For the Life of the World
St. John 6:41-51 In "The Pain of Animals: A Problem in Theology," C.S. Lewis points out that Satan rebelled before mankind, and that his work might be seen in the widespread "distortion" of God's created order, noting that "(in particular) the insect world appears to be Hell itself visibly in operation around us." Gustave Dore, "The Evening of the Seventh Day" illustration for Paradise Lost Our conversations about redemption are rightly focused on our own story: God became man and gave himself up for us. But it is good to call to mind that there is more to this story. All of creation is marred by the cosmic war in which we find ourselves. Nature itself is deeply scored and does not escape the consequences of the Devil's fall from grace. Christ addresses this in today's Gospel: "The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world." Our fate is bound up in the fate of the cosmos, this dust and ash, thes