Word to the Wise
Friday, November 13, 2015 - Friday in the 32th Week in Ordinary Time
[Wis 13:1-9 and Luke 17:26-37]All men were by nature foolish who were in ignorance of God, and from the good things seen did not succeed in knowing him who is, and from studying the works did not discern the artisan. [Wisdom]
NOVEMBER 13 ST. FRANCES XAVIER CABRINI
I live in the state of Texas, a very conservative area in many senses of that word, but especially in terms of religious observance. Every once in awhile there is a general controversy because the mighty commission that makes decisions about textbooks in schools makes a decision that reflects a particularly conservative religious point of view. Sometimes it is a matter of how the history of a particular event is related, and more often the question of "evolution" and faith arises. The folks who accept literally the accounts of creation in the Book of Genesis go to battle with the folks who work from a "big bang" theory. Although the Catholic Church has been quite wary of evolutionary thought because of an apparent conflict with Genesis, Pope St. John Paul II put those fears aside and declared that there is nothing per se in evolutionary thought that is contrary to faith and morals. In fact, a study of biology and physics and astronomy can do more to help faith than a literal biblicism.
The Book of Wisdom today speaks of "studying the works" to "discern the artisan." St. Paul says in Romans: "Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made." (Rom. 1:20). The 19th psalm puts it very majestically, "The heavens declare the glory of God and the earth proclaims his handiwork." (Ps. 19:1). We can understand all of this in a very aesthetic way in sunrises or sunsets or the latest issue of National Geographic, or we can go into it in greater detail. I recently read a book entitled: MODERN PHYSICS AND ANCIENT FAITH by Stephen Barr. By the end of it, my head was swimming with all the physics, but I had no doubts about divine intention in creation. The argument from "intelligent design" has some science to back it up.
Pope Francis' encyclical, Laudato si, refers to the planet earth as our common home. If we see this home as a gift from God, I think we bring more than pragmatic concerns about our environment to bear. We are dealing with something "sacramental" in nature because we may experience God's grace and power proclaimed. AMEN
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