Book of Genesis #1How did the Universe come to be and is there a contradiction between the Standard Cosmological Model and Scripture?In this lecture, we explore and explain the Big Bang based on the latest scientific research in this area. We present what science knows today and touch upon areas that remain unexplained or subject to further research.The Standard Cosmological model states that the Universe had a beginning some 13.75 billion years ago and that it is in an accelerating state of expansion today. The Big Bang provides us with a framework that models what happened between then and now and has proven to be a worthy replacement for the Newtonian model. This model is supported by empirical data gleaned from observatories working around the clock to map the skies most notably Hubble, from the Chandra X-ray observatory, and from numerous NASA missions. All in all, this is a model that has helped us understand and appreciate the incredible size complexity, and order of the Universe.This model requires esoteric matter be present such as the black holes and 'dark matter' which emits no light and cannot be observed and is at pains to explain and model the state of the universe before Plank's time, that is before 10-43 second (yep, that's a 0 followed by a decimal point followed by 42 zeros and then 1). Even though this infinitesimal period may seem insignificant, it plays a major role because before Plank's time the four forces of the universe were unified in an incredibly small, dense, and hot universe and the Big Bang alone does not have the expressive power to tell us what happened then.What is then the Big Bang and what do we know today about the Universe? This is the subject of this lecture.

The Book of Genesis #2Underpinning the Standard Cosmology Model is Einstein's Theory of Relativity. Often misunderstood and maligned by those who think that the purpose of this theory is to establish a foundation for moral relativism, the Theory of Relativity is a major achievement of mathematics and physics.In this lecture we begin with electricity and electromagnetism, show how they were understood to be one and the same force (the electromagnetic force), progress forward towards the study of light which stumped Poincaré and the other masters of the time, and then reach Einstein who succeeded in formulating his special theory of relativity by observing that unlike anything else in this universe the speed of light is an absolute constant (when light is traveling in the void of space).Since one cannot fix the speed of light and hope that time and space will remain constant, this observation led Einstein to inevitably conclude that time and space are not observed (experienced) in the same way by all observers because they do tend to expand or contract (at speeds approaching that of light).One thing was left to do: understand the relationship between gravity and light and bring them together into a unified set of equations. This is what he did in the general theory of relativity.This lecture then will lift the veil on this complex scientific problem and help us become more conversant with this subject so that we can begin to separate the science from the hype and recognize that the Theory of Relativity affirms rather than derogate from the fundamentals of our faith since it affirms the absolute universality of the speed of light which is not subject to the observer for it is fixed and constant across space and time.Photo by Blende57 from Essen, Germany - relativity theory, CC BY 2.0,

The Book of Genesis #3If there is anything in the domain of science that causes our heads to spin it is indeed Quantum Theory. While the Theory of Relativity is concerned with the grander things in the Universe, Quantum Theory tries to make sense of the behavior of the littlest things in our world: the atomic sub-structure that composes the physical world.One of the strangest tenets of Quantum Theory is the Incertitude Principle which states that it is impossible to determine the speed and the position of an electron at the same time. One can precisely compute the speed of an electron but then its exact location becomes uncertain. Likewise, one can precisely determine the location of an electron but then its speed becomes uncertain.There are other esoteric laws (at least to a layman) that deals with matter and anti-matter and the possibility for matter to spring out of 'nothingness' without anyone's intervention that are certainly head spinning and have also been exploited by scientists and non-scientists alike to draw far-ranging and often fanciful conclusions about the social order, the existence of God and the meaning of life. Often these well-meaning individuals tend to forget that the laws that govern the infinitesimally small may not apply to objects at a larger scale.The purpose of this lecture is to introduce Quantum Theory in as simple terms as the subject allows so that we may then begin to discern between the wheat and the chaff, between scientific statements that have validity within their own domain and fanciful extrapolations to theology that sow confusions and doubt. By the end of this lecture, the listener will recognize that Quantum Theory is another vista on the mystery of Creation, another icon of contemplation for the beauty of the Universe leading to a deeper appreciation of God as the creator of all there is.

Book of Genesis #4When Darwin put forth his theory of evolution he had an inkling that it may be found controversial. Little did he expect that his scientific studies would mushroom into a world-wide controversy pitting men of science and men of faith against each other.What is the theory of evolution? What does it actually teach and is it fundamentally opposed to a religious view of the world? In this study we spell out in simple terms what this theory is all about, we showcase its strength and its power to unify disparate scientific observations into a coherent whole that is the most powerful explanatory framework we have today to explain life on Earth.Next, we list nine challenges that this theory is facing as it progresses forward (and no, these challenges do not include irreducible complexity) so that by the end of this lecture, the listener will have a good grasp of the main tenets of this theory, why is it the best scientific theory we have today for explaining the emergence of life on Earth, and what are some of the inherent difficulties it is facing today.Ultimately, the goal of this lecture is to help Catholics understand that the theory of Evolution is not an attack on our faith, rather it is profoundly catholic in its makeup and upholds the working of providence and of grace in the world.

Book of Genesis #5Whether men of science ignored or neglected to control the pseudo-scientific statements in newspapers, magazines, radio, and TV or whether men of faith refused to dialog fruitfully with the Theory of Evolution, Darwin's Origin of Species ignited a controversy that has led to the creation of an alternate view of the world, known collectively as Creationism.If one were to search for Creationism on the internet, one would be greeted by swaths of pages full of invectives and derogatory comments by men and women who are content to belong to one of two camps: Evolutionists are adherents to the Theory of Evolution and Creationists are those who reject this view of the world and each camp accuses the other of ill-will ignorance and a host of other ill-conceived intentions.But what is Creationism in the first place?Simplistically, one would say that Creationism is the belief that God created the world and all life it harbors. From a theological point-of-view, no serious believer would have an issue with this statement since it is embedded in the Creed: I believe in God, the Maker, Creator of Heaven and Earth. This later expression Heaven and Earth is an ancient way of saying that God created the Universe and everything it contains. From a theological point-of-view, Catholics are creationists.Yet the question we face is not what creationism means from a theological point of view, rather what does it mean from a scientific point of view? Is there validity in considering creationism as a bona fide scientific theory?In this lecture, we go through the dozen or so variations on creationism, explain the (often contradictory) differences between them and explain why one would be hard-pressed to conceive of any of them as a worthy contender to the Theory of Evolution.Furthermore, we will explain that these theories present serious challenges to our faith and are not compatible with a Catholic view of the world by studying some of the significant challenges they pose to the faith.

Book of Genesis #6We begin our scriptural study of the Book of Genesis by taking a broad view of the purpose and content of this sacred book. Who was it written for? And for what purpose?After all, Genesis is not a compendium of divine activities that brought about the creation of the world and man nor is it an exhaustive account of all the truths that God wishes to convey to us, rather it is written to answer specific questions, much like the letters of St. Paul and understanding what these questions are is key to a proper comprehension of the book.Beyond the actual purpose, there is the broader question of methodology: how are we to interpret an ancient text whose context and culture have faded away and for which we have vague references? Colloquialism, hyperboles, metaphors, and other techniques of communications are part of Genesis as they part of any other text, and understanding the text in its original context conveys the literal meaning of the text; quite a different thing than the literalistic meaning -- the meaning derived from a one-to-one mapping of words to content. A simple example suffices to explain the difference: "Honey, you're so sweet." This expression that a mother may say to her daughter is a metonymy in which A the words "honey" and "sweet" do not mean the physical substance of honey of level of sucrose but indicate something about the character of the daughter. Likewise, "He's got bat ears" is a metalepsis --another figure of speech-- implies that the subject has very sharp (another metonymical device) hearing.We can figure out what is meant with these sentences from the current context and the ambient culture. Not so with ancient texts where the context has been lost and the culture is practically unknown. In these cases, we must proceed carefully lest we interpret literalistically a metaphor, simile, metonymy, or similar textual devices. To this end, we focus on the Four Senses of Scripture and we establish them as a foundation for our interpretation of the Book of Genesis.Next, we focus on the title of the book "Sepher Telodot" in Hebrew -- The Book of Generations and describe what this means. Also, we compare the Book of Genesis in its structure and content to Egyptian mythology and the Babylonian Enuma Elish, the creation-myth to better understand how Genesis can be considered an Apologia -- a defense of the faith -- against these myths.

Book of Genesis #7What is then the theological and moral purpose of the account of Creation? In this lecture we focus on the initial three days, that is from verses one through thirteen of the first chapter of Genesis.HighlightsWhat does "In the Beginning mean"? Is it a chronological reference? Is it something else? And why begin with an account of creation instead of starting off with the establishment of the Temple which was far more important for Jewish life than the account of creation ever was? What led the Narrator to begin this way?Curiously, the account starts with the Earth being void and chaotic. From the literal meaning, we infer that the Narrator is not recording a step-by-step detailed account of the act of creation, rather he chooses specific actions of relevance to his immediate audience and through the workings of the Holy Spirit is also supremely relevant for us.Why is it important that "there be light"? This answer may seem obvious until we realize that most answers we may advance are homo-centric. The question, therefore, is not why man considers light important rather why is it that the first divine utterance recorded by the Narrator is this one.Why does Scripture indicate that "the Light was good?" And why does it also speak of the separation of light from darkness?These considerations (and others not mentioned here) are addressed in this lecture.

Book of Genesis #8Why does the Narrator prescinds from the natural order and recounts the creation of the sun, moon, and stars after the creation of the vegetative life on Earth? Is it because there is a lack of true understanding of the created order or could there be a deeper more cogent reason for this inversion?In this lecture, we focus on days four, five, and six during which we see the creation of the vegetative life, the heavenly objects, the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, the domesticated animals, creeping thing, and wild animals; in sum, the whole of Universe is complete except for man.As with the rest of our study, we find that to properly understand the meaning of the text we need to focus on the context. The Jews were living in Babylon and were confronted with a powerful culture centered on an omnipresent mythological system that described in detail the creation of the world and the present order.The creation of the universe is then cast as a silent polemic against the prevailing view and rejects the pantheistic, animist view of the world that was shared by all cultures surrounding the people of God. As we move forward in this study it becomes more and more evident that the book of Genesis is the single most important event of antiquity for it presents a rational view of the world that strips it from all shadows of superstition and fills it instead with the glory of God.

Book of Genesis #9Verses 26 and 27 of the first chapter of Genesis read as follows:26. Then God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. 27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.And these two verses are the subject of this lecture.What does it mean to be created in the image of God? Why was the word image chosen to convey the mystery of Man? All commentators point out that the word image is repeated four times in these verses and four is symbolic in Scripture for universality, the whole world so then it follows that the author wants us to understand that all of humanity is compassed by this act of creation, that all men share a common universal nature since they are all a reflection of the Divine.Still, what does it mean to be created in the image of God? In this series we explore this idea and reflect on the relationship of man and God; a relationship that governs our lives and can lead us to everlasting happiness or everlasting damnation. Needless to say, this relationship is the foundation and cornerstone of all that we are and all that we are meant to be.

Book of Genesis #10Photo by Davide Cantelli on UnsplashVerse 28 of the first chapter of Genesis begins with these words: "And God blessed them..."What does it mean for God to bless? Especially when God's creation was certified by him as good and the creation of man as very good. If this is so, what does a blessing confer beyond this initial goodness?To fully understand the purpose of a blessing, we need to consider curses for that is what God does later on when Adam and Eve disobeys. Blessings and curses are fundamental to the covenant that God establishes with them and this lecture then focuses on the establishment of this covenant and its ramification.Closely associated with the notion of a blessing is that of dominion over the rest of the created world. Man (as the generic expression for man and woman) is seen as the summit of creation in the spiritual order and to them is given dominion over the world. But why does God do that? What is the purpose of it all if He already knows what they are about to do shortly? How could He say that creation is very good if it seems to be fundamentally flawed since Adam and Eve will disobey?

Book of Genesis #11Verses 1 through 14 of Chapter 2 recounts the creation of Eden. They provide a second account of the creation of man and describe his initial dwelling: the Garden of Eden.Two popular misconceptions need to be cleared: 'Eden' is not the name of the Garden; rather it is the name of a location where the garden was situated and secondly, the tree of knowledge of good and evil is not an apple tree and Eve did not eat an apple (granny smith? Red delicious?) and gave one to Adam to eat.The first obvious question we need to deal with is this: why a second account? A popular theory states that the first and second accounts were written by different authors (the Yahwist and the Elohist) due to the fact that the word 'Lord' in the original is YHWY in one text and Elohim in the other; a hypothesis that may or may not hold true. What is apparent is that the order of these accounts is significant and that the Narrator who wrote or combined both accounts in this fashion did so because he was inspired by a unified vision. These passages do not repeat each other, rather they reveal important truths about human nature.A second important element of this text is the four rivers. Four, as we indicated elsewhere is symbolic for universality, completeness and while the geographic location of these rivers is somewhat important, what is fundamental is the idea that the garden is the center of life and that life flows from the garden outward and nourishes the world. This image is found in the vision of Ezekiel and ultimately is fully realized by the Cross and by the Catholic Church.

Book of Genesis #12Verses 15 through 24 of Chapter 2 provides us with a second account of the creation of man and woman; an account focusing on relationships and intimacy.Throughout these verses, God's solicitude toward man is marvelous especially when one considers the manner in which the gods are said to treat man in the Babylonian, Greek, Egyptian, Phoenician, and Roman mythologies. Here, we see the love of a Father toward his child rather than the love of a Creator toward his creature.Equally deafening is the silence of Adam.Why is it that God says "it is not good that man be alone"? Is it that God recognizes that He made a mistake in the creation and that the world after all was not as good as He affirmed to be? Could it be that Adam's silence holds the key to this apparent contradiction?Even more surprising is the fact that God does not create Eve right away; rather he brings all the animals to Adam first and waits to see what Adam would do. Is God misguided? Is He at a loss?Is Adam's silence the key that could explain these strange verses?When Adam sees Eve he exclaims "at last this one is flesh from my flesh, bones of my bones," which is definitely a very good thing to say but, once more, what is it that he does not say? What is it that should have been said and was not said?Is Adam's silence the key to the whole passage?

Book of Genesis #13The Fall remains a mystery.The account of the fall given in verses 3:1 through 3:7 is terse and to the point, yet it is deep in meaning and needs to be studied carefully.Adam and Eve were two perfect beings who were given the opportunity to live forever in the strength of their youth without sickness, toil, or sweat. They had everything they needed to be happy. Why then did these two beings, superior in intellect, beauty, and strength, lose it all by stealing what God wanted to give them?On the one hand, one must come to terms with the power of the enemy for the devil is like a lion prowling about seeking whom he may devour as St. Peter warns us and most of us underestimate the angelic power whose nature is vastly different from ours.The devil is pure evil; something we cannot understand for none of us in the natural order has the intellectual capacity to fully comprehend extremes but we can all understand that he hates us and wants us damned.On the other hand, we tend to overestimate the devil's responsibility and exonerate Adam and Eve. Another common error is to lay the blame squarely on Eve's shoulder and declare Adam innocent from the guilt. Nothing could be further from the truth.This lecture takes us to the heart of the matter. We study the fall carefully, slowly, methodically to understand what took place and most importantly to realize that we are all in danger of committing the same sin that Adam and Eve committed. This in turn should increase our deep gratitude for the Lord Jesus Christ whose Grace overcomes our sin and strengthens our weaknesses and allows us -- if we choose so -- to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect.

Book of Genesis #14What a pitiful sight this must have been: the man and the woman hiding away from God.The remainder of Chapter 3 from verses 8 through 24 presents us with a pathetic spectacle: Adam and Eve whose intelligence is dulled, whose passions have become unbridled, whose strength is waning, and whose mind is confused attempt to hide from God.Yet the text grows strange when we hear God asking "Where are you?" Could it be that God does not know where they are and cannot see them?Likewise, God asks them a series of questions that He should know the answers for. If He knows why is He asking? And if He asks does it mean that He does not know?This apparent conundrum reminds me of the nonetheless apparent paradox: Can God creates a rock so heavy that He cannot lift? If we answer 'yes', then this implies that God cannot lift the rock which contradicts his omnipotence. If we answer 'no' then God cannot create that rock and again his omnipotence is in question.The answer is that God cannot do everything: God cannot sin and God cannot perform a self-contradictory act since it is against the truth. So then since God knows all things, and He knows the answers to the questions He addresses to Adam and Eve, why does He bother posing them?Is He toying with them?Obviously not.Then what is it? What is God up to here and what is the meaning of this text? Furthermore, does the curses that God proclaims applicable to Adam and Eve only, or do they concern us as well?

Book of Genesis #15Adam and Eve have been sent away from the Garden.The Cherubim and the Sword guard the gates so that they can never come back.Chapter 4 is the unfolding of the human drama as a consequence of original sin. It is also the demonstration that original sin affects us all and that nothing can take it away except the Lord Jesus.In this lecture, we begin our study of this very important and rich chapter with a contemplative view. We walk slowly through its pages and observe Cain and Abel offer sacrifice, the murder of Abel by Cain, and the development of the Cainite civilization. We see the birth of Seth and his son Enosh.Consider what this must have meant for Adam and Eve. Consider them hopeless to stop their older son from murdering his brother. We hear the voice of Eve for the last time in Scripture while once more the silence of Adam is deafening.The Kingdom of Jesus Christ extends to the whole of Earth and this means that every family falls under the same covenant established with Adam and Eve with its accompanying blessing: Be fruitful and multiply and its curse: curse be the ground ... You are dust and to dust you shall return.What is the effect of contraception on the family?Is Respect due to the father a right or a privilege?Could it be that the breakdown in the family that we witness today is modeled after the breakdown of Adam's family as seen in this chapter?

Book of Genesis #16How do we explain the murder of Abel by Cain?Did Cain truly kill his brother because his sacrifice was not accepted and Abel's sacrifice was accepted?Certainly, this event was the catalyst that led Cain to kill but if we stop there we run the risk of not understanding Cain's motives and when we do not understand someone's motives, we can easily conclude that whatever caused him to act as he did does not concern us; we will not do as he did.While murder is -- thank God -- far away from our daily lives other mortal sins can be closer: gluttony and lust are all too common and so is the root of all evil: pride. While they may not compare to murder, nevertheless they can land us in Hell if we die unrepentant. Therefore, whenever we encounter a sin we do not understand it is time to roll up our sleeves and study deeper and longer in order to receive the graces that God has reserved for us in Scripture.Here we take a critical detour via the theory of mimesis that Rene Girard has developed and which helps us to unlock this difficult chapter and provide a rich and insightful explanation to seemingly strange utterance by God such as when he puts a mark on Cain's forehead after exiling him so that he may be protected. Why does God protect Cain when he clearly deserves to die for killing his brother? What is the purpose of this mark and why does God declare that anyone who kills Cain will face a sevenfold vengeance?Rene Girard expounded his theory in a series of books culminating in his most important work things hidden since the foundation of time. This lecture provides an overview of his theory, explains why it is important, and shows how illuminating it can be when applied to Scripture. Using it we get to discern Cain's motive and understand what led him to kill his brother.

Book of Genesis #17Beginning with verse 17 and covering the rest of Chapter 4 is the civilization that issues forth from Cain. One of the key rules derived from the principle of mimetic violence may be stated as follows: Every empire is built upon a tomb.Bishop Sheen who was aware of this principle puts it this way: "every civilization is built upon a tomb except the Catholic Church which is built upon an empty tomb."Cain being exiled and obliged to live under a second curse ("And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand"), determines that the best thing to do would be to erect a city. Thus, the city is seen as a means of survival away from Eden and in conditions where the soil is incapable of producing what is required for man's need.This view of the technological advancement of man permeates the accounts of the Cainite civilization. The Sacred Author narrates their achievement and their lineage but does not state their age or the time of their death. As with the rest of Genesis, the context determines the original meaning and the silent polemic with the Babylonian culture is visible here as much as everywhere else.The names mentioned in this passage are not mentioned again in the Old Testament or the new with the exception of the first letter of St. John chapter 3 verse 12 and the letter of St. Jude chapter 1 verse 11. It is as if the entire civilization passes away into oblivion leaving not a trace.Could this be a pattern that may be applicable to our time? Could it be that a civilization obstinate in flaunting God's law and his patience will also pass into oblivion leaving behind it a faint echo of the height of power and might it had once achieved?This is the crux of the matter, the core of this lecture.

Book of Genesis # 18This lecture covers Chapter 5 of the Book of Genesis describing the line of Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve mentioned by name. This line is the righteous line from which the Savior will one day be born.Its proximate importance stems from the contrast the ten names mentioned here offer with the descendants of Cain. The line of Cain makes mention of profession and technology whereas the line of Seth mentions age and length of life. The line of Cain centers around power, might, and revenge, that of Seth around man's weakness and calling upon the name of the Lord. It is this line that leads to Noah, the one with whom God will renew the Covenant and who will evade the devastating flood.This account is written against a Babylonian mythological background that retells the feat of ten kings, the last of which is also a hero of the flood. That similar accounts of the flood are shared by neighboring nations should not come as a surprise for a catastrophic event of a magnitude comparable to the first or second world war would have been long remembered and thus passed on in a variety of forms. This is therefore not surprising. Nevertheless, the account in Scripture has traits so utterly unique that lead us to ask the question why? What was it that provided the narrator of Genesis an intuition that none of his contemporaries had? This question and others like it impress upon the mind of the attentive reader that the Book of Genesis is indeed a unique masterpiece of antiquity written by an author who transcended his time and had left us an incredible legacy and those of us who have a deep abiding faith and some familiarity with the Presence of God have come to know that this is indeed the work of the Holy Spirit.

Book of Genesis #19This study gives an overview of the entire flood drama and focuses on Chapter 6 verses 1 through 9. Chapters 6 through 9 describe a ten parts drama seen from God's vantage point; all covenantal related: It is apocalyptic in nature even though this is not apparent.The Trigger: verses 1-2The First Proclamation: verse 3The Confirmation in Sin: Verses 4 - 5The Second Proclamation: Verses 6 - 7The Remnants: Verse 8-9The Revelation of God's Plan 11 - 22The Covenantal Execution: Chapter 7The Covenantal Renewal: Chapter 8The Covenantal Blessing: Chapter 9Its main purpose is to serve as a pattern for God's interaction with man. It succinctly describes God's perennial attitude toward mankind and His constant care for His Church throughout the ages. The drama that unfolds before our eyes in these chapters helps us understand God's providence that operates across the ages to bring about the salvation of souls for the greater glory of God.

Book of Genesis #20In this study, we focus on select parts of chapter 7 through the beginning of chapter 9 and we consider the following questions:Was the deluge a historical phenomenon?If indeed the flood is historical, did it cover the entire Earth? We consider two options: The geographical universality of the flood and the Anthropological universality of the flood.Next, we focus on the arc, its meaning, and its symbolic import. The Fathers have always seen in the arc a symbol of the Church (Anagogical meaning of scripture? (See the Four Senses of Scripture) and have derived from that study the necessity of the Catholic Church for the salvation of man.We then take on the meaning of the '40' days of rain (Why 40?), the difficulty with the clean and unclean animals in Chapter 7 verses 2 and 3 that seem to contradict the general statement about two pairs of animals in Chapter 6 and explain the meaning of the raven, the dove, the olive branch and the sacrifice that Noah offered once he reaches dry land.Lastly, we cover the covenant that God establishes with Noah and point out how man is now allowed to eat meat (whereas before he was not) as a recompense for the work that Noah and his family performed on the ark. We explain why man is not permitted to eat any animal with its blood and point out the fundamental link between this passage and John chapter 6 where Jesus insists that man eats his blood and drink his blood. How could Jesus ask us to drink his blood if the Covenant with Noah explicitly forbids it? The answer is both profound and surprising.Lastly, we explain how the covenant with Noah establishes a biblical basis for capital punishment and discuss how the constant view of the Catholic Church on the issue of capital punishment differs from the current penal code in the United States.