Children and Nature (#8)

The Catechism says "The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God...who made them what they are."

God reveals himself to us in a special way through nature. This is part of why we study science and why connections with the natural world are so essential in introducing our children to the world of science, long before any formal studies are necessary. Explore the wonders of your neighborhood and your own backyard. Let them observe in simplicity and awe the beauty of a starry night and the song of birds. Cultivate and encourage their enthusiasm for bugs, flowers and beautiful sunsets.

Cardinal Ratzinger explains: "Man can touch the eternal only in sensible realities, but the things of this world are also intrinsically designed to mediate contact with God."

Further Information:

The quote from the Cathechism of the Catholic Church is from paragraph#159. Here is the paragraph in its entirety:

Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth. Consequently, methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made then what they are.

The quote from Cardinal Ratzinger can be found in Gospel, Catechesis, Catechism (Ignatius Press).

Related Thoughts:

Saint Paul says in his Letter to the Romans: "what can be known about God is plain...because God has shown it...Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made."

"The reason for the crisis and its consequences have been described often and extensively. In the technological world, which is a self-made world of man, one does not immediatley encounter the Creator; rather, initially, it is only himself that man always encounters." (Cardinal Ratzinger, Handing on the Faith in an Age of Disbelief - Ignatius Press)