4 very beginning . 6 To illustrate , the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation , Dei Verbum , refers to St . Paul ’ s Letter to the Romans , wherein Scripture speaks of “ God , [ as ] the beginning and end of all things , [ who ] can be known with certainty from created reality by the light of human reason .” 7 God uses the language of creation to speak to man and to reveal the divine mystery to him . Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI describes creation as the “ first language through which God … reveals himself .” 8 Elsewhere , the Holy Father clarifies that this language is based on a “ friendship ” between faith and science , a reality elucidated by St . Albert the Great , which offers a “ fascinating path of holiness ” to those who study the natural world . 9 This path , however , is marked by an adherence to moral norms , and must serve the human person by respecting man ’ s rights and ultimate good through conformity to the will of God . 10 The language of creation is a primordial language that speaks not only of God ’ s relationship with man but also of man ’ s relationship with and duties towards other created beings within the world .
In God ’ s dialogue with man , the revelation of the Blessed Trinity is communicated in a manner specifically ordered to the nature of the human person . God speaks with man in a language that man can naturally understand through the mystery of creation . St . John Paul II explains that in creation , God ’ s inner glory “ is in a certain sense transferred ‘ outside ’ in the creatures of the visible and invisible world ,” and this transference is “ in proportion to the degree
6 John Paul II , “ The Language of the Body : Actions and Duties Forming the Spirituality of Marriage ,”
Vatican . va , July 4 , 1984 , sec . 3 , accessed May 27 , 2018 , https :// w2 . vatican . va / content / john-paulii / it / audiences / 1984 / documents / hf _ jp-ii _ aud _ 19840704 . html . 7 Second Vatican Council , Dei Verbum [ On Divine Revelation ], Vatican . va , November 18 , 1965 , sec . 6 ,
accessed May 27 , 2018 , http :// www . vatican . va / archive / hist _ councils / ii _ vatican _ council / documents / vatii _ const _ 19651118 _ dei-verbum _ en . html . 8 Benedict XVI , “ Saint Albert the Great ,” Vatican . va , March 24 , 2010 , para . 9 , accessed May 27 , 2018 ,
http :// w2 . vatican . va / content / benedict-xvi / en / audiences / 2010 / documents / hf _ ben-xvi _ aud _ 20100324 . html . 9 Benedict XVI , “ Saint Albert the Great ,” para . 10 . 10 CCC , 2294 .