THE JOY OF BEING

The Creation of Adam at the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo c. 1512

"For you love all things that exist, and you loathe none of the things which you have made, for you would not have made anything if you had hated it." - Wisdom 11:24

Read:
Genesis 1:1-31
Psalm 104
John 1:1-4

Study:
1) Handouts:
Beauty; God the Creator; Providence

2) 3MC:
21 – What is creation according to the Church?        
22 – Is there a contradiction between faith and science?
23 – Is there a contradiction between the Creation and Evolution?

3) CCC 279-314, 337-344, 385, 410, 1604, 2501 (YOUCAT 40 - 50, 466)

Meditate:
I what ways does mankind share in God's love and creation? How do I view life? Do I trust God in all circumstances, even when times are difficult and the purpose is not always clear? Am I thankful? In what ways do I express my love and thankfulness to God and to or for those who have participated in helping me be who I am? Spend some time meditating on the full text (often shortened in the popular "All Creatures of Our God and King") of St. Francis' Can­ti­co di frat­re so­le (Song of Brother Sun): Considering the life of St. Francis and also that this was written near his death, what does it teach you about trusting in God's providence?

Pray:
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

Imitate:
St. Albert the Great

Apply:
In what ways can I help myself and others development a trust in God's great love and His providential care?

Extra:
St. Albert the Great: On Cleaving to God
Catholic Encyclopedia: Divine Providence
Fr Jean-Pierre de Caussade, SJ: Abandonment to Divine Providence
Catholic Encyclopedia: Creation
Creation and Genesis
Adam, Eve, and Evolution
The Galileo Controversy

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Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb,
and naked I shall go back again.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
blessed be the name of the Lord!
(Job 1:21)