20210208 MYSTERY, WONDER AND ADORATION
08 February, 2021, Monday, 5th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading | Genesis 1:1-19 © |
God saw that it was good
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was a formless void, there was darkness over the deep, and God’s spirit hovered over the water.
God said, ‘Let there be light’, and there was light. God saw that light was good, and God divided light from darkness. God called light ‘day’, and darkness he called ‘night.’ Evening came and morning came: the first day.
God said, ‘Let there be a vault in the waters to divide the waters in two.’ And so it was. God made the vault, and it divided the waters above the vault from the waters under the vault. God called the vault ‘heaven.’ Evening came and morning came: the second day.
God said, ‘Let the waters under heaven come together into a single mass, and let dry land appear.’ And so it was. God called the dry land ‘earth’ and the mass of waters ‘seas’, and God saw that it was good.
God said, ‘Let the earth produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants, and fruit trees bearing fruit with their seed inside, on the earth.’ And so it was. The earth produced vegetation: plants bearing seed in their several kinds, and trees bearing fruit with their seed inside in their several kinds. God saw that it was good. Evening came and morning came: the third day.
God said, ‘Let there be lights in the vault of heaven to divide day from night, and let them indicate festivals, days and years. Let them be lights in the vault of heaven to shine on the earth.’ And so it was. God made the two great lights: the greater light to govern the day, the smaller light to govern the night, and the stars. God set them in the vault of heaven to shine on the earth, to govern the day and the night and to divide light from darkness. God saw that it was good. Evening came and morning came: the fourth day.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 103(104):1-2,5-6,10,12,24,35 © |
May the Lord rejoice in his works!
Bless the Lord, my soul!
Lord God, how great you are,
clothed in majesty and glory,
wrapped in light as in a robe!
May the Lord rejoice in his works!
You founded the earth on its base,
to stand firm from age to age.
You wrapped it with the ocean like a cloak:
the waters stood higher than the mountains.
May the Lord rejoice in his works!
You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow in between the hills.
On their banks dwell the birds of heaven;
from the branches they sing their song.
May the Lord rejoice in his works!
How many are your works, O Lord!
In wisdom you have made them all.
The earth is full of your riches.
Bless the Lord, my soul!
May the Lord rejoice in his works!
Gospel Acclamation | Jn8:12 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
anyone who follows me will have the light of life.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.Mt4:23 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom
and cured all kinds of sickness among the people.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 6:53-56 © |
All those who touched him were cured
Having made the crossing, Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret and tied up. No sooner had they stepped out of the boat than people recognised him, and started hurrying all through the countryside and brought the sick on stretchers to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, to village, or town, or farm, they laid down the sick in the open spaces, begging him to let them touch even the fringe of his cloak. And all those who touched him were cured.
MYSTERY, WONDER AND ADORATION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [GEN 1:1-19; PS 104:1-2,5-6,10,12,24,35; MARK 6:53-56 ]
The account of creation is certainly not historical or scientific in today’s terms. The book of Genesis presents to us two different accounts of the creation story. It is not concerned with the question of how creation came about. The author is not interested in physics or the question of evolution. These are not the questions of the author. So if we read the creation story to discover some scientific truths with regard to how creation came about, we would be disappointed or worse still, impose our understanding of how creation came to be on the authors. Rather, the purpose of the creation story is to reveal to us the theological truths of creation. They reveal to us who we are, our identity and place in creation, our relationship with God and with the rest of creation. Most of all, they reveal to us the divine plan of God for humanity, which is to share in His life and love. But this involves taking us into contemplating the mystery of God’s creation, evoking wonder; and contemplating on His majesty, evoking adoration.
Creation is a mystery for us to contemplate in wonder. The author wants us to adopt the disposition of wonder in the face of the mysteries of creation. There are many things in the world that we do not and cannot understand. Not just creation, but life is a mystery. Things do not always happen logically according to our thinking. There are many exceptions even to the order of nature. This is why the author does not seek to explain creation. He is certainly aware that it is contradictory to speak of creation of the sun and moon (Gn 1:14-16) when light was already created on the first day. (Gen 1:3) Furthermore how could we speak of the first and subsequent day when sun and moon were only created on the fourth day, a day implies sunrise and sunset.
Rather, he draws us to contemplate on the mysteries of creation, in wonder and amazement. The author wants us to know that light is not even dependent on the sun and the moon. Indeed, if God is the creator of the world, when was darkness created, it seems to pre-exist before creation and so too the water! “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.” (Gen 1:1f) Clearly, the author is not dealing with the questions of science, the “how” of creation but the “why” of creation. Science deals with the “how”, theology deals with the “why.” The creation story is meant to lead us to God, the mystery of all mysteries. God is the mystery.
Yet even in the mystery of creation, there is a certain order and contingence as well. God placed some kind of order in creation itself. Hence, the author speaks of creation in stages. There are natural laws in place to protect creation. The author describes creation as systematically structured around the theme of six days, concluding with the seventh. Indeed, God is seen to bring order and form into creation gradually, moving from preparation on the first three days to completion in next three where He then created the sun and moon, followed by the birds and fish; and then vegetation and living creatures. The climax was reached with the creation of human beings, male and female in His image. (Gn 1:27) Creation therefore has its own natural laws. Indeed, there can be no science if there is no rationality in the created world.
The question is, where does this order in creation come from? There must be a Mind controlling and ordering creation. It cannot be nature itself. Someone must have put order into creation. Even for us human beings, where does our reason come from, if not the fact that we are created in the image and likeness of God? In other words, the author wants us to arrive at this truth, that the entire creation is dependent on God. God is the Reason in creation. This is why, in the creation account, the world is created by the Word of God. Each day of creation is prefaced by the words, “God said …” The Word is the Logos, the divine reason for creation. St John speaks of creation as coming from God through Christ. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.” (Jn 1:1-3) St Paul in his letter to the Colossians, wrote, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers – all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Col 1:15-17)
This is why in the gospel, Jesus is portrayed by Mark the evangelist as someone who has come to establish the kingdom of God destroyed by sin. He came to re-establish the rule of God by His works of deliverance and healing, from those possessed by evil spirits, those who were sick and afflicted with diseases, and those who were lost and without hope. Hence, in today’s gospel reading, “the people recognised him, and started hurrying all through the countryside and brought the sick on stretchers to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, to village, or town, or farm, they laid down the sick in the open spaces, begging to let them touch even the fringe of his cloak. And all those who touched him were cured.” Jesus came to give back to humanity what was lost by sin.
In the light of what has been said, surely, we must in wonder and contemplation come to adore the majesty of God, His omnipotence, His power, His love and His wisdom. Like the psalmist, we must also say, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them dominion over the works of your hands. O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Ps 8:3-5,9) Job was grappling with the mystery of innocent suffering. He said, “If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand. He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength — who has resisted him, and succeeded? – he who removes mountains, and they do not know it, when he overturns them in his anger; who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble; who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up the stars; who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the Sea; who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the chambers of the south; who does great things beyond understanding, and marvelous things without number.” (Job 9:2-10)
Instead of seeking to pretend we know all, we must come to faith and adoration of God. Faith goes beyond empirical knowledge and science. We must humbly submit in faith like the psalmist and Job and the author of Genesis, to the awesome wisdom and power of God. We are called to trust Him and to surrender our lives to Him. Just as the people touched the hem of His garment and were healed, so too we can touch God as we contemplate on the wonders of creation and life each day. Faith in God as the creator of life, the source of life, and that we all have a place in His creation, a role to play, and even if we do not understand why some things happen to us, we can commend our life, history and sufferings to Him.
We must not, as St Paul warns us, be arrogant and think so highly of our knowledge of science. “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse; for though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened.” (Rom 1:19-21) Lest we fall into thinking that we can manage the world without God, we will only hurt ourselves. Rather, Isaiah asks us to “Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these?” (Isa 40:26) In loving reverence, in humility, in wonder, we bow before Him!
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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