Word of the Week

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Creation: Ktsis (Gk.): meaning “creation”, “creature”, “building”, or “ordinance”

“Creation is the foundation of "all God's saving plans, the"beginning of the history of salvation” that culminates in Christ. Conversely, the mystery of Christ casts conclusive light on the mystery of creation and reveals the end for which "in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gn.1:1): from the beginning, God envisaged the glory of the new creation in Christ” (CCC, 280). God sent his son into the world that we might receive the Spirit without measure (CCC, 504). Infused into our soul at Baptism, the gift of the Holy Spirit sanctifies and heals our soul. This sanctifying grace enables man to become a new creation and live with God in a “stable, supernatural disposition” (CCC, 1999-2000). A life in God is more readily able to serve God.

The aforementioned Greek can be found 19 times in the New Testament, with its most frequent translation of ‘creature’ occurring 11 times. Christ, who demonstrates his divine authority over all creation in the calming of the storm on the sea (cf. Mk.4:35-41; Lk.8:22-25; Mt.8:18, 23-27), calls us to live in his pre-eminent authority. Just not as creatures, but as creatures made new through his regenerative grace as children of God (1 Jn.3:1; 2 Cor.5:14; Gal. 6:15; cf. Col.1:15-20). In this new dispensation of grace, creation is being steadily renewed through man reaching the farthest regions of the world (Rom.8:19-25) (Hahn and Minch, 62).   

As a new creation in Christ, we have access into the divine wisdom that fashioned creation, and by indwelling with this insight, we can further discern the meaning of creation to further increase in faith. Moreover, just as revelation leads to faith, the natural leads to the supernatural, and it is our task to possess a deeper awareness of natural beauty so that there might be a deeper appreciation into the supernatural beauty of Truth.

Coming out of the Solemnities of Pentecost, the Most Holy Trinity, and Corpus Christi, the Church, in her wisdom, continues to refocus her energies on the gift of the Holy Spirit by providing readings that focus on our relationship with the Holy Spirit. As we begin this long stretch of Ordinary Time, it is appropriate to hone in on the meaning of our relationship with Christ and the role of the Holy Spirit in this relationship. In particular, as Counselor, where the Holy Spirit helps us to confront and overcome our fears in the face of rising squalls and storms of our earthly life so that we might rise up anew, changed by the grace of his countenance.

“The Spirit who “came upon Mary” is the same Spirit who hovered over the waters at the dawn of Creation. We are reminded that the Incarnation was a new creative act. When our Lord Jesus Christ was conceived in Mary’s virginal womb through the power of the Holy Spirit, God united himself with our created humanity, entering into a permanent new relationship with us and ushering in a new Creation.”

--Pope Benedict XVI

Primary Texts Consulted

•  Catholic Bible. Suggested trans. Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
•  Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition, 1997.
• Hahn, Scott and Minch, Curtis. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The First and Second   Letters of Paul to the Corinthinas. RSV, 2nd ed. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2004.

 

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