about each other's reasons.

A better way would be the example set by How to Defend the Faith Without Raising Your Voice: Civil Responses to Catholic Hot-Button Issues. They are careful to examine what the thinking is on the "opponent's" side before laying out the explanations and reasoning that inform Catholic teachings. The result is that both sides may agree to disagree, but they understand why each thinks what they do and can respect those opinions.

Paul Rock's drive to unity feels forced precisely because he overlooks the many valid reasons people may have for not agreeing with another denomination's teachings. It is fine to promote ecumenism and, indeed, praiseworthy. This effort feels somewhat slapdash and is as likely to raise hackles as to smooth them.

This was a NetGalley review copy which obviously didn't influence my opinion.

Well Said: A Forgotten Fact About the Holocaust

That the Holocaust was initiated by a mostly Protestant nation is sometimes forgotten; that the Catholic Church, by virtue of its stronger institutional identity, did much more than the Protestants did to resist Hitler was revealed to the White House in many secret reports to Roosevelt.

Mark Riebling (Church of Spies author),
interview with Sam Harris, Rethinking Hitler's Pope

This never occurred to me, actually. It was surprising. I've begun Church of Spies, which read like a great spy novel at times, and had gone looking around to see if Riebling is Catholic. Turns out he was raised Catholic, left the Church, and doesn't actually seem like a fan of religion in general. Or perhaps it is fairer to say he seems wary of religion. That, at least is what I gleaned from a quick take on his interview.

It's refreshing to read the book which seems to be doing much to redeem Pius XXII's reputation during WWII and know there seems to be no authorial bias other than a desire to find the truth.

Worth a Thousand Words: Princess Praskovya Yusupova Before Becoming a Nun

Princess Praskovya Yusupova Before Becoming a Nun (1886), Nikolai Vasilyevich Nevrev

Happy Birthday Rose!

Croquembouche

This is what I'd make if you were here with us. (Luckily I know you're going to make your own — can't wait to know how that works out!)

And we'd go to dinner. Maybe Mariano's since you don't have any decent TexMex in L.A.

Most of all, we'd give you many birthday hugs and kisses, since I know a 26 year old is never too old for those!

Happy Birthday! We love you!

Well Said: Our Principles

Our principles are engraved in the history and the law of this land. If the free world is not faithful to its own moral code, there remains no society for which others may hunger.

James B. Donovan, defending Rudolph Abel
(Donovan's story is told in the film Bridge of Spies)

Early Happy Birthday to Me! Vibrant Paradoxes by Robert Barron

Many thanks to Ellen P. for giving me the newest book by Bishop Robert Barron. (Could Ellen tell I'd been repeatedly downloading and reading the Kindle sample ... while determinedly holding myself to my monthly book budget with much agony?)

G.K. Chesterton once said that Catholicism keeps its beliefs "side by side like two strong colors, red and white...It has always had a healthy hatred of pink."

Catholicism is both/and, not either/or. It celebrates the union of contraries--grace and nature, faith and reason, Scripture and tradition, body and soul in a way that the full energy of each opposing element remains in place.

In Vibrant Paradoxes, bestselling author Bishop Robert Barron brings together themes and motifs that many would consider mutually exclusive or, at best, awkward in their juxtaposition. But seen through the Incarnation, these opposites crash together and reflect new light in every direction. This book will train you to see.

The collections of Bishop Barron's essays strike me very much like those which people experienced when G.K. Chesterton was writing during his heyday. They bounce around fascinatingly from topic to topic but always have an underlying anchor of solid Catholicism and truth.

I will be digging into these right away! What a treat!

Well Said: Time Enough for Everything

There is time enough for everything in the course of the day if you do but one thing at once; but there is not time enough in the year if you will do two things at a time.

Lord Chesterfield's advice to his son, 1747

Worth a Thousand Words: In the Forest

In the Forest, 1905, Arkady Rylov

Blogging Around: Dracula, Fiats, Amoris Laetitia and Bathrooms

Dracula Blogged

Dracula is an epistolary novel, which means the entire text is made up of letters and journal entries. Jonathan Harker's journal begins the story on May 3 and the book ends in November.

Dracula Blogged posts the entries as they happen throughout the year, along with interesting maps and other tidbits of information that may interest the reader. It began again last week so if you've ever wanted to read Dracula this would be a fun way to do it!

Our Franciscan Fiat

Sister Christina wrote to let me know about her community's blog, Our Franciscan Fiat. You can also find out more about their fiat there, which is not ... a car.

The blog began​​ ​last February. Here, we discuss issues connected with our catholic faith (and religious life) and give a glimpse into how religious life is lived in our community on a day-to-day basis. We cover a variety of related topics.

Amoris Laetitia and the Trans-Bathroom Can of Worms

No one wants surprise or horror when they go to the bathroom. No one wants social awkwardness. We just want to go to the bathroom. Quickly, if it can be helped.

Catholics being both/and people can assert with confidence that (a) you can’t change your gender, you get what God gave you and (b) you can’t wait until you get your moral life in order before you run to the restroom.

When Amoris Laetitia talks about pastoral accompaniment, the bathroom problem is right up there. What do you do with someone during the long stretch between “I’d like to be Catholic maybe?” and “Hey, look, I’ve finally got my life together!”

The answer is that you do your best to help the person grow closer to the faith. The only way to do that work is one soul at a time. You have to know the person, be in a relationship with the person, and be working together on this path towards holiness.

This is how, until the recent public drama began, we as a culture have handled the bathroom problem.

Good observations and advice, as always, from Jennifer Fitz at Sticking the Corners. Go read it all.

Worth a Thousand Words: The Joyous Festival

The Joyous Festival, Gaston de La Touche
via Lines and Colors

Well Said: War Makes Death Real to Us

War makes death real to us, and that would have been regarded as one of its blessings by most of the great Christians of the past. They thought it good for us to be always aware of our mortality. I am inclined to think they were right.

C.S. Lewis, Learning in War-Time

It's not a popular attitude, of course, but as time goes by I begin to agree more and more. We are so prone to forget our ultimate end, to get settled and complacent and to think that we can get on with that spiritual stuff tomorrow. At least, that is what happens to me. The unsettled and chaotic times of something like ISIS rampaging through the world are a sharp reminder of the ultimate reality.

Lagniappe: Left-handed Hops

During their growing season, hops are astonishingly vigorous, rising six inches in a single day. The vines stretch away from the central stalk during the day; at night, they wrap themselves around wires or other supports. "You walk through the fields in the late afternoon, and you'll see all these vines reaching out at forty-five degree angles," said Oregon hop farmer Gayle Goschie. "Then you come out the next morning and they're wrapped tightly around the trellis again." They spiral around the trellis in a clockwise direction, which has inspired a couple of botanical urban legends: one is that they grow counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere, and the other is that they grow clockwise to follow the sun from east to west. Neither is true. Like left-handedness, they are simply born with a genetic predisposition to grow clockwise, no matter where they are relative to the sun or the equator. (Botanists who study "twining handedness" have discovered that hops are unusual in their proclivity to twine in a clockwise direction; 90 percent of all climbing plants prefer to go counterclockwise.)

Amy Stewart, The Drunken Botanist

Wouldn't it be fascinating to be in a hopfield and see all those vines at 45° angles? It must be like something from a science fiction movie. I really love how diverse nature is, even in when it shares so many similarities for something like twining up a stick.

Worth a Thousand Words: Peasants Enjoying Beer

François Jaques, Peasants Enjoying Beer at Pub in Fribourg (Switz.), 1923

Ascension Thursday Was Yesterday

I kept seeing it mentioned but never remembering when I was blogging.

So if you'd like to read about it, especially since most of the U.S. will celebrate the Ascension on Sunday, here's the post.

If nothing else, there are some fantastic paintings featured there. I could look at them all day.