Overview

In the beginning of creation, God appointed human beings as carers of his good earth and all its people. Much of the story of the Old Testament is about disobedience - the human rejection of its God-given mission of caring. This leaves human beings scattered, and far away from their Creator. God sent his prophets time and again to remind humanity of its mission of caring, and to warn of the dire consequences of disobedience. The prophets finally concluded that only a remnant of people would remain faithful to God. They believed that nothing short of a divine intervention in the world would liberate human beings from their self-will and turn their hearts of stone back to God and to one another. The remnant was small and was eventually reduced to one man - Jesus of Nazareth, who came to live among us. Jesus is the faithful and obedient servant and Son of God. He is the Good Shepherd who cares for everyone, believing that no one should be excluded from his flock, whom he feeds with a share of his own divine life. He thus offers a perfect obedience to God on behalf of human beings. But the leaders of his people (representing everyone) are bitterly opposed to his all-inclusive vision for the union of humanity. Out of envy and jealousy, they seize him and hang him up on a Roman cross. In obedience to his heavenly Father, and trusting that God will vindicate him, Jesus accepts his death as a sacrifice to bring forgiveness. God will have the last word about human rebellion and malice. He raises Jesus up so that he can come back again and forgive all those who had a hand in his death (humanity at large). In his forgiveness of everyone, Jesus liberates human beings from their vengeful and murderous ways. His forgiveness makes it possible for them to imitate his own forgiveness, and it enables them to resume their mission of caring - feeding the hungry, giving a drink to the thirsty, as the road leading to eternal life. Forgiving one another leads to reconciliation, and it fulfils Jesus' prayer for his disciples shortly before his death - that they might be united with him, and through him, to his heavenly Father. In its reconciled state, the disobedience and scattering of humanity after its 'fall' in the Garden of Eden, are undone.

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9781527286399

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Tom Higgins is a retired primary school teacher living in Castlebar, Mayo, Ireland with his wife Mary. He was principal of Breaffy school, Castlebar, and retired in 1998. One of his main interests has been reading and researching history. This has resulted in a number of publications: School and Parish - Breaffy (1890-1990), for the centenary of the school; Through Fagan's Gates, The Parish and People of Castlebar Down the Ages - to mark the centenary of the parish church in 2001; The Higgins Family History and The Higgins Family Tree, in 2005. Tom is passionate about the natural world and care of the earth. Thus, his interest in landscape photography. This resulted in a book of his landscape photographs, entitled Light on the Landscape, in 2020. It was during his years as a student in Maynooth College that Tom acquired an interest in Sacred Scripture. In his later retirement, he wanted to revive this interest. The result has been a period of research and study which led to this book, No Room in the Inn - Reading the Bible Today.

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