In the beginning God created heaven, and earth. – Gen 1:1
The very first line of Scripture introduces God as Creator. Fr. Richard Riendeau, my high school theology teacher, explained this phenomenon in terms borrowed and simplified from St. Thomas Aquinas. God is the only self-existent being and all of creation comes out of his mind and his “creation bag.” Everything else has a beginning except God. We can find a cause for everything else that exists, but ultimately it all comes back to God.
He is the prime mover, the one who willed every atom and molecule and force of energy into being. Even if you intellectually reject God as being personal, loving, and seeking a relationship with us, you must logically acknowledge that someone started the process of creation.
Science and math are in many ways the study of God’s creative process. They reveal the intricacies and the logic that rule the universe. There is an incredible order to how it all works. Alone among the intelligent beings on our earth, we humans have the ability to look at, appreciate, and examine God’s creation. We even have the ability to contemplate the meaning of our own creation and our purpose in being here.
While our knowledge may be infinitesimal compared to the intelligence of God, we keep learning and discovering. To once again borrow from Fr. Riendeau, we aren’t going to discover anything God didn’t know first. Through the gift of our curiosity and intellect, God has invited us to explore how things work, to wonder about how this world came to be, and to contemplate our own role in it.
Prayer
Heavenly Creator, you existed before anything else. Thank you for your gift of this incredible universe. Thank you for creating me. Please help me to use all your gifts wisely.
Action
Creativity begins with observation. Take a few moments today to contemplate the complexity and beauty of our world. Perhaps take some photos to record what you observe.
This is an excerpt from The Work of Our Hands. (Amazon affiliate link)
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