CREATION Gorospe It is our individual & collective task & responsibility to create a more just & fraternal society.

y. 2nd Plenary Council of the Philippines: the ideal society must be: Makatao Maka-bayan Maka-kalikasan 2 sources of knowledge about creation: Divine Revelation: Filipino creation myths Human Experience: we experience the world being created; affirmed by Christian faith Filipino Beliefs in Creation Creation myths that date back to pre-Christian times But over the years, uncritical Filipino beliefs in creation & the Filipino blind trust in God led to various forms of: Bahala na attitude (escape from responsibility) Credulity in spirits, faith healers & mediums Superstitious expectations that God will resolve everything Creation in the Bible Genesis 1st theologian of creation: Isaiah Belief in Yahweh who saves & creates precisely to strengthen the Israelites trust in God Psalms 104 John 13 Rom. 11:36 1 Cor. 8:6, 1 Cor. 10: 26 The Old Testament Shows the relation between salvation & creation Covenant Tradition (Exodus & Sinai): Yahweh reveals himself as the God who saves Creation Tradition (Genesis): then Yahweh reveals himself as the God who creates Genesis Chapter 2 (Yahwist/Older Tradition) God is called Yahweh. Emphasizes mans responsibility to care for the world Mans task to create a human community & mans responsibility to care for the world Religious message: Man is a creature of God, totally dependent on God for his existence & continuance Man is like God, superior to animals & capable of ruling them though with fragility Woman is mans equal & suitable partner Chapter 1 (Priestly/Later Tradition) God is called Elohim. Emphasizes the dignity of man Religious message: Everything is created by God Everything created by God is good Man was created in the image of God God rests on the 7th day prefigures mans rest & worship Language: 3 major Mesopotamian creation stories Enuma Elish Attrahasis Gilgamesh Not a cosmology or pseudo-scientific account of the origin of the world and of man A religious confession or statement of faith; contains a threefold Whole world owes its being & activity entirely to the free, sovereign action of God Everything created by Gods beneficent love is good

 Whole creation is for the sake of human beings The New Testament Shows the relation between creation & Jesus The world is made through Jesus, for Jesus & will be recapitulated by Jesus THUS creation serves Gods eternal plan of salvation Mission of the Church & of Christians to bring about the new creation as redemption of the human race Beginning of redemption/liberation from sin = baptism (through the Holy Spirit) Creation in Church Teaching God freely creates out of sheer love, to share his own divine life & goodness. Scientific theory of evolution = continuing creation God continues to sustain care for everything God created (general divine Providence) with special Providence to bring sinful mankind back to Himself through the redemptive sacrifice of Christ. Growth > material possession A man is more precious for what he is than for what he has. Theology of Creation Creation = world has its origin (past), ground (present) & final goal (future) in God. Motive of Gods creation is Gods beneficent love Creation = Gods continuing involvement in the world Christian doctrine of creation isnt against the scientific theory of evolution God gave dominion to man over creation so he must be the master & not the reckless exploiter of nature. Modern science & technology show man as an active creator. Creation involves not only material creation but also the creation of new human person & man as a community. Vatican II (Gaudium et Spes): a more humane & fraternal world > material progress The Faith Value of Creation = the Christian doctrine of creation adds a basic faith vision to human dignity, work, liberation & development Human Dignity = Man as the image & likeness of God is the basis of human dignity & human rights. Human dignity has been raised to adoptive sonship. Homo vivens est Gloria Dei. = the glory of God is man fully alive Human Work = work has dignity because it is a participation in Gods creative work Human Liberation = liberation from sin = new creation Human Development = the good of every man and of the whole man = to seek to do more, know more and have more in order to be more