RBWords

     The words above are like a refrain in the majestic story that begins the Bible with the Book of Genesis.  God creates the world and sees how good it is.  Today's passage speaks of the creation of light, the seas, plants, and the stars.  Tomorrow it will be birds, animals and, the crown of it all, humans.  There are wonderful scientific and evolutionary descriptions of all of this, but it is hard to beat Genesis for the sheer poetic majesty of this first chapter and the theological significance of its words.  God's work is accomplished in six "days" and God rests on the seventh day.  The first three days show the creation of "domains" and the next three days show the creation of the life that will inhabit those domains.  There is an intimate relationship from the beginning, but subsequent action on the part of humans has created problems.

     Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato si' points out that the earth is our "common home" but we humans have a history of turning it into a consumer item.  Humans are given "dominion" but we have been irresponsible in our exploitation of the common home.  It's a bit like gradually taking bits and pieces of our residence and burning them in the fireplace or selling them for money to spend on our appetites.  We forget that we are stewards and not owners of creation.  We will be called to account by the very creation we exploit when our air and water and food supplies become too polluted for life!!  Genesis' account of creation should make us think about this planet and its puny place in God's cosmos.  Our planet may be puny, but it's all we have right now and we had better maintain it well!!  AMEN