Images of God
Emerging - Evolving - Changing
The Way Things Were
 There is but one God who rewards the
good and punishes the wicked
 Commandments Precepts Mission
But Down on the Farm relationship to
LAND
Secondary Education and Beyond
Catechism
Bible History
Proofs of Existence of God Apologetics
Vocation Talk
Maths Science Literature Widened the
Horizons
Towards Marriage
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Catholic action emerged as a challenge
For me YCW and Newman residency with the Jesuits
For Joan NCGM, the Grail and Sydney University
The Cana conferences
Fulton Sheen: Three to Get Married
The Reality of Marriage
Soon realised how underprepared we were for
marriage
Parish Priest had monthly talks for men and separate
monthly talks for women
Nothing about Marriage. Safe questions
Equipes Notre Dame -Team 7
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Free to share our everyday and deeper experiences
Formation, obligations etc and the French system
7 couples and 35 children at one stage
Chaos and peace, joys and worries
Struggling to find God in all of this
Hope emerges, and Easter Joy
Vatican 2 – Paradigm Shift
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Conscience
People of God
Lay Apostolate
Ecumenism
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Liturgy
Unconditional Love
Bible
Evolutionary Vision
Ignatian Spirituality
The Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius
Leading to reflections on the Cosmos and
Evolution
The First Revelation of God
Timeline
Years Ago
Event
13,700,000,000
The big bang
5,600,000,000
Solar System
5,000,000
Primates, apes appear
200,000
Homo Sapiens
10,000
Modern World appears
2,000
Jesus born
500
Galileo
150
Darwin
100
Einstein
80
Hubble Telescope
36
Voyager 1
Images of God That Flow from this
Contemplation (1)
God Living and Working
• In matter, in the elements
• In plants giving them life
• Animals giving them consciousness
• In humankind, giving them intelligence, leading to
ability to self-reflect and aware.
Images of God That Flow from this
Contemplation (2)
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Presence
Nearness
Unconditional love grace and forgiveness
God in all things
Allowing God to find me
(Hound of heaven, Song of Songs)
Emergence for Life not Fall from
Grace (Kevin Treston)
Making sense of the Jesus story
In the light of evolution
Traditional vs Evolutionary
Interpretations (1)
Theological Theme
Traditional Interpretation
Evolutionary Interpret
Genesis Story
Fall from Grace
Emergence of
consciousness
God
Punishment
Divine Energy of Life
Human
Sinners
Graced Beings
Life
Making reparation
Exploring new horizons
Jesus
Rescuer
Icon of divinity/humanity
Mission
Saviour
Abundance of life
Focus
Suffering
Good News
Traditional vs Evolutionary
Interpretations (2)
Theological Themes
Traditional
Interpretation
Evolutionary
Interpretation
Death
Punishment
Transition to new life
Resurrection
Reward
New phase of being
Eucharist
Sacrifice
Celebration of
Community
Salvation
Attaining heaven
Becoming whole
World
Exile
Towards Justice
Creation
Backdrop to being
Christian
Active earth citizenship
Your Image of God
Life force Love Creator
Universe Compassion Power Source
Force Life-Giver Sustainer
Not a god of guilt and shame
Sexuality and Marriage
Related to Evolutionary timeline
Years Ago
Event
1,000,000,000
Sexual reproduction appears
1,000,000
Homo Erectus
100,000
Homo Sapiens evolving
1,000
Council of Florence regulates marriage
Now
Church losing control of marriage
Sexuality a Cosmic Role
The rules of nature have evolved over 1
billion years to guide us in the mastery of
that terrifying energy in which the power
of the Universe… passes through us.
-Teilhard.
Christian Marriage
Christian marriage is not best seen as a
structure imposed on the couple from above, as
though it were ‘made in heaven.’ More earthily
and experientially, it is a union inspired from
the evolutionary reality of creation.
-Tony Kelly
Marriage
Love is an adventure and a conquest
it survives and develops like the universe itself only by perpetual
discovery
Universal Challenge
How to receive Love and how to give
Love