Day 48: Creation in Order

God himself created the visible world in all its richness, diversity, and order. Scripture presents the work of the Creator symbolically as a succession of six days of divine "work", concluded by the "rest" of the seventh day. On the subject of creation, the sacred text teaches the truths revealed by God for our salvation, permitting us to "recognize the inner nature, the value and the ordering of the whole of creation to the praise of God." CCC 337

In today's reading, we are directed back to the visible world of God's Creation. As much of this was covered before, I'll just focus on the highlights in this section:

• CCC 338: "Nothing exists that does not owe its existence to God the Creator."
• CCC 339: "Each creature possesses its own particular goodness and perfection."
• CCC 340: "God wills the interdependence of creatures."
• CCC 341: "The beauty of the universe"
• CCC 342: "The hierarchy of creatures is expressed by the order of the "six days", from the less perfect to the more perfect."
• CCC 343: "Man is the summit of the Creator's work"

I like how the Catechism talks of the "beauty of the universe," for everything was created by Him and it is "very good" (Gen 1:31). Even in our broken world after the Fall, the stunning beauty of what God created can be clearly seen. This is one reason why I do not understand atheism as if everything around us were by mere chance and not made by the Creator (Rom 1:20). There is an order and purpose to Creation, which I understand that the former at least can be seen more clearly for those who really understand higher math. We should praise God for all that He has created and cherish our gifts on this world in the time we have been given. The Catechism Companion, Vol I has some good comments on this:

The world reflects God's order. So he does not need to directly cause rain to fall; secondary causes, such as gravity, play a role. Material creation is endowed with its own order and laws. We are stewards of the earth, not owners of it. The world is here for our use, not our abuse. (p. 100)

One of my favorite online videos comes from Carl Sagan's speech "The Pale Blue Dot". Whoever originally put together this video did a great job and the version I'm posting here ironically is found on an atheist YouTube channel. While they may see Sagan's words bolstering their nonbelief I see the opposite. Sagan may not have intended it but I see the splendor of God and Creation in this, along with a warning to us to care for each other and the home He has given us.