A Beacon Of Light… Recapturing The Gifts Of Creation

• 1 year ago

By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON Jr.

(Fr. Richard D. Breton is a priest of the Diocese of Norwich, Conn.)

• + + Last week in Fall River, Mass., there occurred a horrific action against God and the Church. On that Wednesday morning, Good Shepherd Catholic Church was vandalized. The statue of the Baby Jesus was thrown down a flight of stairs, breaking off Jesus’ head. In addition, the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was doused in bleach; her colors and beauty ran down the sides of the statue.
  
  Both of these horrific acts are another example of the moral decline of our times. Actions like these continually occur more and more each day. Because of such actions, the Church is experiencing great persecution that seems to be getting worse.
  
  There is a sadness that exists in today’s society, and this sadness has made humanity oblivious to the destruction happening around us. Human beings have forgotten the “goodness” that was bestowed on them in creation. In fact, the journey of salvation is a quest to return us to the original “goodness” of the holiness received in creation.
  
  Today I want to begin by going back to the Old Testament in particular to the Book of Genesis and the story of Creation. Recapturing the God-given gifts of Creation is only possible if we understand the quest that God has set before us.
  
  “In the beginning God created heaven, and earth. 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. And God said: Be light made. And light was made. And God saw the light and that it was good; and He divided the light from the darkness” (Gen. 1:1-4).
  
  In the first four verses from the Book of Genesis we experience the personal Will of God. This will be expressed in His Word. Through this Word, God bridges the gap that exists between God and the formless abyss. Then for the first time we hear God speak and He says: “Light Be Made!” The light is created, and it transforms the void and darkness into something new.
  
  The Light becomes the most sublime of all elements because it corresponds to the Will of God and so it is considered good. God creates the beacon, or light, that will show the way on the journey of Salvation.

A Living Soul

What about us? How do we participate in His plan of salvation?

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7).

In Genesis chapter two verse seven, God Himself breathes into us the breath of life and gives us a share in creation. As living breathing human beings, we become participants in God’s plan of creation. As participants we benefit in all that God creates. The light that God created precedes us and lights the way along the path of life. God provides many opportunities for us to follow the light as we journey with Him.

So often we hear the stories of the Old Testament. I wonder if we ever stop and recognize the great symbolism at work. Sacred Scripture is God’s living Word, and it is meant to enlighten us. One story that enlightens us is Noah and the Ark.

In Gen. 6:5 it says: “The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the Earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.”

God was troubled by this because He had created the human race for good and not evil. Then God said: “I will wipe from the face of the Earth the human race I have created — and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground — for I regret that I have made them” (Gen. 6:7). God, however, finds favor with Noah who was considered a righteous man. Noah builds the Ark and fills it with two of every kind of living creature, both male and female. For forty days, Noah, his family and the animals and creatures in the Ark endured the flood water. They were tossed around and felt the battering rain.

For days, weeks, even months, they endured the worst of conditions. To see if the flood waters had receded, Noah sent out a dove and it returned bearing an olive branch, a sign of peace. God realized the darkness of His wrath and promised to make a covenant with Noah and his descendants. What was this covenant? It was a sign of light, a rainbow! God uses His first “good” created thing, light, to establish a covenant with humanity. He tells Noah and all of us that whenever we see this sign in the sky, remember the covenant made with you for all ages unending. How beautiful! God’s gift of light becomes for Noah, and for us all, the first covenant between God and Man.

God speaks to us every day, but sometimes we fail to recognize the Lord’s pattern in our lives. This can be caused by many different things. Some of these things may include: a difficult struggle in our lives, an attachment to a particular sin, a poor prayer life, or even a lack of understanding of the faith itself. These distractions blind us from seeing the beautiful encounters God puts in our path every day.

A Trumpet Blast

I’m reminded of an experience I had in 2005 as I began a Clinical Pastoral Education Residency Program. This program trained me to become a hospital chaplain. It was a great experience, but it had its challenges as well. On the first night of my hospital on-call responsibility, I was presented with a very dark and difficult experience. Within a span of three hours, six patients died and I had to manage these deaths while ministering to these six families. It was quite an introduction to the ministry of hospital chaplains.

A few minutes passed and I heard over the intercom what sounded like a little trumpet blast. I inquired what the little trumpet sound meant, and I was told that it lets everyone know a new baby is born. Within the midst of the darkness of those six deaths, God reminded us that there was still a ray of hope. The sound of the little trumpet heralded the news that the darkness had been transformed into the light of new life. From that night forward every time I heard that little trumpet, over the intercom, I smiled and thanked God for the gift of life.

From the beginning moments of creation God has continually used the gift of Light to show the way out of darkness. In today’s world the “divine illumination” set before us has been hindered by illumination of ourselves, and the battle that is growing between good and evil. Sadly, the world has set itself on a path that may lead to a darkness that cannot be lifted. As we journey along the path of life, we will encounter this battle before us.

In the course of the battle, there is a light that illuminates the path we must take. It may be burning brightly like the morning sun, as dim as the setting sun, or as a sign in the sky of a beautiful rainbow reminding us of God’s covenant with Noah.

We may recognize it in the beautiful gift of a newborn child radiating with the light of new life. Wherever we encounter the Light, be sure of one thing: It is with us forever. May we open our eyes to see the Light that illuminates our lives and cherish it, because it is the first gift God has given to us, His loving creation.