Meditation: our creation

Meditation Our Creation

Guest contributor:   Richard Myer

Close your eyes, sit straight, and relax. Empty your mind of the world and of all its noise. Enjoy the quiet and gentle spirit of the Lord, relax in his Peace.

Place yourself in the presence of God, and feel his peace as you look down upon the earth in all its beauty. Take a moment to enjoy the light of the Lord as it filters through you, knowing he will never leave you, his love for you is without limits or conditions.

Ask for inspiration as there is nothing that you do or don’t do that can separate you from his presence. Think about your struggles, and feelings of inadequacy. Little by little he will transform your weaknesses into strengths. Recognize that no matter how steep or treacherous the path before you, the safest place is by his side. Slow down and enjoy the journey in his presence. Affirm your trust in him. The knowledge of his loving presence will carry you through each day. Your thankfulness enables you to see the abundance he showers upon you. Your grateful heart will protect you from negative thinking. In everything give thanks, as this is his will for you. God will meet every one of your needs, with abundant sufficiency. He will never leave you or forsake you.

Where were you a short time ago, before your creation? Yes, the world really existed without you. The sun rose in all its beauty, and set in an orange and purple splendor. Waves would roll in off the ocean and splash upon the sandy seashore. The mountains stood tall and beautiful, the prairies stretched as far as the eye could see. The sun shown, the stars twinkled, the birds sang, the owls hooted. Each of the various creatures, willed in its own being, reflects in its own way a ray of God’s infinite wisdom and goodness. The sun and the moon, the cedar and the little flower, the eagle and the sparrow; the spectacle of their countless diversities and inequalities tells us that no creature is self-sufficient. Creatures exist only in dependence on each other, in the service of each other. Being made in the image of God you possess the dignity of a person, who is not just something, but someone. You are capable of self-knowledge, of self-possession and of freely giving of yourself and entering into communion with others. And you are called by grace to a covenant with your creator, to offer him a response of faith and love that no other creature can give.

God has given you existence from nothingness; he has created you, through his love and goodness. God infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created you to share in his own blessed life. Through him, he invites us to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life. Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in Heaven.

God has created you in perfect union with himself, capable of everlasting life. He has given you the ability to love your neighbor, yourself, your country and the earth which he created. We must be good stewards of the abundant resources we have been given. We strive to be good citizens, contributing to the good of society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity, and freedom. Every society’s judgments’ and conduct reflects a vision of man and his destiny. Allow the light of the gospel to shine upon us. Life and physical health are precious gifts entrusted to us; help us take reasonable care of them, taking into the account of the needs of others and the common good of all.

Now humble yourself before God: Say from your heart: O Lord I am truly nothing before you. How did you have remembrance of me to create me? I was nothing yet you formed me and gave me life to share in your abundance of good. I was in ageless nothingness and would still be there if you had not drawn me out. Through Christ we can offer a sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for all that God has made good, beautiful, and just in creation and in humanity.

Lord you have taken me in my nothingness to make me in your mercy what I am. I must always praise your holy name and give thanks for your immeasurable goodness. Take away our laziness so that the battle of prayer is that of humble, trusting, and persevering love. May we continue to pray without ceasing. May we persevere during our trials. Help us to remember to trust in you always. May we focus on you and find peace in your presence. Thank you God for my being.

Inhale the fragrance of your devotion throughout this evening. Let the peace and joy of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Pray that God strengthen us in our loving desires and push back the darkness, for he is the light of the world. Our Creator, Our Salvation, Our Light, Our Strength, and Our Joy.

Our Father who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy name;
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us;
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

Evil in God’s creation

Evil In Gods Creation

Guest contributor:   Ed Trego

The presence of evil in the world has been a source of question and thought throughout history. Man has tried to understand how evil can exist in the good creation of God. St. Augustine, during his journey to Catholicism, battled with the concept of evil in God’s world. In The Confessions of Saint Augustine he wrote, “But being good, he has created good things. Behold how he encircles and fills all things! Where then is evil, and whence and by what means has it crept in here?” Still today, this question troubles Christians. If all of God’s creation is good, how did evil get here?

God did not create or intend evil. Created in the image of God, man is the only creature with the ability to choose good or evil. The free will of God will always choose the good. Man, however, is tempted by Satan, fails to withstand the temptation, and therefore chooses evil in many cases. This contradiction of the good of free will and the misuse of free will to bring evil into the world is not limited to man however. It is also present in the angels, whom God also granted free will. The Church teaches that Satan was at first a good angel, made by God: “The devil and the other demons were indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing.”

God could have created a world without evil. However, in doing so, He would have eliminated the gift of free will that He had bestowed on man. All gifts of God are good, including the free will through which so much evil has been done. While a world without evil may seem desirable, if there were no other choice, of what value would good be? St. Thomas Aquinas wrote, “If evil were completely eliminated from things, they would not be governed by Divine Providence in accord with their nature; and this would have been a greater defect that the particular defect eliminated.”

While God did not create or intend evil, He can and does turn the evil done by man to the service of God. The story of Joseph, detailed in Genesis, chapters 37 through 45, demonstrates God’s ability to take an evil act and use it for good. Joseph’s brothers, out of jealousy, sold him into slavery in Egypt. God protected Joseph and, through His intervention, Joseph so won the favors of Pharaoh that he placed him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. As a result, Joseph was able to save his family from a devastating famine, ensuring the continuation of the seed of Abraham.

From the greatest evil ever committed God brought the greatest gift ever given. He permitted the murder of his only Son in order to raise Jesus from the dead and overcome death. Through the horrible evil of the crucifixion God brought salvation to man.

God does not promote nor desire evil, but he does use the evil in the world as a means of emphasizing the good he has created. For instance, the evil of slavery prompted men of good will and Christian value to strive for the elimination of slavery and the evil associated with it.

God alone brings good from evil; evil can never become a good and no good can ever be produced by man from evil actions. Man’s ability to overcome evil and to produce good depends upon his cooperation in God’s plan. He must make the free choice to accept the will of God.

Man’s opportunity to bring good rather than evil relies upon his acceptance of God’s grace. Grace is God’s favor, the free and undeserved help that adopts man into the family of God, making him heirs of heaven and enabling him to live as children of the Father. Grace allows man to reject evil and achieve the good which God desires. This grace, and the salvation it brings, comes only from God, through Jesus. In 1 John 2:2 we read “He is the expiation for our sins and not only for our sins only but for those of the whole world.” Only through acceptance of God’s grace is man allowed to participate in his plan of salvation.

In spite of the evil man commits, God desires the salvation of all mankind. His Divine Providence ensures that good will ultimately win out. Divine Providence is God’s plan for the universe He created. God is all good and his Providence encompasses all aspects of creation. As God is infallible and unchangeable, his plan for creation is also infallible and unchangeable. St. Thomas Aquinas tells us in his Shorter Summa that, “Since God alone is good by his very essence and all other things received their compliment of goodness by some sort of participation, all beings must be brought to their compliment of goodness by God. This, again, involves rule and government; for things are governed and ruled by God.”

In His infinite love and mercy, God offers man eternal life and salvation. Mankind must freely choose to accept the grace of God and respond to it in a positive manner if he is to bring good into the world. It is up to man to use God’s gift of free will as it was intended; to reject the evil and seek the good. Only through the free acceptance of God’s will and the positive response to His will is man capable of producing good and reducing evil in God’s good creation. God always has and always will desire the salvation of all mankind. It is up to man to seek the good, to reject the evil, and to accept the salvation offered by God.

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