So good!

“God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31

God saw that what He created was good- light (v.4), land and sea (v.10), plants and trees (v.12), sun, moon and stars (v.18), fish (v.21), animals (v.25), man and all he had made (v.31). 

It wasn't enough to say that God saw what He made and it was good once, twice, three times. In the first chapter of Genesis, it is repeated all of 7 times! And the original Hebrew translation is not only good, not only very good, but "exceedingly good". 

In Genesis 1:31, in the New Living translation, we can read, "Then God looked over all He had made, and He saw that it was excellent in every way." What was the point of creating a world excellent in every way? Of course God who is the ultimate "Creator" can't make anything less than excellent. But the fact that He took so much care with the world also bears witness to how much He loves us, don't you think?

The spectacular Taj Mahal was created for the remains of the 3rd wife of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. The Emperor was devastated when his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal died during childbirth, and he built the mausoleum to show his devotion. The Emperor described the beautiful Taj Mahal thus: "In this world this edifice has been made to display thereby the creator's glory."

If a mere man can come up with this gem of a building for his dead wife, how much more will God show His love for His people who are living in His image? The earth's glory has dimmed somewhat through the ages because of man's carelessness and willful destruction. But God did not give up. Jesus heralds the new creation.

In the Cathechism of the Catholic Church (CCC349), we can find that "the work of creation culminates in the greater work of redemption. The first creation finds its meaning and its summit in the new creation in Christ, the splendor of which surpasses that of the first creation."