Lesson 3 Covenant with Creation
31 July 2021

Since the formulation of the question(s) was so long, I wasn't able to quickly understand it in its entirety (my apologies). Now I realize that you were referring to one of the footnotes in Scott Hahn's book; kudos for reading even the long footnotes. ;)

As for the question regarding the Commission and its members, you can also find it in one of the previous footnotes, so let me just quote: "Founded in the last century by Pope Leo XIII, the Pontifical Biblical Commission was originally made up of cardinals, to serve as an organ of the Magisterium. Then in 1971 it was “demoted” to a mere advisory body of exegetes under the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Decrees issued by the Commission prior to 1971 were issued as authoritative norms and binding guidelines for Catholic exegetes, though not strictly or necessarily infallible per se. For a strong affirmation of the original Commission’s authority, see Pope St. Pius X, “Praestantia Sacrae Scripturae” (Rome and the Study of Scripture, 40–42)."

As for the responsum of the commission you asked about: for those who might not have a copy of the book, I added the excerpt (also including the citation above) in a file you can consult as part of the auxiliary material for this lesson.

Their statements are based on both exegetical and theological reflection and study, considering the unity of Scripture and Tradition, through which divine revelation is transmitted to us.

And part of what the responsum tries to say is that figurative language in the early accounts of Genesis do refer to historical realities. As Matthew Leonard would also say (I think in the next video) when he refers to the account of the fall (which could also be applicable to the creation accounts): that it's "more like a piece of poetry than a journalistic report. It tells the story of the fall like a work of art tells a story, not like a documentary tells a story."

So figurative or symbolic language does not necessarily imply fiction. What the early accounts in Genesis try to convey are historical truths, through symbolic language. As Matthew Leonard explained it in the video, putting it in the proper context of our study: "What (the Church) does require us to believe is that God created the world and our first parents. In other words, we must believe that God is the original cause of everything. Genesis was written to tell us what God created and why he created it, not how he created it. Basically, the creation account in Genesis shows us that the world didn't just happen. Creation was God's purposeful act of love. And that's what we want to focus on here."

Yes, that great dignity was God's plan for man even from the start. However, as we'll learn in the next lesson, all of that resulted in a broken state with original sin.

But in the fulness of time, what we have with Christ is something much more. The life of grace is not only restored, but through Christ the baptized now share in the intimate life of the Blessed Trinity, because as St. Paul explains, for example:

“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Cor 1:9)

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (2 Cor 13:14)

“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Gal 3:27)

“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Rom 6:3–4)

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2:20)

It still remains that the entire human race stems from our first parents. They gave to all of us what they themselves had: that same dignity of being created in the image and likeness of God; but as we will see in the next lesson, the human nature that is transmitted to all human beings would be in a broken state due to original sin. But on the positive flip-side: because of that, all humanity is also called to salvation in Christ. “If, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” (Rom 5:17)

I suppose this was made as a rhetorical comment. But nevertheless, I'd just like to comment that yes, realizations like this would help us realize that the statement "man evolved from monkeys" is too simplistic.

What is more importantly characteristic of man is the spiritual and immortal soul, which is not a product of biology or evolution, but comes directly from God. For further reading on this, cf. CCC 356-368.

That is an essential mission for all of us today. It is part of the great 'battle of formation' so that fatherhood --and family, altogether-- is shown its great dignity, responsibility and mission.

At the bottom line it is sin and its consequences that have caused some fathers to unfortunately give a distorted image of what it is to be a father of a family, and how that also affects seeing God as Father.

But on the other hand, we also have God's grace and the Church's guidance, with the constant help of the Holy Spirit, to be able to be part of the solution.

One of the essential starting points to remedy this complex situation is helping people to know and live the human virtues well. This would be for everyone, because we are all in this together, not just fathers and future fathers. Living the virtues is part of our path to holiness, as a virtuous life would help us correspond more and better to supernatural grace, and help families be more united and work together in the face of life's challenges.

Thank God there are already some good initiatives out there, spearheaded by parents themselves; in the Philippines we have, for example, PAREF, Educhild (and, e.g., one of its initiatives). In the US there's Family Enrichment USA; or something more international, the IFFD (International Federation for Family Development).

And if you don't mind me suggesting some more reading material:

A Year for Appreciating and Strengthening the Family
Virtues
Family and Children
Video Series on Family and Parenting
Love and Relationships

And as we are also in the year of St. Joseph, Pope Francis' recent Apostolic Letter Patris Corde ("with a father's heart") could also help us reflect on those characteristics of St. Joseph's fatherly heart that fathers (and future fathers) all over the world can reflect on and learn from, through the intercession of St. Joseph.

Yes, that is a good understanding of it. When we think of 'creation', at times we don't realize that we ourselves are part of it. It'd be tough to establish a personal, covenantal relationship with inanimate things, so that leads us to think that God made a covenant with all creation especially because man is there as its steward, head and representative: "God created everything for man, but man in turn was created to serve and love God and to offer all creation back to him..." (CCC 358). The "Canticle of the Sun" of St. Francis of Assisi is a beautiful expression of this.

And the "prayer of the three youths" in Daniel 3:52-90 also speak of creation's 'task' to praise the Lord: "Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever ... you heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever ... Let the earth bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever ... You sea monsters and all water creatures, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. All you birds of the air, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. ..."

We've also read in Romans 8:19-23 how the destiny of creation is intimately linked to the destiny of man.