On 8 January, in the first general audience of 1986, the Holy Father began a new series of catecheses on the subject of creation.

1. In the inevitable and necess-ary reflection which men of every age have made about their life, two questions forcefully emerge, almost as an echo of the very voice of God: "From where do we come? Where are we going?" If the second ques-tion regards the final end, the de-finitive goal, the first refers to the origin of the world and of man, and is equally fundamental. For this reason we are rightly impressed by the extraordinary interest devoted to the problem of origins. It is not merely a question of knowing when and how the cosmos really began and man appeared but rather of discovering the meaning of such origin, whether it is presided over by chance, by blind destiny, or by a transcendent Being, intelligent and good, called God. In fact, evil exists in the world and those who experience it are drawn to ask what is its origin and who is responsible for it, and whether there is any hope of deliverance from it. “What is man that thou art mindful of him?” -asks the Psalmist, lost in admiration before the event of creation (Ps 8:5).

    2. The question about creation surfaces in the mind of everyone, of the simple and learned alike. It may be said that the roots of modern science are closely linked to the biblical truth about creation, even though the relationship be-tween the two has not always been harmonious. In our own day the mutual relationship between scien-tific and religious truth is better understood. In fact, many scientists have assumed an attitude of increas-ing respect for the Christian view of creation, while legitimately raising problems by no means slight, such as those regarding the evolution of living forms, of man in particular, or that concerning the immanent finality of the cosmos itself in coming into being. This is a field which allows for the possibility of fruitful dialogue concerning the dif-ferent ways of approaching the reality of the world and of the hu-man person sincerely recognized as different, though converging at the deepest level in favor of man who is unique, created—as stated on the first page of the Bible—in the "image of God" and therefore as the intelligent and wise master of the world (cf. Gen 1:27-28).

Creation, rebellion and promise

3. We Christians recognize with deep amazement, though with due critical approach, that all religions, from the most ancient which have now disappeared, to those existing today, seek an "answer to the pro-found mysteries of the human con-dition... What is man? What is the meaning and purpose of life? What is upright behaviour, and what is sinful? Where does suffering originate and what end does it serve?... From what do we take our origin, and what is the goal of our journey?" (Nostra Aetate, 1). Fol-lowing the Second Vatican Council in its Declaration on the relation of the Church to Non-Christian Re-ligions, we reaffirm that "the Cath-olic Church rejects nothing of what is true and holy in these religions", for "they often reflect a ray of that truth which enlightens all men" (Nostra Aetate, 2). On the other hand the Biblical-Christian view of the origins, of the cosmos and of history, of man in particular—and it had such an important influence on the spiritual, moral and cultural formation of entire peoples for more than twenty centuries—is so undeniably outstanding, inspiring and original, that to speak of it ex-plicitly, even if synthetically, is a duty which no pastor or catechist can omit.

    4. In truth, the Christian rev-elation manifests an extraordinary richness concerning the mystery of creation. This is a really moving and by no means indifferent sign of the affection of God who, precisely on the knotty problems of human existence, such as man's origin and his future destiny, provides a con-tinuous and consistent explanation, though in accordance with the variety of cultural expressions.

    Thus the Bible begins absolutely with a first, and then with a second account of creation, where the origin of all from God, of things, of life, of man (Gen 1-2), is interwoven with the other sad chapter about the origin, this time of man, not without temptation of the devil, of sin and of evil (Gen 3). But God does not abandon his creatures. And so a tiny flame of hope is lit towards a future of a new creation freed from evil (the so-called protoevangelium, Gen 3:15; cf. 9:13). These three threads, God's creative and positive action, man's rebellion, and, already from the beginning, God's promise of a new world, form the texture of the history of salvation, by de-termining the global content of the Christian faith in creation.

    5. While in the forthcoming cat-echeses on creation due place will be given to Scripture as an essential source, it will be my task to recall the great tradition of the Church, first with texts of the Councils and of the ordinary Magisterium, and also in the interesting and penetrat-ing reflections of so many theo-logians and Christian thinkers.

    As a journey comprising many stages, the catechesis on creation will deal especially with this marvel-ous fact as we profess it at the beginning of the Apostles' Creed: “I believe in God, Creator of heaven and earth". We shall reflect on the calling forth from nothingness of all created reality, admiring at the same time God's omnipotence and the joyous surprise of a contingent world which exists by virtue of such omnipotence. We shall recognize that creation is the loving work of the Blessed Trinity, and it is the revelation of its glory. This does not deny but rather affirms the legitimate autonomy of created things. To man, as the center of the cosmos, there is reserved a profound attention in his reality as the "image of God", of a spiritual and cor-poreal being, subject of knowledge and freedom. Other themes will help us further on to explore this formidable creative event, in par-ticular God's government of the world, his omniscience and provi-dence, and how in the light of God's faithful love the enigma of evil and suffering finds its satis-factory solution.

    6. After God told Job of his divine creative power (Job 38-41), the latter replied to the Lord and said: "I know that thou can do all things, and that no purpose of thine can be thwarted... I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see thee" (Job 42:2-5). May our reflection on the creation lead us to the discovery that, in the act of creating the world and man, God has provided the first universal testimony of his powerful love, the first prophecy of the history of our salvation.