Chapter 6 — "Man and Woman in the Beginning"

OPENING PRAYER

Susipe

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding
and my entire will.
All I have and call my own.

You have given all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it.

Everything is yours,
do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me.

St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556)


"THE CREATION OF MAN AND WOMAN, THE FALL AND THE PROMISE"
—CCC, Nos. 355–421
Do you see or experience the presence of God in others? What about in yourself?

God created humans in God’s image and likeness. We were created for friendship with God, to share in God's own life, and to live in harmony with one another and with all of God's creation. God's image is a dynamic source of inner, spiritual energy that draws our hearts and minds to the source of ultimate truth, love, goodness, and beauty—who is God. Created in God's image, we are all capable of self-knowledge, free will, uniting in communion with others, and called to share in God's life. We are also called to be God's stewards in the care of the earth and all of God’s creatures.

We were created as a unity of body and soul. Although our bodies develop through physical process, each person's soul is created directly by God at the time of our conception. Our soul is the source of our physical life, as well as the core of our spiritual powers of knowing and loving.

Humans—male and female—are equal as persons and in dignity. They are meant to complement one another as a communion of persons, most evident in marriage.

The first humans, who we call "Adam" and "Eve," were created by God in a state of original holiness and justice, called to live in accordance with God's plan for us. However, through their own free will, our first parents chose to follow their own desires, to become their own "gods" (Gn 3:5), instead of trusting in and following the will of God. Through the "Fall" of our first parents, sin entered the world, God's plan for creation was disrupted, and disharmony, suffering, death, and the inclination to sin ("concupiscence") became a part of the human experience. We call the Fall and its consequences "Original Sin."

God did not abandon us. Rather, God promised a savior to restore humanity to its original state of holiness and right relationship with God (Gn 3:15). That savior is our Lord Jesus Christ.

Please read this week USCCA,Chapter 6, "Man and Woman in the Beginning" (pages 65–75), the CCC, Nos. 355–421 (pages 91–105), and the Compendium, Nos. 66–78
VIDEOS
"Creation" (Bishop Robert Barron)

"The Fall" (Bishop Robert Barron)

"Original Sin" (Bishop Robert Barron)

"The Inheritance of Original Sin" (Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ, Ph.D.)

"The Fall"—CCC 385–421 (Fr. Daniel Mahan)
MUSIC

"Amazing Grace" (Judy Collins)

"Agnus Dei" ("Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty")(Michael Smith)

"He Knows My Name" (Maranatha Singers)
OTHER RESOURCES

"What is Prayer" (Bishop Don Hying)

"Celebrating the Lord's Day"
REFLECT ON YOUR EXPERIENCE

What prevents you from seeing or experiencing the image of God in each human person you meet?

What desires do you choose to pursue that causes disharmony in your life?
We encourage and invite you to  spend time to reflect, pray, and write in your journal about what you have read, seen, heard, or experienced this week.  You can find some other questions you may wish to consider here.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, in now, and ever shall be.
Amen.