In the Beginning by Joseph Ratzinger - Homily 3, Part 2

Jesus Christ is origin, end, & reference point of all things, especially for Christians wishing to understand the Scriptures. Cardinal Ratzinger reminds us that, “only in the New is the deepest meaning of the Old to be found (p.49).” When read this way, we see that Christ, the new Adam, shows us the real & complete meaning of what human beings are meant to be in the plan of God: not only the highest created beings, but when related to Christ as brother - as first Adam to second Adam - we can come to relation & communion with God himself. Thus, we are not just another creature in creation, but transitional beings destined to become what we are not yet. Of this, Ratzinger says, “Human persons are not to be understood merely from the perspective of their past histories or from that isolated moment that we refer to as the present. They are oriented toward their future… We must always see in other human beings persons with whom we shall one day share God’s joy… members of the Body of Christ… children of God (p.49).”

In recent times, there has arisen a perceived ideological conflict between faith & reason, which often manifests itself in a debate between Creation & Evolution. Ratzinger says these are actually two complimentary terms that respond to different aspects of reality: “The story of the dust of the earth & the breath of God… does not in fact explain how human persons came to be but rather what they are (p.50).” The Genesis accounts of creation describe our inmost origin, the “project” that we are. Evolution, in the sense of a scientific theory, seeks to understand & describe the biological development of all life & of man. What it cannot explain the “whys” of man’s existence: why is man what he is, for what is he made, where is he going?

As scientists continue to make amazing discoveries into the “mechanisms” of life, they find a natural parallel between organisms & machines: “a thoughtful & considered plan, which is itself coherent & logical (p.54).” However, there are some significant differences. Ratzinger notes that machines are quite dull compared to the boundless creativity of life itself. Organisms move from within, whereas machines require an outside operator. Further, life reproduces itself, bringing about another like itself, & continuing its “project.” This brings us to the ideas of coming to be, perishing, & stability. In the past, the universe was understood as having been put in place in an instant basically in the form we see it now, much as the literal creationists do. While the Church once held this position, too, we can now see the universe & things in it as mutable: changing, growing, “becoming.” The catechism takes up this language when it speaks of creation as unfinished & in a state of journeying. However, the materialistic atheist is forced into to an awkward position; for instead of a personal Creator, he has only random chance to point to as the cause of things.

As the modern sciences initially developed, , many scientists felt that all things operated according to a fixed set of rules, like a grand, cosmic clock whose interactions & outcomes were assured; a universe with a comfortable predictability & permanency. Now, in the era of quantum physics & dark energy, the universe seems “messier” & more unfathomable. Few things have a shorter half-life than the latest scientific theory. Even the atheist must admit to an element of chance in the universe, an unpredictable & uncontrollable element which the Christian understands simply as freedom. Ratzinger quotes James Monad, a scientist who notes that life itself is mathematically improbable in the extreme, but then notes that our very existence must mean that we have hit the cosmic jackpot.

Yet, in this cauldron of action & reaction, Monad realizes something unexpected & important: “there is not only becoming, whereby everything is in constant change, but also permanency (p.55).” Monad notes that life is conservative - it reproduces itself exactly. While the universe is in a constant state of change, the opposite is true for life; it is largely unchanging. Still, he believes life does evolve in the form of errors in the transmission of itself, errors which are preserved & accumulated & give rise to new things. Monad summarizes his position as, “We are product of haphazard mistakes.”

Ratzinger responds, “What response shall we make to this view? It is the affair of the natural sciences to explain how the tree of life in particular continues to grow & how new branches shoot out from it. This is not a matter for faith. But we must have the audacity to say that the great projects of the living creation are not the products of chance & error (p.56).” Because creation is reasonable & intelligent, we must recognize the divine Reason & Intelligence behind it. Science itself seems to reveal this Reason with every new discovery. “Human beings are not a mistake but something willed; they are the fruit of love… Yes, Father, you have willed me (p.57).”

And so we return to Jesus Christ. As man ponders who he is, what he was made for, & what is his destiny, he can find the answer not in random chance or error, but in the divine Son of God who become man & revealed the truth of humanity to itself. Christ is the man in whom we can recognize the fullness of God’s project, for ourselves & the whole world. In his humiliation, we can see how tragic human life can be, wracked with hate & sin (the topic of the 4th homily). But in his suffering love, we can see God’s response. At the end of his third homily Cardinal Ratzinger concludes, “[Jesus Christ] is the man who is loved by God to the very dust (p.58).”