LESSON 7 : SHAPING THE WORLD Note: God is the center of creation, not human

beings
EXPOSITION
Within any faith tradition, narratives help communicate
THE SECOND CREATION ACCOUNT
and express what one’s faith is. People tell stories in (Gen 2:4b-25)
order to understand the world they dwell in and to show
themselves and others various ways of dwelling in that
 The second creation account is a literary and
world. The beauty of narrative is how it is always
grounded in particular times and places.
theological product of a much earlier
generations. It reflects the concerns of the
FAITH NARRATIVES united kingdom of David and his successor,
 These narratives help illustrate the role that story Solomon (1010- 930 BC). The creation narrative
plays within the faith, its community and its found within this tradition is theological and
believers. anthropological; it is not an account of the
 Let us focus our attention on narratives that help historical origins of the then know worlds
shape our understanding of the world. Examples of (Clifford, 201).
faith narratives are:
Myths, Sagas, Parables and Action THE GREAT HAMARTIOLOGY
Stories
When one speaks of original sin, one is referring to the
MISCONCEPTIONS source from which sin comes from. Old catechism has
 In daily life, the word “myth” connotes a false or reductively equated this to the sin of Adam and Eve. The
misleading tale. Myth has become synonymous with question of original sin actually begins with a question of
fallacy, ignorance, illusion and error. the human nature.
 However, when used in relation to a faith tradition,
myth is a technical term that relates to a particular  Thomas Hobbes speaks of human life as solitary,
kind of narrative or genre of text. A myth is one of poor, nasty , brutish and short (Hobbes, 168). It
many ways in which a person or a community can would seem that human beings are by nature selfish,
express their faith (Tilley, 75) manipulative and out to get others for their own
sake. Isn’t that just evil?
A MYTH IS A STORY THAT SETS UP A WORLD  The purpose of the myth of the great hamartiology
is to understand the reality of evil, which we call sin.
 The most obvious myths are the myths (stories) of It is done by pointing out how, by nature, humanity
the beginning of the universe. One is the creation of is created good, but erred in a way that was both
the world by God in the book of Genesis. personal and social.
 To accept a myth is to understand that it is  After being exiled from the Garden, humanity
expressing a fundamental truth about the world. continued to sin, and the dark ages that followed
Often, myths are disregarded because they are was called the Great Hamartiology (meaning- the
found to be “unscientific” and not “historical,” great history of sin).
and immediately discredited by people. However,  However, humanity will not forever be slave to sin.
the function of a myth is not to explain the scientific God will enter into human history in order to save
mechanics of HOW the world was created, but it humanity from sin. The Myth of the Word Made
answers the fundamental truth of WHY the world Flesh (John 1: 14).
was created. Myth, therefore, has a different
purpose, and to grasp its truth, you must use a SAGAS
different method of interpretation (Tilley, 76). Sagas or legends are stories that give communities their
 Typically, a myth expresses the origin, foundation identity. Examples of sagas from the Scripture are:
and destiny of the universe and humanity. 1. The Saga of Exodus
Christians also have their myths, as represented in 2. The Saga of the United Monarchy
the Creation stories in Genesis, or the Incarnation in 3. The Saga of the Exile
the Gospels (Avis, 126).
THE SAGA OF EXODUS
FROM THE CATHOLIC PERSPECTIVE The most prominent saga in the Bible is the Exodus saga.
One can follow the lives of the Israelite people that have
(Gen 1:1-2: 4a , Gen 2 : 4b -25) come to settle in the land of Egypt, where they are
enslaved by the Pharaoh and the Egyptians. God, with
the help of the prophet Moses, delivers the Israelites
THE FIRST CREATION STORY from their captivity, and leads them to a land promised
(GEN 1:1-2:4a)
to them. The account in the Book of Exodus is the initial
part of the Exodus saga that can be divided into to
Day 1- light/darkness- (day/night) sections: Exodus 1- 15 and Exodus 16-24.
Day 2- water/firmament- (seas/sky)
Day 3- dry ground- (land) vegetation
Day 4- sun, moon, stars
Day 5- fish and birds
Day 6- land animals, humans
Day 7- Rest
THE SAGA OF THE UNITED MONARCHY
Second, a parable is a reversal because there is a
Israel will begin a new life in community with God in the proclamation of how the Kingdom does away with
Promised Land. This eventually leads to an era when traditional human experience, counteracting what the
Israel will be united under the centralized leadership Kingdom is. For example, “the last will be the first, and
under a united monarchy, a saga which shaped the the first will be the last” (Matthew 20:16).
history of the ancient Israelite nation. Of particular note
are the stories of the three kings of the united monarchy Third, a parable is an invitation to active decision. The
that is explored in the historical books: Saul, David and decision actually lies within the person who hears the
Solomon (Brueggemann, 57-58). parable, and understands and interprets it in his or her
own way
THE SAGA OF THE EXILE
SUMMARY
The Saga of the Babylonian Exile represented the A good story has a potential to change our life. Our
fulfillment of all the warnings given by the prophets. For minds have an inherent capacity to think in terms of
all the sin of Israel, the Babylonian Exile represented the stories, to shape imaginatively our experiences, our
harsh reality of what happens to those who do not abide
hopes and our memories, and shape them into
by God’s justice. It was in this context that the prophet
Ezekiel was called by God to proclaim the word of the
narrative that give purpose to our lives.
Lord to the people. Ezekiel’s words are a reminder that
even within moments of despair, God is with us. “You World-shaping narratives can all form our minds
shall be my people, and I will be your God (Ezekiel 36: into an awareness of purpose and meaning, and
25-28). even shape our awareness of God in our lives.
World-shaping narratives reveal to us what to
believe, how to live in faith and how a faithful
PARABLES person prays.

A final example of a narrative of faith is the parable.

While a myth sets up the world and a saga tells you that
you have come to your proper place in the community of
that world and built your temple in just the right place, a
parable is a story that upsets the world. Parables are
stories that destabilize other stories. Parables disrupt our
understanding of the world (Duke, 8).

THE THREE CHARACTERISTICS OF A PARABLE

EARTHINESS
A parable is earthly. Parables draw from Jesus’ Jewish
culture and Palestinian environment and the images he
used evoke many of the images from such tradition. For
example, its usage of familiar and mundane like crops, a
coin, a callous judge, employers and employees, farmers,
cooks and travelers.

SURPRISE
A parable is surprising. The element of shock present in
the parable occurs in a strange course of action taken by
its central characters. For example, a shepherd
obsessively looks for the one sheep, that he abandons
the rest of his flock.

HYPERBOLE
A parable is often hyperbolic. A hyperbole is a figure of
speech that aims at evoking strong feelings or creating
strong impressions by means of exaggeration. Often,
parables are hyperbole because they come off as
over-the-top and outlandish (Duke, 14).

IN WHAT WAY DO WE SEE TH MESSAGE OF THE

KINGDOM IN PARABLES

There are three distinct aspects of this message: advent,

reversal and decision.

First, a parable is an advent, because it is a

proclamation of the coming of the Kingdom, either
directly or indirectly. For example, the Parable of the Lost
Coin (Lk 15:8-10).