On Creation

Photo taken at Mt. Pulag in 2015, back when I was into trekking and mountain climbing.  

ON CREATION

Last September 23, 2019, Fr. Arnel Aquino SJ presided over mass at Arvisu House – Jesuit Candidacy. He was also our guest for the Meet-the-Jesuits (MTJ) program after dinner, where Jesuit candidates and directees under the Jesuit Vocation Direction Program (VDP) listen to guest Jesuits talk about their own vocation stories, their ministry, and the sources of their consolations and desolations as they work their way through their vocations, their community, and their relationship with God.

Fr. Arnel’s talk during the MTJ session focused more on how music and his enduring religious songs spring forth as fruits of his prayer life. During the question-and-answer portion, a question was asked on how Fr. Arnel feels about his songs which are misappropriated: songs which are being used for purposes other than what it was originally composed for, and to a certain extent, songs that had been altered by those who are performing it.

Fr. Arnel’s response struck me, as he said that when a song gets released, it takes on a life of its own – that somehow its composer loses control over it, and the intended audience now exercises a freedom to do what it wills with the song. In this process, the audience who hears the song might interpret the song using his/her own context, which may be far different from the context under which the composer wrote the song’s lyrics and melody.

As someone who occasionally dabbles in creative pursuits – writing, photography, film making – Fr. Arnel’s words resonate with me in that the content I come up with (my creations, so to speak) indeed take on a life in its own when viewed by somebody else. For instance, a photograph of nature that is intended to inspire awe and marvel at God’s creation may trigger an awareness of sadness in someone who is going through a hard time. A poem written in submission to the pain of parting, may trigger anger in someone who had been left behind.

Indeed, we often view other people’s creations through the lens of our experiences, biases, and judgments – and so to a certain extent, a creator – a composer, a photographer, filmmaker, etc., must be ready to yield and surrender his work once he shares it with the world. He must be ready for the possibility that along the way, his creation takes on a life of its own in the audience, and that his intent and motivation in creating the work will get lost along the way. To me, this is a very real way through which a creator is able to share his love: both in the selfless sharing of a personal work to his audience, and the quiet acceptance of the fact that his work will mean something else to someone else.

And yet through the varying interpretations of the same body of work, one thing remains constant: that the creation will always be an offspring of the creator, born out of the abundance of the creator’s being. Any genuine creation of art comes out as an overflow of the creator’s experiences and emotions, poured out to the world by the creator’s ability to create and his capacity to be attuned to his context. The poet who wrenches our hearts with his beautiful choice of words must have undergone an experience of a love so beautiful, deep, and painful before he is able to create a poem that is able to articulate our experience of love. A composer who writes songs about God and his grace must have had a very deep relationship and experience of God nurtured in prayer before he is able to write down music and lyrics that have the ability to drive us to tears while lining up for communion.

This notion of the work of art springing from the core of its creator and being representative of what the creator is all about – his values, experiences, and his beliefs, takes on a far more significant meaning when we start viewing the creation story using this same framework.

It is a very consoling experience to think that all of us creations of God are a physical manifestation of the overflow of God’s immense being. The Catholic church teaches us that God creates by wisdom and love; that we are a deliberate product of God’s overflowing wisdom, goodness and compassion (CCC 295). Scripture likewise tells us that we have been created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 5:1).

Unfortunately, we live in an age that makes it hard to believe that there is sacredness in the human life that had been given to us, even by virtue of our creation in the image and likeness of God. We struggle with accepting the fact that our work is of value, and that we share with God the ability to co-create things that are good. We also fail to recognize the overflowing of God’s love for us: the kind of love that created us yet yields to our free will; the kind of love that moves God to surrender His vulnerability to us, even as we squander that love on the allure of fleeting and temporary joys that leave us even more parched than when we started the chase.

Nowadays, we live in a world of “content creators” and influencers who make it harder for us to see our worth as God’s beloved creations. They peddle manufactured truths and monetize on our devalued sense of self. They showcase to us how magnificent and fantastic their lives are, which leaves us insecure and unable to appreciate the goodness of God that is within each one of us. They use weaponized information that they try to shove down our throats to sell to us the idea that some lives (especially ours) are more valuable than others, and that those “worthless” lives do not deserve a second chance (think EJK - extra-judicial killings). 

But through all of it, I would like to believe that the invitation for us is to persist – in being aware of our own goodness, and in the goodness of others. We are all creations of God, after all. I would like to believe that the challenge for us in this day and age of social media influencers and content creators, is to continue seeing our value and worth with razor-sharp focus, amidst the constant reminders from our surroundings that what we have is not enough, and that we are never enough. Furthermore, I think that we are all being called to manifest God’s immensity – his wisdom, goodness, and compassion as we live our lives as His creations. Beyond that, it is likewise an invitation to journey with those who struggle to find their own worth in today’s society, amidst all the noise that prevent us from hearing and being attuned to the reality that we are God’s special creation.

  

PERSONAL PRAYER

Dear Lord, Creator of all things that are good –

I live at a time when it is very difficult to see and hear

The wisdom, goodness, and compassion in me that emanates from You.

I live at a time when my surroundings make it easy for me to forget

Just how much You love me, and how this love manifests in why You created me.

I live at a time that makes it easy for me to forget

That you love me so much that You gave me free will

Even if doing so will mean that You gave me the power to hurt you.

Teach me dear Lord, to never lose sight of your abundant love,

Teach me to never forget that You created me in your image and likeness.

Teach me to always use my free will to praise and glorify You instead of hurt You.

I beg for these humble petitions as your lowly creation, in the name of Jesus Christ your son, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives, reigns with you, forever and ever, Amen.

 GOD’S RESPONSE

My child, it is not by accident that I have created you. I have willed your being out of my wisdom, goodness, and compassion. Remain in me and be anchored in me always.

Know that my love cannot be outdone, but know as well that I take delight when you try to outdo my kindness as you love others, especially those who are difficult to love.

It is true that you have hurt me many times in the past. You sin with full knowledge that you are doing something wrong. You persist in chasing things that give you temporary gratification and push me away in the process.

But my love for you is far bigger than you can imagine. My mercy and compassion cannot be surpassed. My whole being always yearns to cover you with love and protect you from hurt – even if you often try to run away from me.

You tell me that you love me, and I know that you do. I know you better than you know yourself. I have created you, after all! Remain in me and be anchored in me always. That is all I ask from you, my beloved creation, my beloved child.