Evolving with the world

BECAUSE we are told through our first parents to “be

fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and

have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,

and over every living animal that moveth upon the earth,” (Gen 1,28)

the world cannot help but to evolve with us as the motor of such

evolution.

  

            Of course, we can only carry out that task with God,

following his will and ways, following his commandments. In other

words, we are made his stewards of the world he created for us. We

have a great responsibility over it.

            Obviously, the world has its inherent God-given law, its

God-given nature which we should respect and develop. What makes our

task more exciting and challenging is that our sins—starting with

those of our first parents down to those of us in the present—have

left their mark in the world and we also have to contend with the

effects and consequences of our sins, as we as its steward develop and

care for it.

            When we say that we have to evolve with the world, it

means that we ourselves have to evolve to adapt to the continuing and

changing challenges the world poses on us. We cannot remain in a

static way of handling the world, because the world is constantly

evolving. We have to try to dominate it rather than be dominated by

it. This is the constant challenge.

            To properly evolve with the world, we have to be truly

identified with God, its creator and provident keeper. Otherwise,

there’s no way but to be confused and to get lost. God in dealing with

the world goes all the way to “send his only-begotten son” so that we

do not perish but rather gain eternal life. (cfr Jn 3,16) Without him,

we cannot dominate the world but rather be dominated by it.

            God himself, in converting his eternal designs for the

world into time to accommodate our human condition, has to send his

son who became man. He completely adapted himself to the condition of

man, including assuming all the consequences of sin without committing

sin.

            This is how we also have to evolve and adapt to the world.

With Christ, we should be willing to go all the way to assuming the

ways of the world that are affected by our sins without committing

sin.

            That’s the ideal. The reality is that no matter how

careful we are in dealing with the world, we always manage to err and

fall into sin. And yet, as long as we return to Christ, quickly asking

for forgiveness and his grace, what may seem impossible for us to do

can become possible, what is broken is fixed. And we just have to

continue dominating the world even as we evolve with it, following

God’s will as best as we can.

            This can mean many things in practical terms. We have to

learn how to be faithful and consistent in following God’s will while

being dynamic, open-minded and versatile in dealing with the world.

            We should not run away from the challenges of the world,

but face them properly, with due preparation. We should be willing to

get dirty even as we try not to get dirty in what is important and

essential to us. And if we get dirty inside, that is, if we commit

sin, we can always find ways to clean up.

  

            The world has to be dealt with the way it is, warts and

all, and not the way we want it to be. With Christ, we can do all

things, bear all things, etc.