Lumea - dar al lui Dumnezeu, implicând jertfa

Abstract

The world - God’s gift involving sacrifi ce. Unlike the pantheism of ancient thought, which considered that the material world has existed since eternity, in the Christian conception the author of the world is God; the world does not exist by itself from eternity, nor by chance, it has a beginning and will have an end. God did not create the world from His being, nor from a pre-existing matter from eternity, but brought everything from non-existence to existence, from non-being to non-being. Creation, the world itself is a gift. The gift must not be understood in itself, separated from its two intrinsic poles: the giver and the receiver. The gift represents a renunciation on the part of the giver towards the receiver, therefore it bears the seal of the cross. The purpose of the gift is therefore linked to the loving relationship between two people. The gift is the messenger of love. Everyone must see in what they have received God’s gift, as a sign of His love for us. Hence the obligation to return the gift received by dedicating our lives to God and serving our fellowmen, that is, accepting the cross willingly.