The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation of our life and responsibility in Creation and our need to seek transformation from those inner motivations that lead to destruction.
Our role in Creation
The reading from the Book of Genesis is another account of the Creation from the Yawhist author.
* [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.1
Psalm 104 praises God as 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)!2
In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus teaches moral defilement as the only cause of uncleanness.
* [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.3
Barbara Dilly remembers as a young child that her parents would often say, "don't even think about it" when they sensed the potential for greed, deceit, or envy in any of their children. Later they worried about the potential for unchastity and blasphemy in us when they recognized it in other youth.
I don't think it is folly for any of us, no matter what our age, to think about sins in terms of thoughts as well as words and deeds. How often do we say to ourselves, "don't even think about it?" I suppose that thought patrol is the Lutheran upbringing in me, it was a big part of our understanding of honoring the Ten Commandments. We were taught to be on guard that we do not violate those rules in thought, word, and deed. But instead of reciting all those rules, I think the best way for me to remember to honor the word of the Lord is to think about Psalm 104. Several times a day I make a habit of saying as a prayer, "O bless the Lord, O my Soul!" I pray today that this simple prayer will be a good mantra to consecrate the truth of the greatness, goodness, and glory of the Lord in my heart. May it be useful to others as well.4
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)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Genesis 2:4-9, 15-17 invites us to take a moment to thank God that he has put us on this beautiful planet, right now, right where we are. Not only has he created the sun, the stars, the seas, and the mountains, but he brought us into existence! We are unique, wonderfully made in his image, and deeply beloved by him.
But with these great blessings come responsibilities. God entrusted Adam to “cultivate and care” for the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15). That’s a task for all of us. He wants us to tend to this world and its many creatures so that it can continue to sustain us and reflect his glory. When you do what you can to care for creation, you are treasuring this gift and preserving it for future generations. Not only that, but when you carefully attend to the creation God loves and cares about, you become an expression of his own love for the world. “Thank you, Lord, for the gift of life—my own and the life that surrounds me. Help me to think of you every time I enjoy your creation.”6
Friar Jude Winkler positions the Yahwist account at about 950 BCE in Jerusalem perhaps inspired by a summer in the desert. Hebrew literature often uses two extremes, like good and evil, to indicate everything in between. Friar Jude reminds us that penitential practice is only good when it leads to transformation of our heart and soul.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares that Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon founded the iconic African American a cappella group, Sweet Honey in the Rock, which has been performing for over forty years. In her book If You Don’t Go, Don’t Hinder Me, Dr. Reagon recounts how many of the songs of the Civil Rights Movement had their origins in the spirituals of the nineteenth century.
During the nineteenth century, being on your way out of slavery usually meant leaving a place to go to another place, covering geographical territory. You actually had to put distance between where you were and where you were headed. During the twentieth-century Civil Rights Movement, being on your way often meant staying where you were and wreaking havoc in your local community, insisting on its transformation so that a new construction could be possible. Black people were determined to rearrange space for themselves and their future. We knew that as tax-paying citizens we deserved access to opportunities and resources provided by our organized governing bodies. It really was well overdue, this standing up and taking up new space—we had to move! . . .7
Reflection on the intimacy we are offered by the God of Creation, stirs our desire to be open to the Spirit of transformation that brings fullness of life.
References
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