Gn 1:20—2:4a
And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind.
And God saw that it was good.
God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind.
And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”
God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.
These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
God’s Creation
The Scripture reading for today is the second half of one of the most well-known passages in all of the Bible, God’s creation of the world. This reading finds new relevance in contemporary times as we are witnessing the great impact human beings have had and are continuing to have on our planet’s ecosystems. This can lead us to ask what contribution this classic reading might make to the eco-concerns of today?
First, this reading impresses upon us the great gift that creation is to us. God freely creates and allows us to enjoy this creation. All that God has made is “good” (Gen 1:31), and we can freely dwell in this goodness. God’s creation can inspire wonder and awe in us, supply our needs, be the source that makes possible many comforts and novelties, provide interesting and fascinating phenomena that we are witnesses to, and through all these our minds and hearts can be lifted-up to God.
Second, the idea that all of the world is a gift from God carries with it the implication that mass destruction of this world’s ecosystems is the destruction of the gifts we have received from God. This is a distinctly religious contribution – and a very powerful one at that – to the cause of preserving the structures vital to the survival of a multitude of forms of life on Earth, including human life.
Of all of God’s creation, what do you find most beautiful, awe-inspiring, and/or interesting? What is one way in which you can do a better job at preserving God’s creation? Name it and find a way to implement it on an ongoing basis.
—Timothy Perron, SJ, is a Jesuit scholastic of the Midwest Province studying theology at Fordham University.
Prayer
God of all creation, How splendid and majestic is the world you created! It reveals your glory; it teaches us about you. When you made us in your image, you gave us this command: care for the world and for all the creatures in it, for this is our common home. Yet your holy creation cries out, for our home is “burdened and laid waste,” scorched and scarred.1 Come among us that we might remember our interdependence. Let us see the face of your Son in those who suffer from the destruction of our common home. Help us to be stewards who honor you in the world you have made for the good of all creation and for future generations. May your justice reign forever! Amen.
—Care for God’s Creation Prayer from the USCCB