Tuesday, February 07, 2023

Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

“Allegory of the Creation”
by Jacopo Zucchi, c. 1585
 
Readings for Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary: [3]
 
Reading 1: Genesis 2:4b-9, 15-17
 
At the time when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens
while as yet there was no field shrub on earth
and no grass of the field had sprouted,
for the LORD God had sent no rain upon the earth
and there was no man to till the soil,
but a stream was welling up out of the earth
and was watering all the surface of the ground
the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground
and blew into his nostrils the breath of life,
and so man became a living being.
 
Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,
and he placed there the man whom he had formed.
Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow
that were delightful to look at and good for food,
with the tree of life in the middle of the garden
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
 
The LORD God then took the man
and settled him in the garden of Eden,
to cultivate and care for it.
The LORD God gave man this order:
"You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden
except the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
From that tree you shall not eat;
the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die."
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Commentary on Gn 2:4b-9, 15-17
 
This selection provides excerpts of the second creation account (also called the Yahwist account because in Hebrew texts, God is referred to as "Yahweh God" instead of God). In studying the oldest copies of Genesis, it is clear that multiple authors are responsible for the texts, and this is one way scholars distinguish them. This account does not describe creation using a calendar, but rather begins with a lifeless earth and develops the creation of its detailed elements from that point. "It is historical in context but symbolic in description (CCC 362, 375)." [4]
 
In this passage, the image of man in the Garden of Eden is presented. We also hear the one rule man is given: “You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. From that tree you shall not eat; the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die.” This instruction, using the words "care for it," or "keep" in other translations, instructs Adam and Eve to protect the garden, anticipating an attack on its sacredness by the serpent.
 
CCC: Gn 2:7 362, 369, 703; Gn 2:8 378; Gn 2:15 378; Gn 2:17 376, 396, 396, 400, 1006, 1008
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 104:1-2a, 27-28, 29bc-30
 
R. (1a) O bless the Lord, my soul!
 
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. O bless the Lord, my soul!
 
All creatures look to you
to give them food in due time.
When you give it to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
 
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
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Commentary on Ps 104:1-2a, 27-28, 29bc-30
 
Psalm 104 is a hymn of praise to God the creator. These strophes are praising God for the bounty of the earth which supports life. In this song reference is also made of the creation of life from dust and the ultimate return of the body to dust.
 
CCC: Ps 104 288;  Ps 104:27 2828; Ps 104:30 292, 703
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Gospel: Mark 7:14-23
 
Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them,
"Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile."
 
When he got home away from the crowd
his disciples questioned him about the parable.
He said to them,
"Are even you likewise without understanding?
Do you not realize that everything
that goes into a person from outside cannot defile,
since it enters not the heart but the stomach
and passes out into the latrine?"
(Thus he declared all foods clean.)
"But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.
From within the man, from his heart,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile."
-------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mk 7:14-23
 
Jesus takes that first command of God to man in the Garden (Genesis 2:15-17) and interprets it. It was not the fruit of "the tree of knowledge of good and evil," but the spirit of evil which caused them to disobey God's word.
 
The Lord also seems to refute Jewish dietary law that declares some foods to be unclean (see also Matthew 15:11 ff.). The importance of this statement to the Christian community would not be understood until the debate about the need for Gentiles to follow Jewish law was taken up (see Acts 10:14ff; 15:28-29; Galatians 2:11-17). The point he makes is that the food that enters the body cannot destroy it but actions and words that contravene God’s law will.
 
CCC:  Mk 7:14-23 574; Mk 7:18-21 582; Mk 7:21 1764
-------------------------------------------
Reflection:
 
We are given some interesting Scripture today. It is interesting because it seems to contradict itself. In the reading from Genesis, we hear God command man not to eat from “the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” (Let’s think for a moment, did that tree really grow? Or was God telling man to remain innocent, childlike in faith, in their understanding of God’s will? Where did we hear that before?) So, in Genesis we are hearing, not about a real tree and real food, but rather a metaphor. God did not want man to learn from the Evil One. Unfortunately, the serpent ended up spoiling the Father’s plan anyway. (Thinking about this deeply brings us to contemplate “free will” which was given in our creation as God said, “in our [his] image, after our [his] likeness” (Genesis 1:26).  The first people were given a choice: listen to God or listen to the evil one.)
 
Based on the fact that the tree of knowledge of good and evil was intended, not for the physical wellbeing of mankind, but rather the spiritual good, what we hear from Jesus in the Gospel of Mark today is completely consistent with God his Father’s will in Genesis. Jesus is making it plain that, while there were good practical reasons related to physical health for what are known as the dietary laws in the Old Testament, the health of our eternal soul is more important.
 
Jesus tells us that even if our body dies, and all bodies die, the soul will not die. He came to defeat death, and where the soul goes when the body dies is determined by what comes out of the body, not what goes into it. He has prioritized our concerns. Our first and most important concern should be our spiritual health, and we can maintain that health by working toward inward purity. The Lord says that: “From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.” We can avoid these if we hold fast to the moral values that God has left us.
 
We take note that of the things the Lord identifies as destructive to us; only theft and murder are even considered illegal by our criminal justice system. (There is what is considered an “archaic law” in the State of Michigan that makes adultery a criminal offense. No one has been tried for it in a long time, but recent attempts to have it stricken from the criminal code failed.  Interesting.) The rest are considered either acceptable behavior or ignored as personal characteristics. Even theft refers only to certain types of stealing, and murder to only certain types of murder. We are called to a higher law. We will be held to a higher standard. We will be judged by that standard when we stand before the Lord on the Last Day.
 
Pax
 
[1] The picture used is “Allegory of the Creation” by Jacopo Zucchi, c. 1585.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible - Genesis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 2010, p. 20.

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