1. Unit 1: To Be Human Is?
Theme 3 – Are we good?

2. Getting started…
How is the proclamation of the Bible that “creation is good” true?
How do we respond to life’s difficulties?
How can we trust that goodness will prevail?

3. This theme explores two very important messages from the Bible:
We live in a good, friendly universe
Humans are images and likenesses of the All-Holy One.
…but, if creation is good, how is it that evil persists in the world?

4. Creation is very fragile in its order
Creation is very fragile in its order. It seems to struggle against the potential for chaos and confusion. Our vocation as humans is to trust in the goodness of creation, and in God’s promise to never undo creation again (after the flood). Our role is to help restore order when and where we find disorder in the world.

5. ‘Good’, with reference to creation, is about our capacity to fulfill God’s plan for us. (vocation = our ‘calling’) It’s about our abilities as human participants and partners with God in His plan for creation. We can help.

6. Goodness: God is the source of all that is good
Goodness: God is the source of all that is good. Human beings, by their nature and vocation, are directed towards the good. Goodness is the result of being “connected” with God, as branches to a vine.

7. Evil
There are 3 types of evil. The first two types are referred to as moral evil. Moral evil is the kind of evil associated with and brought about by sin.

8. Two types of Moral Evil
1. Personal (individual) sin- freely chosen actions that create havoc, disorder, conflict, pain and suffering and have negative effects on sinners as individuals and on their relationships with others.
For example-lying, cheating, stealing, swearing
2. Social (communal) Sin- all actions and events that happen because groups, communities, countries disrupt the good order of. The effects of the sinful actions of individual people accumulate over time into communal sin, which affects all who are born into it.
For example- war, poverty, violence, racism, sexism, and the destruction of the environment

9. 3. Natural Evil (Evil not caused by sin)
Natural evil is evil not caused by sin. It is expressed in the suffering, pain, and untimely deaths brought about by natural disasters and catastrophes (such as hurricanes and earthquakes) and also by sickness and disease.

10. Mother Teresa
She saw all who came before her, no matter what their physical state, as Jesus in disguise. In her mission, she recognized Christ in the ‘poorest of the poor.’

11. Sin
This is the breach of the relationship that God established with creation. It involves bringing a fault or disorder into creation, maiming the work of God. We experience it as a power that entices or tempts us to act against good order. The Catechism defines it as "an utterance, a deed or a desire contrary to the eternal law." (CCC )

12. You have 3 minutes…all the sins you can think of!
You have 3 minutes…solutions to all those sins!

13. Genesis
The serpent knew of our human weakness, of the desire to be like God. It is ultimately a temptation for power, thinking we can go it alone, without Him. When the desire for power takes over, we become a stranger to creation. (animals, plants, the earth and each other) We lose some of our humanity.

14. Principle #3
To be human is to be essentially good, despite the capacity for disorder and sin.
Although creation is rent by failure, fragility, disorder, pain and sin, these faults, both in nature and in the human person, do not undo the goodness of creation.

15. Questions Can we repair the damage of sin?
How does forgiveness work? Does it work for you?
Where is God in all of this world of sin, etc.?