b'Consider the PurposeSo, what is the take-away? We cannot look at the Bible as a science textbook. It was never intended to be one. Our job is to facilitate the movement from understanding the Bible as a text that contradicts science to the recognition that the Bible serves a diff erent purpose.The Bible has much to teach us about our humanity, our origins in God, our relationships with Godand with one another, and the revelation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as God-with-us. The Bible unfolds Gods plan for our lives and for our world, a world that science helps us explain. The biblical writers, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, conveyed Gods message of salvation, answering the questions we all ask: Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going? How am I to live? These are the questions the Bible can answer. These are the questions to explore with youth when engaging Scripture. The entire created universe is evidence of Gods love. It is ours to care for and to explore. As in anyother human endeavor, the study of science presents us with moral dilemmas that we must confront with honesty, love, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. But we can look to the universe for evidence of Gods marvelous work that informs and sustains our precious human lives: The heavens declare the glory of God the fi rmament proclaims the works of his hands.(Psalm 19:2, NABRE)Additional ResourcesConsult the following resources for further exploration of science and the Bible:Genesis, Evolution, and the Search for a Reasoned Faith, by Mary Katherine Birge, SSJ, et al. (Winona, MN: Saint Marys Press, 2011)Gods Mechanics: How Scientists and Engineers Make Sense of Religion, by Br. Guy Consolmagno, SJ (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008)The Heavens Proclaim: Astronomy and the Vatican, edited by Guy Consolmagno, SJ (Huntington, IN: Vatican Observatory Publications, 2009)Pope Franciss Address to the Vatican Academy of Sciences, 27, October 2014, at https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/october/documents/papa-francesco_20141027_plenaria-accademia-scienze.htmlA Window to the Divine, by Zachary Hayes, OFM (Winona, MN: Saint Marys Press, 2009)38 AspireVolume 1//Fall 2019 Donwload these ideas at smp.org/aspirevol1'