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“Creation of the Animals”
by Tintoretto, 1551-52 |
Readings for Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Reading 1: Genesis 2:18-24
The LORD God said: "It is not good for the man to be alone.
I will make a suitable partner for him."
So the LORD God formed out of the ground
various wild animals and various birds of the air,
and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them;
whatever the man called each of them would be its name.
The man gave names to all the cattle,
all the birds of the air, and all wild animals;
but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man.
So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man,
and while he was asleep,
he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.
The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib
that he had taken from the man.
When he brought her to the man, the man said:
"This one, at last, is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
this one shall be called 'woman, '
for out of 'her man’ this one has been taken."
That is why a man leaves his father and mother
and clings to his wife,
and the two of them become one flesh.
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Commentary on Gn 2:18-24
This selection continues the Yahwehist creation account with the creation of life. It is important to note that early Near-Eastern peoples felt that the individual who named a person or thing had dominion over it. Here we see man naming all the animals in God’s creation thereby having dominion over them.
The passage concludes with God’s creation of woman as the perfect companion for man. He does so by taking a rib (thus also explaining why there is a “spare rib”). This passage will be familiar to those who attend weddings as it is one of the texts frequently used because of verse 24: “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh.” This passage is quoted by the Lord in Mark 10:7 and is developed into the foundational understanding of the indissolubility of a sacramental marriage.
CCC: Gn 2:18-25 1605; Gn 2:18 371, 1652; Gn 2:19-20 371, 2417; Gn 2:22 369, 1607; Gn 2:23 371; Gn 2:24 372, 1627, 1644, 2335
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
R. (cf. 5) May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
May you see your children's children.
Peace be upon Israel!
R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
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Commentary on Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
Psalm 128 is an individual lament. The author recounts the blessing on those who fear the Lord. Fear of the Lord is complex. It is comprised elements of awe, reverence, adoration, honor, worship, confidence, thankfulness, and love. [5] Loss of the reciprocal blessings causes fear. In these strophes the writer reemphasizes the tenet of our faith regarding the need for faith in God in the marital union.
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Reading II: Hebrews 2:9-11
Brothers and sisters:
He "for a little while" was made "lower than the angels, "
that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
For it was fitting that he,
for whom and through whom all things exist,
in bringing many children to glory,
should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering.
He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated
all have one origin.
Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers.”
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Commentary on Heb 2:9-11
This passage from Hebrews contains a very complex and important understanding of the nature of Christ. God set mankind to rule the earth. For a while he sent his only Son to be in that state – “lower than the angels,” and suffer death for everyone. This classic passage from Hebrews is foundational to our understanding of Christ Jesus, true God and true man.
“To accomplish the salvation of men Christ needed to be one of them – to share, with them, a human nature. This is why Christ is the only "true sanctifier", that is, the priest who performs rites and sacrifices, taking things stained by sin and making them pure and pleasing to God, that is, holy. Our Lord said something similar in the Gospel: 'For their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth' (Jn 17:19).” [6]
CCC: Heb 2:9 624, 629; Heb 2:10 609
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Gospel
A Longer Form: MarK 10:2-16
The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked,
"Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?"
They were testing him.
He said to them in reply, "What did Moses command you?"
They replied,
"Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce
and dismiss her."
But Jesus told them,
"Because of the hardness of your hearts
he wrote you this commandment.
But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.
So they are no longer two but one flesh.
Therefore what God has joined together,
no human being must separate."
In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this.
He said to them,
"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another
commits adultery against her;
and if she divorces her husband and marries another,
she commits adultery."
And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them,
but the disciples rebuked them.
When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them,
"Let the children come to me;
do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to
such as these.
Amen, I say to you,
whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child
will not enter it."
Then he embraced them and blessed them,
placing his hands on them.
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Commentary on Mk 10:2-16
This passage gives us the scriptural support for the Church’s view of the “sacrament of matrimony.” The Pharisees' question to Jesus and their response to his question: “Moses permitted him to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her," shows the Mosaic Law they are referring to (Deuteronomy 24:1) dealt with a contractual relationship. Jesus, in quoting Genesis (see Genesis 1:27 and 2:24) speaks instead of the spiritual bond which joins husband and wife. This bond cannot be broken (“what God has joined together, no human being must separate").
Mark continues with a picture of Jesus demonstrating that those who had seen his works and heard his words saw greatness in him. They brought their children to him instinctively that they might receive the grace endowed by his touch. This activity made his disciples indignant that their master should be pestered by these little ones. The Lord, however, used this as a teaching moment and told the crowd that only complete dependence upon God’s support would allow them salvation (“for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”).
CCC: Mk 10:8 1627; Mk 10:9 1639, 2364, 2382; Mk 10:11-12 1650; Mk 10:11 2380; Mk 10:14 343, 1261; Mk 10:16 699
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OR
B Shorter Form: Mark 10:2-12
The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked,
"Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?"
They were testing him.
He said to them in reply, "What did Moses command you?"
They replied,
"Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce
and dismiss her."
But Jesus told them,
"Because of the hardness of your hearts
he wrote you this commandment.
But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.
So they are no longer two but one flesh.
Therefore what God has joined together,
no human being must separate."
In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this.
He said to them,
"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another
commits adultery against her;
and if she divorces her husband and marries another,
she commits adultery."
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Commentary on Mk 10:2-12
This passage gives us the scriptural support for the Church’s view of the “sacrament of matrimony.” The Pharisees' question to Jesus and their response to his: “Moses permitted him to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her," shows the Mosaic Law they are referring to (Deuteronomy 24:1) dealt with a contractual relationship. Jesus, in quoting Genesis (see Genesis 1:27 and 2:24) speaks instead of the spiritual bond which joins husband and wife. This bond cannot be broken (“what God has joined together, no human being must separate"). This unbreakable bond is at the heart of the Church's understanding of the sacrament of marriage and is distinct from the civil marriage contract (referred to by the Pharisees above). This passage is also central to the Church's teaching that the sacrament of marriage is valid only between a man and a woman.
CCC: Mk 10:8 1627; Mk 10:9 1639, 2364, 2382; Mk 10:11-12 1650; Mk 10:11 2380
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Reflection:
Six years ago I participated in the Alpha for Catholics program (note: while this program was developed by members of the Anglican Church, it is an excellent primer in Christianity). It is currently running in several different times and places in the area including one in Mandarin. I have to tell you; I have found the material presented and the discussions that follow very worthwhile for anyone who wishes to refresh or strengthen their faith. In one of the very first sessions the point was made that, while science is very good at figuring out the “what” and “how” of the various parts of God’s creation, it cannot, nor does it try, to ask the really important question: “Why?”
Fr. Bill and I were both educated in Biochemistry. During my course of study, science did its best to destroy the wonder of creation by breaking it down into formula and the elements that comprised the intricate miracle by which God created all life. It did not attack God directly, rather it put forward mechanisms that explained how enzymes and amino acids came together as the building blocks of life. It was training in logic that I was forced to overcome in order to find faith in the metaphysical mystery that is Christ’s salvation and God’s creation. And it took me a while to understand the why of these miracles.
Our faith in Jesus Christ answers that question. Why did he create all that is, most especially us? Because of his great love for us. As we hear in the Book of Genesis, God created man in his own image and likeness. God likewise, because of his love for humankind, created woman so that, together, they might enjoy and be at peace in the paradise he created for them.
He shared his creative power with us so that we might prosper, completing the cycle of life by bringing new life into the world he gave us. Such is his great love for us.
The Father gave to his children another gift, the gift of free will. God did not create humankind to be a race of slaves, obedient to him by design. Not only did he share his power of creation, he shared the capacity for self-direction. And given this gift of incredible value, one of the first things our first human parents did was choose to disobey our Creator and we fell from grace. Sin entered the world and a long struggle began.
Just as God saw that his creation was good, he also saw the decisions being made by his favorite creation were bad for them. A parent must teach their children, and our Heavenly Father set out to teach his. He sent people Moses and the prophets to give his chosen people direction, to show them the way to peace. But they refused to see the love the Father had for them. All they saw was the consequences of their own decisions and determined that because bad things happened, it must be God punishing them. (That’s the God we frequently see described in the Old Testament.)
After he had tried and tried to bring them home to paradise with earthly guides, he sacrificed himself, sending his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to demonstrate, not only how much love the Father had for them, but to show them, by example, how to attain the peace and happiness we all so desperately seek.
We have all seen what happens when a parent offers something new to a child and says: “Try this, it’s really good for you.” Without even trying, the child will almost invariably wrinkle their nose and shake their heads saying something like: “Yuck, I don’t want it. It looks (smells or sounds) gross.” Taking that reaction to an adult level, that was the reaction most of the leaders of the people had to Jesus’ teaching. They definitely did not believe he was the Son of God, because they ended up killing him. And then, they killed all but one of his first students, the apostles.
All of this we know and have been taught (if we were brought up Christian) since an early age. We know God created us. We know God loves us. We know that only through him do we have the most precious gift – life!
It is for this reason the Church has designated October Respect Life Month. I know that when many of us hear that term “respect life,” we think it is only a restatement of our unwavering condemnation of infanticide – abortion. But when we look at the evidence of God’s love for us in his creative efforts, we see that he loves us all, from the moment we are conceived to the moment when our spirit leaves our bodies, hoping to return to the eternal joy and peace of God’s kingdom. Consequently, respecting life is an act of fidelity to our baptismal promises. Promises we have made many times that express our commitment to live as our Father’s children, sharing his love for the life he has given.
We encourage you to participate in these and other events celebrating God’s gift of life this month. There is a Respect Life page at our parish website that will give you details.
All of these various offerings bring us back to one very central and important fact: God loves us. He wants only the very best for us, so that we might live as he created us to live, in harmony with each other, and in harmony with his all of his creation.
It’s appropriate that we close these remarks by quoting our second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews:
“For it was fitting that he,
for whom and through whom all things exist,
in bringing many children to glory,
should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering.
He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated
all have one origin.”
Pax
In other years on October 6 Optional Memorials for:
Saint Bruno, Priest
Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher, Virgin [In the Dioceses of the United States]
[1] Catechism links are taken from the
Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture is “Creation of the Animals” by Tintoretto, 1551-52.
[3] S.S Commemoratio[4] 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.
[5] Strimple Robert B.,
https://opc.org/new_horizons/NH01/03a.html[6] The Navarre Bible: “Revelation and Hebrews and Catholic Letters” Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p 159.
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