Author: admin

***

Genesis: 2:4 – 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.”

The Word of the Lord.

***

***

Whenever God speaks … something happens.

The Book of Genesis, the very first book of the bible, is centered around this idea. We’ve been reading through it for the last three days. 

God says, “Let there be light,” and there is light.

***

Later in Genesis, God speaks to Abraham, saying, “Walk in my presence, and your descendants will be as numberless as the stars.”

Today half of the world – some 3 billion people – call Abraham their father in faith.

***

In the Gospels, Jesus speaks, and demons are cast out; stormy waters are stilled; sins are forgiven.

Then, during his final night on earth, he takes a piece of bread and a cup of wine and says, “This is my Body…this is my Blood.”

Jesus speaks…and feeds the world with his very Self.

The same is true in confession. Through a priest, Jesus says, “Ego te absolvo.” … “I absolve you. Your sins are forgiven.”

***

Whenever God speaks, something happens. This was true from the foundation of the world. The same Lord who said, “Let there be light,” can speak to your heart today.

I wonder, what is God saying?

Open your heart. 

Be still and listen.

***

***

Image credits: (1) Wisdom Hunters (2) Garden of Eden, World History Encyclopedia (3) TrueHeartSpeaks, Pinterest

***

Genesis: 1.20 – 2:4.

God said,
“Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures,
and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky.”
and so it happened:
God created the great sea monsters
and all kinds of swimming creatures with which the water teems,
and all kinds of winged birds.
God saw how good it was, and God blessed them, saying,
“Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas;
and let the birds multiply on the earth.”
Evening came, and morning followed–the fifth day.

Then God said,
“Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures:
cattle, creeping things, and wild animals of all kinds.”
and so it happened:
God made all kinds of wild animals, all kinds of cattle,
and all kinds of creeping things of the earth.
God saw how good it was.
Then God said:
“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air, and the cattle,
and over all the wild animals
and all the creatures that crawl on the ground.”

God created man in his image;
in the divine image he created him;
male and female he created them.

God blessed them, saying:
“Be fertile and multiply;
fill the earth and subdue it.
Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air,
and all the living things that move on the earth.”
God also said:
“See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth
and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food;
and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air,
and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground,
I give all the green plants for food.”
And so it happened.
God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.
Evening came, and morning followed–the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed.
Since on the seventh day God was finished with the work he had been doing,
he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.
So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,
because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.

Such is the story of the heavens and the earth at their creation.

The Word of the Lord.

***

***

When starting a puzzle, the first thing I do is spread all of the pieces across a large table.

One piece turns into a cluster – and then several clusters – and finally a picture starts to emerge. 

When the puzzle is finally completed, it’s amazing to look back and consider the chaos that once was spread across my table.

***

Over the last two days, our first reading from the Book of Genesis has described the creation of the world. It was a place of darkness – a formless waste, with mighty winds sweeping across the waters.

Then God ordered the chaos. Day by day, piece by piece, the LORD assembled the world into an orderly, habitable home.

That’s something only God can do: turn the darkness into light; chaos into order; a formless waste into a home; death into life.

***

It’s what we often need God to do to in our own lives.

To make a crooked path, straight.

To turn grief into gratitude.

Doubt into faith.

***

May the same God who created the cosmos bring peaceful order and inner stillness to the puzzle of our own hearts today.

***

***

Image credits: (1) Jigsaw Puzzle, Wikipedia, Scouten (2) Earth Shaped Puzzle, Montessori Services (3) Serious Puzzles

***

Gospel:

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.

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

When I think of Nagasaki, Japan, I think about the atomic bomb, which was dropped on it during World War Two, incinerating 37,000 people in a matter of seconds.

***

But 350 years earlier, the people of Nagasaki were facing another tragedy. The Japanese government was trying to systematically wipe out our faith; Christians were being killed by the thousands. 

The first known group of martyrs included Saint Paul Miki and 25 of his companions, all of whom were crucified on a hill outside of Nagasaki, much like Jesus. 

Among them were not only priests…but also the elderly, women, and children. We celebrate their memory today.

***

Like Jesus, Saint Paul Miki used the cross as his pulpit to preach love and forgiveness.

These were his final words: “After Christ’s example, I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as fruitful rain.”

***

The Japanese continued trying to stomp out the Catholic faith until all traces of it were lost.

In fact, missionaries would not return to Japan for another two hundred years…

***

But when they did, they discovered there were thousands of Christians living underground in Nagasaki and beyond, revealing that Paul Miki’s prayer was answered.

The Church never dies.

It continues to spread for God’s glory and for the salvation of souls. 

You and I are invited to share in this victory by spreading our faith in Jesus. How might I do that today?

***

***

Image credits: (1) Archdiocese of Malta (2) Go!Good News Network, St. Paul Miki and Companions (3) Blog Archives, Verbum Dei Philippines