Creation and The Fall and What Do We Do Now?

 Catholics believe that there is an extraordinary work continuing around us.  Creation is not a one shot deal.  It is continuous and sustained by a Creator.  We are the creatures.  

Scripture begins with this work and the first chapter of Genesis presents this work as a kind of temple where humans dwell with God.  We worship God within this temple, we were created in the image of the Creator in order to rule and care for the temple.  Our role was and continues to be a priestly role.  Our job is to maintain creation as a sacred space and to worship the Creator.

The Fall was, essentially, our rejection of the priestly role, of our own destiny and we have been struggling to define ourselves since that fateful decision, the Sin of Adam.  The choices made by our first parents reverberate down through the ages and we can see the results today.  Our own actions, our own fears, the state of the world and our refusal to embrace our true natures keep the happiness we seek just out of our reach.

So what do we do now?

I believe one of the most difficult truths to swallow is how I can become a slave to my own disordered desires.  We live in a world that tells us our desires, all of our desires, are okay simply because of their existence.  The intensity of desires is what gives them credence.  If we really REALLY want something, or FEEL a certain way then there must be some sort of good behind those feelings or wants.  God forbid we ever say to ourselves that wanting something that may adversely impact our lives might need to be resisted - heroically, perhaps but resisted nevertheless.   And if we actually consider whether or not a desire or want could adversely impact those around us we must be wrong - we are probably co-dependent and not living our truth.  

If I tell you that my life and its trauma began to heal once I became determined to discover my true self, I am telling you the truth.  However, if I tell you that my discovery lead me to the fact that I am a creature and that the greatest gift I can give to myself  is to deliberately and intentionally offer me back to the Creator, then I am being holier than thou, unrealistic and a religious fanatic.

I often am asked what the hardest thing to do is and I answer, "acknowledge who and what I am".  Once I know myself, I can be true to that but if 'to thine own self be true' translates into 'do whatever you want even if it means everyone around you is hurt by your actions' then something is wrong.  

Look, becoming my true self upset some people because they did not understand it.  However, becoming my true self has never damaged people, never made them question their own identity or otherwise meant treating them with disrespect.  Upsetting someone, making them angry because I am no longer the person they want me to be is a far cry from causing them damage.  I don't get to recover from my trauma by causing them trauma.  

It's a dance.  It's a dance that has steps and music and choreography.  It is a dance that is difficult but it can be learned.  I may step on some toes and I may sometimes be off beat but I can dance in harmony with my Creator.

Today I offer myself to my Creator as an act of sacrificial love.  I am willing to do for my Creator what was done for me - love and respect and honor and sacrifice.

I am willing to serve the temple.