The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate our journey from awareness of our creation story to honest examination of our disposition that may defile our relationships.
The reading from the Book of Genesis presents another account of the Creation.
* [2:4] This is the story: the distinctive Priestly formula introduces older traditions, belonging to the tradition called Yahwist, and gives them a new setting. In the first part of Genesis, the formula “this is the story” (or a similar phrase) occurs five times (2:4; 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10), which corresponds to the five occurrences of the formula in the second part of the book (11:27; 25:12, 19; 36:1[9]; 37:2). Some interpret the formula here as retrospective (“Such is the story”), referring back to chap. 1, but all its other occurrences introduce rather than summarize. It is introductory here; the Priestly source would hardly use the formula to introduce its own material in chap. 1.
The cosmogony that begins in v. 4 is concerned with the nature of human beings, narrating the story of the essential institutions and limits of the human race through their first ancestors. This cosmogony, like 1:1–3 (see note there), uses the “when…then” construction common in ancient cosmogonies. The account is generally attributed to the Yahwist, who prefers the divine name “Yhwh” (here rendered LORD) for God. God in this story is called “the LORD God” (except in 3:1–5); “LORD” is to be expected in a Yahwist account but the additional word “God” is puzzling. (Genesis, CHAPTER 2, n.d.)
Psalm 104 praises God the Creator and Provider.
* [Psalm 104] A hymn praising God who easily and skillfully made rampaging waters and primordial night into a world vibrant with life. The psalmist describes God’s splendor in the heavens (Ps 104:1–4), how the chaotic waters were tamed to fertilize and feed the world (Ps 104:5–18), and how primordial night was made into a gentle time of refreshment (Ps 104:19–23). The picture is like Gn 1:1–2: a dark and watery chaos is made dry and lighted so that creatures might live. The psalmist reacts to the beauty of creation with awe (Ps 104:24–34). May sin not deface God’s work (Ps 104:35)!
* [104:29–30] On one level, the spirit (or wind) of God is the fall and winter rains that provide food for all creatures. On another, it is the breath (or spirit) of God that makes beings live. (Psalms, PSALM 104, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus critiques the Tradition of the Elders and declares some internal sources that “they defile a person”.
* [7:17] Away from the crowd…the parable: in this context of privacy the term parable refers to something hidden, about to be revealed to the disciples; cf. Mk 4:10–11, 34. Jesus sets the Mosaic food laws in the context of the kingdom of God where they are abrogated, and he declares moral defilement the only cause of uncleanness. (Mark, CHAPTER 7, n.d.)
Barbara Dilly comments that Jesus knows well about these problems of the human condition. He says they harm us more than anything that happens to us from outside.
The main thing I learned about my spiritual journey, which includes lots of time taking seriously the spiritual insights of Jesuits, Lutherans, and the Amish, is that we don’t get very far if we won’t honestly reflect on our sins, repent for them, and resolve to better follow Jesus…The good news is that we do not have to deal with the follies of our lives by ourselves. When we confess our sins, whatever the words we say, all Christians believe we are forgiven. I pray today that we are all honestly serious when we repent and genuinely grateful for forgiveness so we can address our folly and leave less undone as we move closer to our calling to follow Jesus. (Dilly, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “The cycle of bitterness broken by forbearance,” by Tertullian, 160-225 A.D.
"Let us, then, his servants, follow our Lord and patiently submit to denunciations that we may be blessed! If, with slight forbearance, I hear some bitter or evil remark directed against me, I may return it, and then I shall inevitably become bitter myself. Either that, or I shall be tormented by unexpressed resentment. If I retaliate when cursed, how shall I be found to have followed the teaching of our Lord? For his saying has been handed down that one is defiled not by unclean dishes but by the words which proceed from his mouth ( Mark 7:15)."(excerpt from ON PATIENCE 8)
[Tertullian (160-225 AD) was an early Christian writer and theologian from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He was a noted early Christian apologist who defended Christianity and the practice of Christians against the reproaches of the pagans. He promoted the principle of freedom of religion as an inalienable human right and demanded a fair trial for Christians before they were condemned to death.] (Schwager, 2022)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Genesis 2:4-9, 15-17 notes that the Book of Genesis uses stories and prayers and poetry to describe God’s work in his people before they became slaves in Egypt. So what does this story tell us about God and our relationship with him?
God is intimately involved in our lives (Genesis 2:7).
God breathes life into each one of us (Genesis 2:7).
God has a plan for us, and it involves “taking care” (Genesis 2:15).
How blessed we are—God has given us an entire “library” in the Bible, and he speaks to us on every page!
“Heavenly Father, thank you for your word, the Bible. Help me listen to what you have to say today.” (Meditation on Genesis 2:4-9, 15-17, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler provides dates for the Priestly section of Genesis and the older Yahist passages that we read today. The knowledge of good and evil spans all knowledge in between and is a state that God has not intended for humans. Friar Jude reminds us that the means of defilement that come from within require us to choose to be transformed in the way we relate with the world.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that in the biblical story of Hagar, womanist theologian Delores Williams (1937–2022) finds affirmation and support for the experiences of Black women. She points to the similarities of suffering and faith that Black women share with Hagar.
As a result of these hard-time experiences and the encounters with God, Hagar and many African-American women manifested a risk-taking faith.… Many African-American women (slave and free) have taken serious risks in the black community’s liberation struggle. For example, in the midst of the violence and brutality that accompanied slavery in America, Harriet Tubman, with a price on her head, dared to liberate over three hundred slaves.… She is said to have relied solely upon God for help and strength; she had no one else to look to. Thus we can speak of Hagar and many African-American women as sisters in the wilderness struggling for life, and by the help of their God coming to terms with situations that have destructive potential. (Rohr, 2023)
We may choose action that separates ourselves from a genuine relationship with others. The restoration of our fullness of life is through our transformation in the Love of the Spirit of God.
References
Dilly, B. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved February 8, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/020823.html
Genesis, CHAPTER 2. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 8, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/2?4
Mark, CHAPTER 7. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 8, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/7?14
Meditation on Genesis 2:4-9, 15-17. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved February 8, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/02/08/605765/
Psalms, PSALM 104. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 8, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/104?1
Rohr, R. (2023, February 8). Reading the Bible with Black Women — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 8, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/reading-the-bible-with-black-women-2023-02-08/
Schwager, D. (2022, August 10). Out of the Heart Come Evil Thoughts. Daily Scripture net. Retrieved February 8, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=feb8
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