Restoration with Creation

Bird in the chapel

Brief story about the bird that wanted in while I was trying to pray.

St. Francis has a similar story.

Do Dogs go to heaven?

Second most frequent question.

The Readings of Lent

Move us through salvation history. Not necessarily a link between the first reading and the Gospel like in OT. But there kind of is a cool link between the first and the second, the first and the Gospel.

Noah and the flood

A New Adam - in harmony with God and with nature! The 8 people

Genesis 9:9–10 NABRE

See, I am now establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you: the birds, the tame animals, and all the wild animals that were with you—all that came out of the ark.

Christ in the Desert

We see Christ in the desert, and because He is tempted and does the Father’s will completely, He brings heaven and earth together in Himself

Mark 1:13 NABRE

and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.

1 with Nature

So we go out into the woods or something, or go surf, or golf, and we think to ourselves, “I’m 1 with nature!” You breath in the air, so contemplative. Like, no, you’re standing in nature. You’re out there and you’re one bear or shark or errant golf ball away from the ER.

But the Saints in Christ, actually become 1 with nature.

Francis and the wolf.

Francis and the birds.

St. Dominic and the fish.

St. Bridgett had a pet boar

St. Benedict and the Ravens.

Pope Benedict liked cats.

St. Martin de Porres had this gift with animals too, the bulls and the mice!

“Although original sin compromised man’s natural dominion, Martin, in his holiness, was given a divine gift reminiscent of that original authority.”

https://www.dominicanajournal.org/of-mice-and-martin/

I go to pray my rosary as I walk around the neighborhood and the demon dogs lose their mind! Its a reminder that I’m not yet completely in Christ. I don’t have power over nature as Adam did, as Christ does, as these Saints show us. Christ said elsewhere,

Mark 11:20–23 NABRE

Early in the morning, as they were walking along, they saw the fig tree withered to its roots. Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” Jesus said to them in reply, “Have faith in God. Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it shall be done for him.

What else could these weird passages mean?!

Isaiah 11:7 NABRE

The cow and the bear shall graze, together their young shall lie down; the lion shall eat hay like the ox.

Isaiah 65:25 NABRE

The wolf and the lamb shall pasture together, and the lion shall eat hay like the ox— but the serpent’s food shall be dust. None shall harm or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.

Isaiah 66:22 NABRE

Just as the new heavens and the new earth which I am making Shall endure before me—oracle of the Lord— so shall your descendants and your name endure.

JPII

“In the narrative of the creation of the visible world, the giving has a meaning only with regard to man. In the whole work of creation, it can be said only of him that a gift was conferred on him; the visible world was created "for him." The biblical account of creation offers us sufficient reasons to understand and interpret in this way. Creation is a gift, because man appears in it. As the "image of God," man is capable of understanding the meaning of gift in the call from nothingness to existence.” Wednesday 2 January 1980, General Audience

We can receive the gift of creation. We have the capacity to receive the gift. The animals don’t. They’re selfish, and if we’re not careful, we could be too.

Elsewhere he says that man (Men and Women) are the priests over creation, just as we are Kings and Queens over creation, we are also priests, sanctifying the world and leading the worship, that is necessary for us, on behalf of all creation.

That one silly bird wasn’t allowed to worship, and we shouldn’t let him in. But that doesn’t mean that we aren’t worshipping on its behalf! He can fly and sing and praise God naturally but it can’t worship!, but here at Mass, in our bodies, we can praise God supernaturally, in Christ, the way He asked us to WORSHIP.

When we sinned, creation rebelled, as if to say, “you aren’t my master anymore, I am my own, you don’t speak for me anymore, I determine my own way!” Sounds a little like man and God. Christ corrects that. Christ brings humanity, in Himself, matter and spirit, the natural and the supernatural, creation and un-creation, into harmony. We, in Christ, can participate in this and bring, starting with our bodies, which is the first bit of matter that we have dominion over, into right order with other matter, with spirit, and with God.

Thus, we fast, to be put back into right order with ourselves, plus we look great!

We Pray, to be put back by God into right relationship with Him, this includes making a good Confession, plus, our souls look great!

We almsgive, to be put back into right relationship with our neighbor, especially the poor, who we have been entrusted to serve, plus, it makes us feel great!

Commentary on the psalms by Saint Augustine, (Ps. 60, 2-3: CCL 39, 766)

He made us one with him when he chose to be tempted by Satan. We have heard in the gospel how the Lord Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. Certainly Christ was tempted by the devil. In Christ you were tempted, for Christ received his flesh from your nature, but by his own power gained life for you; he suffered insults in your nature, but by his own power gained glory for you; therefore, he suffered temptation in your nature, but by his own power gained victory for you. If in Christ we have been tempted, in him we overcame the devil. Do you think only of Christ’s temptations and fail to think of his victory? See yourself as tempted in him, and see yourself as victorious in him. He could have kept the devil from himself; but if he were not tempted he could not teach you how to triumph over temptation. (1st Sunday of Lent, Office)