Biblical revelation presents the central idea of creation in the very first line: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gn 1, 1). Holy Scripture begins with these solemn words (cf. CCC, 279). In those first words of Scripture, it is claimed that God gave origin to everything that exists outside of him. He alone is the creator. Everything that exists (expressed by the formula “heaven and earth” depend on the One who gives it being. The mentioned theme of creation often appears and again in the prophetic and sapiensal literature (Proverbs, Sir, Ecclesiastes), in Paul’s letters, and in the Gospels Finally, in the last biblical book, we find a hymn to the glory of the Creator: “You are worthy, our Lord, and God, to receive glory, honor, and power because you created things: by your will they were and are created” (Revelation 4, 11).
From the beginning, the Church confessed that everything was created by God. The faith in God who created all things, celebrated in this hymn, is already expressed in the first article of the Nicene Creed (DS, 125). With the development of the tradition of the Church, the revelation also became clear at the same time. The first lines of this confession: “I believe in one God, the almighty Father, Creator of heaven and earth, of the visible and invisible world…” are at the same time a prayer, praise, and confession of one of the central beliefs of the Church. The Nicene-Constantinople Creed is a heritage preserved by Christians of both the East and the West. Although not all Christian churches explicitly affirm this creed, belief in God as Creator is the starting point of faith for many Christians.
This truth about creation was formulated in the councils: the Fourth Lateran (1215) and the First Vatican (1869 – 1870). The revealed truth is that the whole world was created by God and that it was created “out of nothing.” According to the expression of the Magisterium of the Church, based on the statements of the Holy Scriptures and tradition, the words “heaven and earth” mean the sum and set of all things that exist outside of God, that is, all created things. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, this expression means: “All that exists, the whole of creation.” It also points to the connection that simultaneously connects and separates heaven and earth within creation…” (KKC, 326).
It is therefore an article of faith that God created all things from nothing without exception: small and large, spiritual and material, earthly and heavenly. The mentioned article is one of the most important truths, because the true relationship between the world and God depends on it, and thus also the correct concept of both the world and God. Holy Scripture and tradition constantly teach and extol this basic truth: The world was created for God’s glory (cf. CCC, 293). God did not create the world out of anything because he needed our praise to multiply his glory, but out of pure goodness to bestow upon us the splendor of his eternal happiness. This is how the Catechism of the Catholic Church defines it: “The glory of God is that God manifests and bestows his goodness. For this the world was created…” (CCC, 294).
The world is not the product of simple chance, but an expression of freely given wisdom and love. “How many are your works, Lord! You did everything wisely. The earth is full of your creation” (Psalm 104, 24). We still assume the content of the psalmist’s confession. We assume that the world is governed by laws that we can examine. Our overall naturalistic picture of the world is built on this assumption. We can examine order, but no chance. This is a manifestation of organizing intelligence. Creation speaks of the wisdom of the Creator (cf. KCC, 295).
If someone came from Sirius or any other star and saw our earth, so green, blooming, inhabited by billions of living beings, he would say: Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to see all this!” Even without coming from far away stars – let’s get used to one thing: constantly saying to God: “Thank you” (A. Luciani: I believe). On the dome of the Vatican observatory, which stands on the terrace of the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, one can read with emotion the inscription: Deum Crematorium, venit Adoremusus – Let us worship God the Creator. Johann Wolfgang Goethe, the greatest German poet, said: “That something huge, personified, comes to meet us as God, Creator, and Sustainer, whom we are to worship and glorify.” “In all things seek God”, he advised as early as 16th century St. Ignatius of Loyola. And who obeys his advice,
It is no coincidence that the saints had a completely special relationship with creation. The most famous is St. Francis of Assisi. Only he who frees himself from himself begins to truly perceive creation (cf. KCC, 299). The Creator begins to speak to him in the language of his creation, and the praise of the Creator rises in his heart. Tormented by pain, almost blind, he prayed the Song of the Brother of the Sun in San Damiano (cf. KCC, 344). Suffering and the cross refined him so much that he saw the language of God’s love in all creation. We, too, can rejoice with him and praise him throughout our lives – as long as we live (cf. Z 104, 33
