…man…is not creation’s final goal.…Man—simple link in a chain that must go back to God—paves the way for the coming of the blessed Virgin Mary. Mary, God’s jewel case, in which reposed He Who upholds all things, Jesus Christ! – The Roman MissalHe [man] is “the only creature on earth that God has willed for its own sake”. – Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1992. §356
The Roman Missal, 1962, Introduction: “Your Mass and Your Life” (xlvii): In God’s plan, it is not man who is the center of the universe; but Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word. God created all things for Christ. For the sake of Christ Jesus in whom the Father already had “placed all His delight” and for the sake of Mary, His Mother, “full of grace,” God decided to create man and the universe.
To this Son, in whom He is well pleased, friends were to be given-and so man was created. (The race of man represents the “friends of the Bridegroom” mentioned by our Lord in the Gospel.) To this Son whom He loves, the Father will give a house and garden-and so the universe was created. Man, created for Christ, is loved in Him. We thus form, as it were, a “wedding gift” from God the Father to Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom.
In Him, through Him, and for Him, we are pleasing to the heavenly Father. Without Him we are nothing. This last is very important for an understanding of the Mass. Our sacrifices are of value only through their being united with Christ’s Sacrifice. Since all have issued from the heart of God solely to give pleasure to Jesus, all then are brothers. Creation itself is our kin. The universe and I, what are we, if not a delicate thought of the Father toward His Divine Son?
The creation, launched into existence by God’s loving power, will forever have something unfinished about it, until that time when it shall return to the Source of its perfection; there to receive from that same Source its final perfection and beatitude. Thus the general plan of creation appears to us as an image and prolongation of the fecundity of the Most Blessed Trinity. The chronological order of the plan is as follows:
- Creation of the heavens;
- Preparation of the earth;
- Creation of minerals, vegetation, and animals;
- Creation of man.
King though he may be of that creation predating his own existence, man, however, is not creation’s final goal.
Man—simple link in a chain that must go back to God—paves the way for the coming of the blessed Virgin Mary. Mary, God’s jewel case, in which reposed He Who upholds all things, Jesus Christ! Christ is the center of the universe. He is before all things: “He is before all creatures” (Col. 1:17). “The firstborn of every creature” (Col. 1: I 5). “In the beginning was the Word … ” Jn.1:1).
“In Him … through Him … unto Him … all things!” (Col. 1:16, 17).
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| Fr. Frederick William Faber, (1814-1863) | St. Denio |
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| 1. O purest of creatures, sweet Mother! sweet Maid! The one spotless womb wherein Jesus was laid! Dark night hath come down on us, Mother! And we, Look out for thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea! |
2. Deep night has come down on this rough-spoken world, &-the banners of darkness are boldly unfurled; &-the tempest tossed Church— all her eyes are on thee, They look to thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea! |
| 3. He gazed on thy soul; it was spotless and fair; For-the empire of sin—it had never been there; None had ever owned thee, dear Mother! but He, And-He blessed thy clear shining, sweet Star of the Sea! |
4. Earth gave Him one lodging; ‘twas deep in thy breast, And God found a home where the sinner finds rest; His home and His hiding place both were in thee, He-was won by thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea. |
| 5. O blissful and calm was the wonderful rest, That-thou gavest thy God in thy virginal breast; For-the heaven He left, He found heaven in thee, And-He shone in thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea! |
6. To sinners what comfort, to angels what mirth, That God found one creature un- fallen on earth, One spot where His Spirit, un- troubled could be, The depth of thy shining, sweet Star of the Sea! |
| 7. O shine on us brighter than even, then shine, For-the highest of honours, dear Mother! Is thine; “Conceived without sin,” thy chaste title e’re be, Clear light from thy birth-spring, sweet Star of the Sea! |
8. So worship we God in these rude latter days; So worship we Jesus our Love, when we praise, His wonderful grace in the gifts He gave thee, The gift of clear shining, sweet Star of the Sea! |
| 9. Deep night hath come down on us, Mother! Deep night, And-we need more than ever the guide of thy light; For-the darker the night is the brighter should be, Thy beautiful shining, sweet Star of the Sea! |
Amen. |