Before creation, there was nothing but the void and darkness, which are but the absence of matter and the absence of light. Then God said, “Let there be light.” And there was light, the Big Bang. And from that Big Bang came all the matter that exists today.
Since then, everything in the universe is in constant motion, from the smallest quark to the biggest black hole. For some, the motion may seem random and chaotic. For others, including myself, there is a certain beat, a rhythm, almost a song or a melody that goes with the motion. It sounds like the whole of creation is singing a hymn of the universe. And somehow there is interconnectedness in all the movements and the motion; so that the cries of a baby aborning or aborted triggers the birth of a young star or the death throes of a dying supernova. And all of this beauty and goodness will go just on forever, for matter once created is never destroyed.
Nature has been most spectacular in her awesomeness. Just watching the dawn or the sunrise, or hearing anew-born baby cry, or witnessing the power of a typhoon or a volcano, would leave anyone enthralled and enchanted. Nature is prodigal in providing us with such abundant resources. We have everything we need.
And yet there are shortages, poverty and famine everywhere. It takes more resources to feed and clothe one man looking out for himself rather than two persons caring and sharing with each other. There is more joy and happiness in people living and loving together rather than in individuals looking out just for themselves. There is enough goodness and beauty in nature to teach us. And yet, we often choose their exact opposite. We choose to dwell in the void and in the darkness.
When God said, “Let there be light.” I imagine it as God calling goodness out of the void and beauty out of the darkness. While we are part of that goodness and beauty, we also often succumb to chaos and the darkness. There is nothing more heart-warming as when one person changes for the better. It is God’s grace at work when a person experiences change and conversion to a new life. Sometimes, the circumstances are heroic and dramatic, like a catastrophe, a major disaster or a monumental crisis in one’s life. Oftentimes, all it takes to bring about the change and conversion is but a word, a touch, a simple encounter with another person. It is God’s continuing work of creation.
Every moment I am given is yet another present from God for me to become better, to change and be converted, to affirm the goodness and beauty there is in the universe and in me. I pray to be open and sensitive to these stirrings of the Spirit in my life.