Looking at Work From God's Point of View - Part 3
Last time we left off with these stunning words from Working Your Way into Heaven by Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski:
In order to better understand just how our work advances the great work of Creation, let's spend a few moments better familiarizing ourselves with God's work. We begin with the words inspired by the Holy Spirit at the very beginning of the Book of Genesis:
It may look like all was complete in that first outburst of Divine creativity. But the Holy Spirit wants us to see that, from the beginning, God's work was not simply the urge of some eternal "moment"; rather, God's work would unfold as a Plan for Creation.
Light and dark illumined Creation, but more would be needed to advance the Plan:
The basics now in place, like a great composer who has sketched the outline of his symphony, God now attends to the specifics of rhythm, melody, and harmony:
See how the Lord further developed that original light and darkness in verses 2-5? Just as a composer takes a basic musical theme and expands on those initial notes, so here God has taken light and expanded it to include the stars and planets that fill the heavens which serve not only to divide night and day, but to create the regular cycle of the seasons and the full extent of time itself.
Genesis continues to uncover how God initiated and executed His plan for Creation. You may want to continue reading it on your own. You'll see how, once everything was in place, God created Man - that's us. You'll also see how, even with the creation of Adam and Eve, this did not complete God's work. They were not the final components of a work completed. Indeed, His work of Creation continues, and will until the end of the world. Next time we'll see not only that we are not just another component of God's Creation, but an integral part of the ongoing Creation that began "in the beginning," and continues today.
Human work...completes the act of creation.Thinking about what you did yesterday at work, and what's on tap today may leave you straining to connect your every day actions with God's work of Creation. But that's exactly what we're looking at here. And let's make the point right away that this rather grandiose view of work isn't reserved for the rich and powerful. Quite the opposite. The rich and powerful, even when they succeed through hard work, pursued ethically, in a spirit of charity, have no more claim as partners with God in His work than you or I do. Each of us, putting our shoulder to the plow each day, advances the great work of Creation.
In order to better understand just how our work advances the great work of Creation, let's spend a few moments better familiarizing ourselves with God's work. We begin with the words inspired by the Holy Spirit at the very beginning of the Book of Genesis:
In the beginning God created heaven, and earth.
It may look like all was complete in that first outburst of Divine creativity. But the Holy Spirit wants us to see that, from the beginning, God's work was not simply the urge of some eternal "moment"; rather, God's work would unfold as a Plan for Creation.
[2] And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God moved over the waters. [3]And God said: Be light made. And light was made. [4] And God saw the light that it was good; and he divided the light from the darkness. [5] And he called the light Day, and the darkness Night; and there was evening and morning one day.
Light and dark illumined Creation, but more would be needed to advance the Plan:
[6] And God said: Let there be a firmament made amidst the waters: and let it divide the waters from the waters. [7] And God made a firmament, and divided the waters that were under the firmament, from those that were above the firmament, and it was so. [8] And God called the firmament, Heaven; and the evening and morning were the second day. [9] God also said: Let the waters that are under the heaven, be gathered together into one place: and let the dry land appear. And it was so done. [10] And God called the dry land, Earth; and the gathering together of the waters, he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
The basics now in place, like a great composer who has sketched the outline of his symphony, God now attends to the specifics of rhythm, melody, and harmony:
[11] And he said: Let the earth bring forth the green herb, and such as may seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, which may have seed in itself upon the earth. And it was so done. [12] And the earth brought forth the green herb, and such as yieldeth seed according to its kind, and the tree that beareth fruit, having seed each one according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [13] And the evening and the morning were the third day. [14] And God said: Let there be lights made in the firmament of heaven, to divide the day and the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years: [15] To shine in the firmament of heaven, and to give light upon the earth. And it was so done.
See how the Lord further developed that original light and darkness in verses 2-5? Just as a composer takes a basic musical theme and expands on those initial notes, so here God has taken light and expanded it to include the stars and planets that fill the heavens which serve not only to divide night and day, but to create the regular cycle of the seasons and the full extent of time itself.
Genesis continues to uncover how God initiated and executed His plan for Creation. You may want to continue reading it on your own. You'll see how, once everything was in place, God created Man - that's us. You'll also see how, even with the creation of Adam and Eve, this did not complete God's work. They were not the final components of a work completed. Indeed, His work of Creation continues, and will until the end of the world. Next time we'll see not only that we are not just another component of God's Creation, but an integral part of the ongoing Creation that began "in the beginning," and continues today.
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