Missionaries of the Sacred

I’m not suggesting we try to rewrite the Scriptures, but it’s fun sometimes to wonder “what if.” Just suppose the creation narrative in Genesis had portrayed God’s work as ending on the fifth day. We would have a vision of an exotic world of tremendous natural beauty with every form of plant and animal life flourishing. It might be like discovering some forgotten land where no human had ever set foot, a pristine corner of paradise. Can we imagine a world, beautiful in every way, but without a human presence? Perhaps we can, on a visit to the wilderness in one of our national parks. Delightful! But I think we know, with a little reflection, that such a world would be deprived of its most fundamental value and meaning as we know it. “God created man in his image, in the divine image he created him, male and female he created them.” Only we humans are made in God’s image and likeness and God gave humans a central role to play with respect to the other works of creation, establishing an essential relationship between the two. In the vision of Genesis we continue participating in the work of creation; our destiny and the destiny of all creation are intrinsically entwined.

Recently one of the morning readings was taken from 2 Peter: “According to his promise we await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” We are used to thinking of salvation in terms of our own spiritual destiny. More often than not, we usually think of ourselves individually. True, in moments of deeper understanding, we might also reflect on the destiny of all mankind. But we don’t usually give much thought to including the ultimate meaning of the whole of creation. However, the vision of Genesis sees us integrally united with all of creation. Is the world to be only the stage on which we perform, or are our destinies somehow inseparably joined in God’s plan?

Isaiah points to the Lord’s vision of bringing about a transformation among his People which will be comparable to a new creation: “I am about to create new heavens and a new earth.” (65:17) It indicates that God’s creating action is still at work and that the transformation of God’s People will somehow reflect the fulfillment of the whole of creation.

What does this insight tell us about the meaning of salvation? We are, as noted, fairly used to thinking in terms of our own personal relationship with God. Such a perspective has always been an important element of the various religious traditions. But taken alone, this vision can lead to a preoccupation with oneself instead of looking at the whole picture. The language of Scripture calls us to look to a transformation so complete and inclusive as to be able to be called “a new heavens and a new earth,” suggesting a dimension of salvation beyond our own personal fulfillment.

The Second Letter of Peter is concerned with the parousia, or the final and definitive coming of Christ at the end of time. In the Greek of the time, a parousia referred to a the coming of a king or emperor in all his majesty to his subjects. In New Testament thought, it indicates the definitive coming of Christ with the final transformation of the world and mankind. It is the moment of resurrection and the completion of the Kingdom of God. The world of violence, hatred, injustice, and abuse will have died and given rise to the Kingdom of peace, love, justice and reconciliation. The popular imagination sometimes portrays our entrance into eternal life as some kind of disembodied spirits, floating on clouds, plunking on harps! We laugh at this cartoon image not only because the image is childish but because it is also in serious conflict with the concepts of resurrection and the fulfillment of all of creation. Throughout all of human history we have shared in God’s work of creation, and the fulfillment of this work will bring about a transformation so complete that it will be truly “a new heavens and new earth.”

One’s personal salvation is an important goal, brought about by our inclusion in Christ’s death and resurrection in Baptism. The New Testament, however, underlines the importance of the mission of Christ entrusted to us as Church, which is the building up and fulfillment of the Kingdom of God. We are called, through Baptism, to participate in God’s creative activity to transform our world into the world envisioned by the Kingdom. The final result will be the definitive presence of Christ in the parousia, bringing about the completion and transformation of human society, our world and all creation. We might even say that the Sixth Day of Creation, according to God’s plan, is destined to give meaning to the whole of creation!

Fr. David Foxen, MSC