In The Beginning by Joseph Ratzinger, Homily 1, Part 1

About 30 years ago now, the future Pope Benedict XVI wrote a very important book, a collection of 4 homilies given in Our Lady's Church in Munich, Germany on the meanings of the opening chapters of Genesis in light of the discoveries of science, & how we can reclaim our own Christian heritage in these words.

It is one of those books where, when you wish to highlight the important passages, you end up highlighting nearly every line. What follows is a kind of "book report," where I try bring out some of the key points. I have broken the 1st homily into 2 pieces.

This short book, authored by one of the world's great Scripture scholars, is not only profound exegetical search into the truths that God has inspired in the Genesis story, but also a great model of Catholic Scripture scholarship. It is a must read.


Homily 1, Part I

“In the beginning…” These opening words of the Scriptures are beautiful & profound, stirring in our hearts an awe of the mystery of creation & its Creator. Yet modern man has largely dismissed these words of Scripture as a myth or perhaps a fairy tale. Recent catechesis, too, has largely ignored or side-stepped the Church’s teaching of creation, overwhelmed & silenced by the alternative creation story proposed by modern science. The question arises: If we cannot accept the truth of the Scriptures regarding creation, then perhaps we cannot trust them regarding other articles of faith, even perhaps the Resurrection. Further, if Catholics disbelieve their own Scriptures, how can we expect others to be convinced of the Faith?

While Ratzinger affirms the Church's position that the message of the creation narrative is primarily a religious one not intended to give a scientific account of how the universe arose – a message that God created all that is out of His love for man, freeing him from the gods, demons, & other hostile powers that ruled ancient belief so that he may know & live toward God - he also says that is not enough; we must rediscover the truths in the text itself if we are to affirm our belief in creation &, further, the other articles of our Faith.

Following Dei Verbum, Ratzinger sees the unity of Scripture from beginning to end as the interpretive key. First, we must see that there are many other Old Testament texts that speak of creation: Job 38-39, Psalm 104, Isaiah 40, etc. Even chapter 2 of Genesis gives an alternative account of creation. Scholars now recognize that Chapter 1 of Genesis was not written first; in fact, it may have been written as late as the return from Exile in Babylon in 528 B.C. Understanding who wrote the creation account, when they wrote it, & under what circumstances helps us to grasp the literal meaning of the passage, that is, what the human author intended.

The Jews had lost their land, the people enslaved, & the Temple destroyed – all signs of the covenant between God & his people. God used these desperate circumstances of the Jews to begin a new revelation. The Jews in captivity would have witnessed the celebration of the Babylonian New Year, which recalled the victory of the god of light Marduk over the dragon of chaos Tiamat. Marduk would go on to build the cosmos of the dragon’s body & build man from the dragon’s blood. The Jewish scribes would reject this false, sinister picture of the nature of man & the universe & reaffirm in the Genesis text the origin of man & the cosmos in God’s acts of loving Reason. From here, God could reveal to the Jews something new: He was not just the God of the Hebrews, but of every people & nation.

Confucius says...

"I have no hopes of meeting a sage. I would be content if I met someone who is a gentleman.

I have no hopes of meeting a good man. I would be content if I met someone who has constancy.

It is hard for a man to have constancy who claims to have when he is wanting, to be full when he is empty and to be comfortable when he is in straitened circumstances."

- Book VII, 26.

And now a few words on "Active Participation"

"In order to join in Holy Communion rightly, you must give heed to several things:

In the beginning, and before the priest goes up to the Altar, make your preparation with his - placing yourself in God's Presence, confessing your unworthiness, and asking for forgiveness;

Until the Gospel, dwell upon the Coming and the Life of our Lord in this world;

From the Gospel to the end of the Creed, dwell upon our Dear Lord's teaching, and renew your resolution to live and die in the faith of the Holy Catholic Church;

From thence, fix you heart on the mysteries of the Word, and unite yourself to the Death and Passion of our Redeemer, now actually and essentially set forth in this Holy Sacrifice, which, together with the Priest and all the congregation, you offer to God the Father, to His Glory and your own salvation;

Up to the moment of communicating, offer all the longings and desires of your heart, above all desiring most earnestly to be united forever to our Saviour by His Eternal Love;

From the time of Communion to the end, thank His Gracious Majesty for His Incarnation, His Life, Death, Passion, and the Love which He set forth in this Holy Sacrifice, entreating through it His favor for yourself, your relations and friends, and the whole Church; and humbling yourself sincerely, devoutly receive the blessing which our Dear Lord give you through the channel of His Minister."

- St. Fracis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, Ch. XIV, 5.