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Chapter 3DoctPuer.1.3

De Creacio

The Six Days of Creation

A chronological account of God's creative work from the beginning of time through the establishment of the Sabbath.

A Creator is a Maker who brought the world into being from nothing. Now, in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, and the first day was Sunday, on which he created the angels; and on that day the demons fell from heaven, because they wanted to be like the Most High, and God confirmed the angels in a state in which they could not sin.✦✦1 On Monday, God created the heavens, where the angels stand in His presence. On Tuesday, God created the sea and the earth, the grasses, the trees, and the seeds. On Wednesday, God created the sun, the moon, and the stars to light the sea and the earth. On Thursday, God created the birds and the beasts. On Friday God created man, whose name was Adam; and when he was asleep, He took out a rib from which He created a woman, that is Eve; and from Adam and Eve we have all come. On that same day, God placed Adam and Eve in the earthly paradise, and he was lord over all the beasts, all the plants, all the birds, and everything the earth grows or sustains.✦✦ On the seventh day,✦2 God rested, to show that He had provided man with everything that was fitting and created; for that reason, the seventh day✦✦3 was a feast day and a day to praise, honor, and contemplate God, showing that on the day the world began, it was fitting that the fulfillment of our redemption should be brought to completion.✦✦4

The Creator and His Creatures

An invitation to recognize God's sustaining power and the purposeful design inherent in all created things.

Son, if you want salvation, you must believe that God is the creator of all that is, and that everything that is would return to nothing if God did not sustain it; and without God, what is would not be. Look, son: see how great the things God has created are — heaven and sea and the earth — and see how many things He has made, and look how beautiful and useful the creatures He has created are.5 So if there is so much good in the creatures, open the eyes of your soul and see how great and noble the Creator is, who has made all things. All the kings and all the people in this world couldn't create a single flower or beast. No one could create any creature; no creature could stop the sun from moving or keep the rain from falling.6 Of those things that are most necessary for people, God has given a greater abundance—such as earth and air and water and fire, and salt and iron and bread, and the other things like these.7 God has created wings for the birds so they can fly, and has given them feathers to be their clothing; for beasts he has created claws to serve as their shoes; for trees he has created leaves so the fruit can ripen; for fish he has given the sea so they can swim; and for every creature God has created those properties they need. God created the horse for people to ride, the hawk for hunting, the sheep for food, wool for clothing, fire for warmth, and the ox for plowing—and God created the other creatures to serve humankind.✦

A Life of Gratitude and Purpose

A call to use one's body and life in service to the Creator, acknowledging the immense debt of existence.

When you're at the table, son, and you have before you the food you ought to eat, remember how many creatures you'll see that God has created, and understand how God has had the things you eat brought to you from many different places. God has created your eyes so that with them you may see Him in the creatures that represent Him to the eyes of your mind; and God has created your memory so that with it you may remember Him; and God has created your heart so that it may be your chamber where you keep Him and love Him; and God has created your hands so that you may do good works; and He has created your feet so that you may walk in His paths; and He has created your mouth so that you may praise Him and bless Him.✦8 I couldn't name, my son, so many creatures as God has made, nor could I tell the dominion he's given you over them, nor could you grasp the great debt you've come under through the great good you've received from your Creator.✦ Remember that God could have made you a pear, a piece of wood, or an animal if He had wanted to; realize that He could have made you crippled, or a Jew, or a Saracen, or a demon, or anything else for which it would have been better not to exist than to exist.9 You should reflect on everything said above, my son, so that in this life you may perform works that are pleasing to the saints in glory and to God.

Read the original Latin

Creador es faedor qui ha fet lo mon de no res. On, en lo comensament creá Deus lo cel e la térra, e fo lo primer dia dicmenge, en lo qual creá los ángels, e en aquell dia cahegren los demonis del cel, per so car volgren esser semblants a Altisme, e confermá Deus los ángels en estament que no poguessen pecar.

En lo dilluns creá Deus lo cel, en lo qual están los ángels devant Deu.

En dimars creá Deus la mar e la térra e les erbes e los arbres e les sements.

En dimecres creá Deus lo sol e la luna e les esteles per illuminar la mar e la térra.

En dijous creá Deus aucells e besties.

En divenres creá Deus home, lo qual hac nom Adam; e con fo adormit, trach una costa don creá fembra, so es Eva; e de Adam e de Eva som tuyt exits.

En aquell dia meteix, mes Deus Adam e Eva en paradís terrenal, e fo senyor de totes les besties e de totes les plantes e de totes les aus e de tot so que térra leva ne sosté.

En lo . vije dia Deus reposá, a demostrar que Deus avia dat al home tot so qui era covinent e creat, e per alió lo . vije dia fo dia festival e dia de loar e d onrar e de contemplar Deu, a demostrar que en aquell dia con lo mon comensá, covenc a fenir lo compliment de nostra reempcio.

Fill, si vols aver salvacio, a creure te cové que Deus es creador de tot quant es, e que tot quant es tornaría a no res, si Deus no ho sostenía; e sens Deu, so que es no seria.

Veyes, fill, Deus con grans coses ha creades, axí com cel e mar e la térra,' e veges quantes coses ha creades, e esguarda con les creatures que ha creades son belles e profitables. On si en les creatures ha tant de be, obri los ulls de ta anima, e veges con gran e noble es lo creador qui totes coses ha creades.

Tots los reys qui son ni tots los homens daquest mon no poríen crear una flor ni una bestia. No puría hom crear nula creatura; nula creatura no puria vedar al sol son moviment ne a la pluja son devallament.

Daquelles coses qui son al home pus necessaries ha Deus donada major abundancia, axí com de térra e daer e daygua e de foch e de sal e de ferre e de pa, e de les altres coses semblants a aqüestes.

Creades ha Deus ales als aucells per so que pusquen volar, e hals donada ploma per so que sia lur vestiment, e a besties ha creades ungles per so que sien lurs sabates, e als arbres ha creades fulles per so que pusquen los fruyts madurar, e als peys ha dada la mar per so que pusquen nadar, e a cada creatura ha creades Deus aquelles proprietats que los son mester.

Deus ha creat a hom lo cavall per cavalcar, e lastor per cassar, el molió per menjar, e la lana per vestir, e lo foch per calfar, e lo bou per arar, e les altres creatures ha creades Deus a servir home.

Con serás, fill, a la taula e aurás devant tu les viandes que deus menjar, remembra quantes creatures veurás, les quals Deus ha creades, e entín com les coses que menges ta Deus fetes adur de diversos lochs.

Deus ha creats tos ulls per so que ab los ulls lo veges en les creatures quil representen als ulls de ta pensa, e Deus ha creada ta memoria per so que ab aquella lo remembres, e Deus ha creat ton cor per so que sia ta cambra hon lo tengues e lams, e Deus ha creades tes mans per so que fasses bones obres, e ha creats tos peus per so que per les sues carreres vajes, e ha creada ta boca per so quel lous el beneesques.

No poria dir, fill, tantes creatures com Deus ha creades, ne no sabría dir la senyoria quet ha donada sobre elles, ne tu no pories entendre lo gran deute en que tu est esdevengut, per lo gran benifet que tu has reebut de ton Creador.

Remembre t com Deus te pogra fer pera o fust o bestia, sis volgués: entin com te pogra fer contret o jueu o sarrahí o demoni o alcuna altra cosa a la qual fora mellor cosa no esser que esser.

A considerar e a pensar te cové, amable fill, totes les coses demunt dites, per tal que en aquest mon faces obres per les quals sies agradable als sants de gloria e a Deu.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Gen.1.1 — In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
  2. ↩Isa.14.14 — I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'" Close the quotation here so the transition to v.15 lands clearly.
  3. ↩Gen.2.8 — And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.
  4. ↩Gen.1.26-Gen.1.28 — Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Gen.1.27 — So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Gen.1.28 — And God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.'
  5. ↩Gen.2.2-Gen.2.3 — And God finished on the seventh day His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. Gen.2.3 — And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it He rested from all His work which God created to do.
  6. ↩Gen.2.2-Gen.2.3 — And God finished on the seventh day His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. Gen.2.3 — And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it He rested from all His work which God created to do.
  7. ↩Gen.1.28-Gen.1.31 — And God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.' Gen.1.29 — And God said, "See, I have given you every seed-bearing plant that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit; they shall be yours for food." Gen.1.30 — And to every living creature of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to everything that creeps on the earth in which there is a living soul—every green plant for food. And it was so. Gen.1.31 — And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
  8. ↩Gen.2.3;Exod.20.8-Exod.20.11 — And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it He rested from all His work which God created to do. Exod.20.8 — Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Exod.20.9 — Six days you shall labor and do all your work. Exod.20.10 — but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God; on it you shall not do any work—you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. Exod.20.11 — For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the day of the Sabbath and made it holy.
  9. ↩Gen.1.1 — In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
  10. ↩Gen.1.26-Gen.1.28;Gen.9.2-Gen.9.3 — Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Gen.1.27 — So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Gen.1.28 — And God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.' Gen.9.2 — The fear and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the air, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are given. Gen.9.3 — Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you. As with the green plants, I give you everything.
  11. ↩Rom.1.20 — For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes have been clearly perceived, being understood through the things that have been made: both his eternal power and divine nature. So they are without excuse.
  12. ↩Gen.1.26-Gen.1.28 — Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." Gen.1.27 — So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Gen.1.28 — And God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.'

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Opening On is a medieval Catalan discourse connector; rendered as narrative Now rather than relative Where.
  2. 2 ↩Source segment is only 'En lo .'; the structured section reads 'En lo .vije dia…'. The numeral form '.vije' (seventh) was split on the period, so 'seventh' is restored from the continuous section text and the start of s2.
  3. 3 ↩'tot so qui era covinent e creat' rendered as 'everything that was fitting and created' (all that was suitable for man among what had been made). 'Covinant' = fitting/suitable; 'creat' kept as coordinated predicate, not paraphrased away.
  4. 4 ↩'en aquell dia con lo mon comensá': Old Catalan 'con' read as 'when' (as elsewhere in this chapter: 'con fo adormit'). The clause links the feast day to the day the world began and to the destined completion of redemption; exact typological force is slightly opaque and may need editorial review.
  5. 5 ↩Source has a stray punctuation mark after «térra,'»; translated as the intended list «heaven, sea, and the earth» without inventing further text.
  6. 6 ↩hom is the impersonal ‘one/anyone’ (not a particular man); rendered as ‘no one’ with the surrounding negatives. vedar = forbid/prevent; devallament = descent/falling of rain.
  7. 7 ↩Medieval spellings daer and daygua are read as d'aer (air) and d'aigua (water), completing the four elements with térra and foch.
  8. 8 ↩Medieval Catalan clitic forms: lams = l'ams (you love Him); lous = lloes/lloes (you praise Him). Sense is secure from parallel purpose clauses.
  9. 9 ↩Rendered as 'pear' (Catalan pera). The triad pear/wood/beast marks non-rational grades of creature below the human; if a local edition reads pedra ('stone'), the sense shifts to stone/wood/beast.

Doctrine for Children — Opening companion

Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat

Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.

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