Readings for Monday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Genesis 1:1-19
In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,
the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss,
while a mighty wind swept over the waters.
Then God said,
"Let there be light," and there was light.
God saw how good the light was.
God then separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night."
Thus evening came, and morning followed—the first day.
Then God said,
"Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters,
to separate one body of water from the other."
And so it happened:
God made the dome,
and it separated the water above the dome from the water below it.
God called the dome "the sky."
Evening came, and morning followed—the second day.
Then God said,
"Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin,
so that the dry land may appear."
And so it happened:
the water under the sky was gathered into its basin,
and the dry land appeared.
God called the dry land "the earth,"
and the basin of the water he called "the sea."
God saw how good it was.
Then God said,
"Let the earth bring forth vegetation:
every kind of plant that bears seed
and every kind of fruit tree on earth
that bears fruit with its seed in it."
And so it happened:
the earth brought forth every kind of plant that bears seed
and every kind of fruit tree on earth that
bears fruit with its seed in it.
God saw how good it was.
Evening came, and morning followed—the third day.
Then God said:
"Let there be lights in the dome of the sky,
to separate day from night.
Let them mark the fixed times, the days and the years,
and serve as luminaries in the dome of the sky,
to shed light upon the earth."
And so it happened:
God made the two great lights,
the greater one to govern the day,
and the lesser one to govern the night;
and he made the stars.
God set them in the dome of the sky,
to shed light upon the earth,
to govern the day and the night,
and to separate the light from the darkness.
God saw how good it was.
Evening came, and morning followed—the fourth day.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Gn 1:1-19
The selection we are given today is the beginning of Genesis, the first book in the Bible. Here we see the first four days of the first of two creation accounts. This, the Priestly account, shows how God creates order out of chaos. There are several important concepts referenced in this selection that are used or referenced by later authors. Reference to the “abyss” in the v. 2 was, according to Semitic cosmology the gathering of all water. In the creative act, God separated the waters into seas (salt-water) and springs-fresh water from under the earth (see Psalm 33:7; Ezekiel 31:4). Another part is held in the dome of the sky (“the upper water” see Psalm 33:7; Ezekiel 31:4) to fall as rain (Genesis 7:11; 2 Kings 7:2, 19; Psalm 104:13).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[4] Psalm 104:1-2a, 5-6, 10 and 12, 24 and 35c
R. (31b) May the Lord be glad in his works.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
R. May the Lord be glad in his works.
You fixed the earth upon its foundation,
not to be moved forever;
With the ocean, as with a garment, you covered it;
above the mountains the waters stood.
R. May the Lord be glad in his works.
You send forth springs into the watercourses
that wind among the mountains.
Beside them the birds of heaven dwell;
from among the branches they send forth their song.
R. May the Lord be glad in his works.
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you have wrought them all—
the earth is full of your creatures;
Bless the LORD, O my soul! Alleluia.
R. May the Lord be glad in his works.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 104:1-2a, 5-6, 10 and 12, 24 and 35c
This section of Psalm 104 is praising God for the creation of all things which supports Genesis’ creation account above. It reminds us not to take that first gift for granted but to constantly thank God for wonders of His works.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 6:53-56
After making the crossing to the other side of the sea,
Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret
and tied up there.
As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him.
They scurried about the surrounding country
and began to bring in the sick on mats
to wherever they heard he was.
Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered,
they laid the sick in the marketplaces
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak;
and as many as touched it were healed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 6:53-56
This selection takes up the account of Jesus healing ministry immediately following the account of the feeding of the multitudes (Mark 6:35-44) and his encounter with the disciples as he walked upon the waters (Mark 6:45-52). Jesus continues his journey and curing many people who come to him. His fame spreads.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homily:
“Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11: 1) One may wonder why we begin this homiletic reflection with scripture not used in the readings today. It is placed here at the beginning because faith is so necessary to understand what takes place in the other scripture presented.
The first reading from Genesis, the very beginning of the Bible and all that follows, has caused great controversy in the world. Those who look at the world with purely rational eyes point to the creation account as proof that all we believe is myth – a fable for those unable to see the logic of science. Others take the words recorded in Genesis and use them to deny scientific findings going to the complete opposite end of the spectrum. And what is the truth?
The truth is that those who claim to know the scientific facts about earth and its origins run into a big problem when they start tracing creation back to its roots. At some point, although many choose not to accept it, they run squarely into God and the need for faith. There is no scientific evidence for creation.
At the same time, those who claim that God’s creation took six days, made up of 24 hours each have attempted to put God in a box. They have attempted to understand the unknowable using human language and concepts. Ironically, they even ignore scripture passages that point to this fact (for example Psalm 90: 4 – “A thousand years in your eyes are merely a yesterday”).
We believe that God, who is all powerful and omnipresent, is only known to us when we are transformed and join Him in his heavenly kingdom. We cannot fully grasp his purpose or plan. We can only do our best to come to know him through the Word he left us, the incarnate Word of which we partake in the Eucharist and the Word of God left to us in Sacred Scripture. We are enjoined to use all the faculties of intelligence and faith to understand his will and intent delving into the miracle of his creation.
There is of course a caution here. Life, especially human life, is God’s alone to give or take. Mankind is cautioned that delving too deeply, pretending that like God, man can create life, places him in great peril. We have already seen the result of some of these excesses. In spite of our best efforts to the contrary we are likely to see more. We must pray that reason will prevail against arrogance and megalomania in the years to come.
Today our prayer is this. That we might come to know God more completely and be given the grace to understand all that is possible about God’s creation and our place within it. May we be given the wisdom to know that which can be known and the faith to accept that which cannot.
Pax
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Genesis 1:1-19
In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth,
the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss,
while a mighty wind swept over the waters.
Then God said,
"Let there be light," and there was light.
God saw how good the light was.
God then separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night."
Thus evening came, and morning followed—the first day.
Then God said,
"Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters,
to separate one body of water from the other."
And so it happened:
God made the dome,
and it separated the water above the dome from the water below it.
God called the dome "the sky."
Evening came, and morning followed—the second day.
Then God said,
"Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin,
so that the dry land may appear."
And so it happened:
the water under the sky was gathered into its basin,
and the dry land appeared.
God called the dry land "the earth,"
and the basin of the water he called "the sea."
God saw how good it was.
Then God said,
"Let the earth bring forth vegetation:
every kind of plant that bears seed
and every kind of fruit tree on earth
that bears fruit with its seed in it."
And so it happened:
the earth brought forth every kind of plant that bears seed
and every kind of fruit tree on earth that
bears fruit with its seed in it.
God saw how good it was.
Evening came, and morning followed—the third day.
Then God said:
"Let there be lights in the dome of the sky,
to separate day from night.
Let them mark the fixed times, the days and the years,
and serve as luminaries in the dome of the sky,
to shed light upon the earth."
And so it happened:
God made the two great lights,
the greater one to govern the day,
and the lesser one to govern the night;
and he made the stars.
God set them in the dome of the sky,
to shed light upon the earth,
to govern the day and the night,
and to separate the light from the darkness.
God saw how good it was.
Evening came, and morning followed—the fourth day.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Gn 1:1-19
The selection we are given today is the beginning of Genesis, the first book in the Bible. Here we see the first four days of the first of two creation accounts. This, the Priestly account, shows how God creates order out of chaos. There are several important concepts referenced in this selection that are used or referenced by later authors. Reference to the “abyss” in the v. 2 was, according to Semitic cosmology the gathering of all water. In the creative act, God separated the waters into seas (salt-water) and springs-fresh water from under the earth (see Psalm 33:7; Ezekiel 31:4). Another part is held in the dome of the sky (“the upper water” see Psalm 33:7; Ezekiel 31:4) to fall as rain (Genesis 7:11; 2 Kings 7:2, 19; Psalm 104:13).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm:[4] Psalm 104:1-2a, 5-6, 10 and 12, 24 and 35c
R. (31b) May the Lord be glad in his works.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
R. May the Lord be glad in his works.
You fixed the earth upon its foundation,
not to be moved forever;
With the ocean, as with a garment, you covered it;
above the mountains the waters stood.
R. May the Lord be glad in his works.
You send forth springs into the watercourses
that wind among the mountains.
Beside them the birds of heaven dwell;
from among the branches they send forth their song.
R. May the Lord be glad in his works.
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you have wrought them all—
the earth is full of your creatures;
Bless the LORD, O my soul! Alleluia.
R. May the Lord be glad in his works.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 104:1-2a, 5-6, 10 and 12, 24 and 35c
This section of Psalm 104 is praising God for the creation of all things which supports Genesis’ creation account above. It reminds us not to take that first gift for granted but to constantly thank God for wonders of His works.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Mark 6:53-56
After making the crossing to the other side of the sea,
Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret
and tied up there.
As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him.
They scurried about the surrounding country
and began to bring in the sick on mats
to wherever they heard he was.
Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered,
they laid the sick in the marketplaces
and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak;
and as many as touched it were healed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 6:53-56
This selection takes up the account of Jesus healing ministry immediately following the account of the feeding of the multitudes (Mark 6:35-44) and his encounter with the disciples as he walked upon the waters (Mark 6:45-52). Jesus continues his journey and curing many people who come to him. His fame spreads.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homily:
“Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11: 1) One may wonder why we begin this homiletic reflection with scripture not used in the readings today. It is placed here at the beginning because faith is so necessary to understand what takes place in the other scripture presented.
The first reading from Genesis, the very beginning of the Bible and all that follows, has caused great controversy in the world. Those who look at the world with purely rational eyes point to the creation account as proof that all we believe is myth – a fable for those unable to see the logic of science. Others take the words recorded in Genesis and use them to deny scientific findings going to the complete opposite end of the spectrum. And what is the truth?
The truth is that those who claim to know the scientific facts about earth and its origins run into a big problem when they start tracing creation back to its roots. At some point, although many choose not to accept it, they run squarely into God and the need for faith. There is no scientific evidence for creation.
At the same time, those who claim that God’s creation took six days, made up of 24 hours each have attempted to put God in a box. They have attempted to understand the unknowable using human language and concepts. Ironically, they even ignore scripture passages that point to this fact (for example Psalm 90: 4 – “A thousand years in your eyes are merely a yesterday”).
We believe that God, who is all powerful and omnipresent, is only known to us when we are transformed and join Him in his heavenly kingdom. We cannot fully grasp his purpose or plan. We can only do our best to come to know him through the Word he left us, the incarnate Word of which we partake in the Eucharist and the Word of God left to us in Sacred Scripture. We are enjoined to use all the faculties of intelligence and faith to understand his will and intent delving into the miracle of his creation.
There is of course a caution here. Life, especially human life, is God’s alone to give or take. Mankind is cautioned that delving too deeply, pretending that like God, man can create life, places him in great peril. We have already seen the result of some of these excesses. In spite of our best efforts to the contrary we are likely to see more. We must pray that reason will prevail against arrogance and megalomania in the years to come.
Today our prayer is this. That we might come to know God more completely and be given the grace to understand all that is possible about God’s creation and our place within it. May we be given the wisdom to know that which can be known and the faith to accept that which cannot.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used is “Creation of the Sun, Moon, and Plants” by Michelangelo Buonarroti, 1511
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[4] Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
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