We belong to God, to the Universe!
As Catholics, we often hear that "God is within us," or that we are members of the Body of Christ. But did you know we could say "the universe is within us"?
In her book Radical Amazement, Judy Cannato reminds us of this reality. In the beginning, with the "Big Bang," there was the miracle of the fiery birth of the world, and our birth as well. We can say it was our birth because "all matter was formed in that initial bursting forth...[and so] we must each be formed out of the primordial dust that became the stars." (Cannato, 43)
Incredible, isn't it? Realizing we come from stardust gives a whole new meaning to the passage from Jeremiah: "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you..." or St. Paul speaking to the Corinthians: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?"
So, according the theology of the cosmos, "we are all one (with the universe), connected and contained in a Holy Mystery." (Cannato, 44) You and I are connected to all that has been, is now and is to come. We do not belong to ourselves. We belong to God, to the universe!
The more we become aware of the miracle and wonder of creation, and how we are connected to and one with all, the more we will be concerned with the salvation of all creation. We respond with reverence and compassion to the universe who has given us life.
