Sermonette: November 14, 2022

 Genesis 1:26-30; And he said: Let us make man to our image and likeness: and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature that moveth upon the earth. And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them.  And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth.  And God said: Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed upon the earth, and all trees that have in themselves seed of their own kind, to be your meat:  And to all beasts of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to all that move upon the earth, and wherein there is life, that they may have to feed upon. And it was so done.

 Deuteronomy 30:19; I call heaven and earth to witness this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Choose therefore life, that both thou and thy seed may live.

 Sirach 15:18; Before man is life and death, good and evil, that which he shall choose shall be given him.

 Galatians 5:13-15; For you, brethren, have been called unto liberty: only make not liberty an occasion to the flesh, but by charity of the spirit serve one another.  For all the law is fulfilled in one word: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  But if you bite and devour one another; take heed you be not consumed one of another.

 God created everything for man. He was to not abuse this privilege. He was to act as a good steward of all of the gifts God had given him for his benefit. He was to maintain a threefold loving relationship with God Himself, other human beings as part of the brotherhood of mankind, and all creation including animals and plants. God gave man free will to either embrace this call to harmony or reject it.

 A quick perusal of current newspaper headlines reveals that mankind at present has chosen death. Yes, the culture of death has taken hold of our world. Atheism (killing God), suicide (killing oneself), senseless murder, abortion, contraception, and war (killing other human beings) are subjects readily seen in our world today. These are in stark contrast to the culture of life themes highlighted earlier in the Scriptural passages taken from both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

 Despite mankind’s poor choices at present, we should never lose hope. With God’s grace, man can change. God has created the universe in a state of journeying toward an ultimate perfection that He alone knows is to be. This is what we refer to as Divine Providence. We are invited to participate with God in this process. God is never directly the cause of evil, but allows it only so that a greater good can result as part of this process.

 How we begin participating in this process is seeking peace. Actively living The St. Francis Prayer for Peace is a good start: Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console. To be understood as to understand. To be loved as to love with all my soul. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.