Chapter 1-1 Text pp HW p. 31 #2-3

 What is redemption?  Atonement or deliverance from sins which we merit only by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross.  Why is redemption a mystery  In Theology think of Mystery as a revealed truth that surpasses the ability of natural reason to answer.  Why would God sacrifice himself in atonement for the sins of something he created?  The mystery of redemption therefore is the revealed truth that God has atoned for our sins through his own sacrifice. We cant use reason to understand why, but the truth of this has been divinely revealed.

 Genesis opens by making it perfectly clear that what we call God is the first cause of all creation.  If everything is caused by something else, there must have been a first cause outside of creation to get things started.  Genesis next describes metaphorically that God created the universe in 6 days  Genesis is not intended to shed light on the scientific intricacies of creation.  The narrative breaks creation into 2 sets of three days.  Set 1: forms of the world: day/night, sky/sea, land/vegetation  Set II: inhabitants: sun/moon, birds/fish, animals/man

 From the Catechism: “God created everything for man, but man in turn was created to serve and love God and to offer all creation back to Him.”  God gave humanity dominion over the world.  He did not tell us we could use and abuse it in anyway we choose!  Ours is not supposed to be a destructive, abusive dominion but rather a stewardship of the planet to the glory of God.  How are we doing?  How we use this land is a reflection of how we view our relationship to God and our calling to participate in his creation.

 We were told to be fruitful and multiply  By implication this commands us to be good stewards of the resources God has made available to us.  The 7 th Commandment “You shall not steal”  This requires respect for the integrity of creation.  Personal wealth cannot be an excuse for excessive consumption of the resources we are called to be stewards of.  How can we evidence our Catholicism in the way we steward resources?

 Creation was an act of each Person of the Blessed Trinity.  Each act was connected to the Word of God  Who does the Gospel of John say was the Word of God?  Genesis mentions the spirit of God moving over the waters.  Creation itself is the act of a creator. The Father of the Trinity.  When Genesis quotes God in the plural (We, Us) it acknowledges the three-fold reality of the Trinity.

 The Bible is the story of God’s plan of salvation: “Salvation History”  It’s authors acted under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit to write what he wanted and nothing more.  It is without error because of this inspiration.  The Bible is literature, and ancient literature at that. When things in it don’t make sense or appear to be wrong, we look to the context of the time to understand.  For example: it was not intended to be a scientific treatise or mere historical record.

 Read pp for Monday  Complete p. 31 #2-3