08 Feb 2011, Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1
Gn 1:20-2:4a

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.

Ps 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Responsorial PsalmR. (2ab)

O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars which you set in place—
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

Gospel
Mk 7:1-13

When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus,
they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals
with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.
(For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,
do not eat without carefully washing their hands,
keeping the tradition of the elders.
And on coming from the marketplace
they do not eat without purifying themselves.
And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,
the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds.)
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,
“Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders
but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?”
He responded,
“Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites,
as it is written:

This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.

You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”
He went on to say,
“How well you have set aside the commandment of God
in order to uphold your tradition!
For Moses said,
Honor your father and your mother,
and Whoever curses father or mother shall die.
Yet you say,
‘If someone says to father or mother,
“Any support you might have had from me is qorban”’
(meaning, dedicated to God),
you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.
You nullify the word of God
in favor of your tradition that you have handed on.
And you do many such things.”

Meditation: Genesis 1:20–2:4

“God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.” (Genesis 1:31)


Yes, God’s creation is very good indeed! Think about plain old water. Not only is it necessary for life, but it is one of the most mesmerizing elements in the world. It forms the mighty seas, breathtaking rivers, and cascading waterfalls. It is the sub-stance of billowy clouds, grand ice-bergs, and intricately designed snow-flakes. Even the tiniest droplets can splay sunlight into a dazzling spectrum of color.

How beautiful this world is! And how wonderfully it reflects God’s own nature! Yet how many days do we live in this world without taking the time to see God’s hand in it! It can be so easy to rush through our daily duties and obligations, so wrapped up in our own little “world” that we don’t see the bigger—the more real—world around us. And not seeing the hand of God, we risk missing the work of God. Not reading the letter of love that he writes to us in the seas, the trees, and the skies, we risk not hearing his very voice in our hearts.

God is the Master Artisan whose intricate work of creation has the power to fill us with hope. Reflecting on the beauty of creation, Pope John

Paul II once said: For those who have attentive ears and unveiled eyes, creation is like a first revelation, which has its own eloquent language: It is almost like another sacred book whose letters are represented by the multitude of creatures present in the universe. St. John Chrysostom says: “The silence of the heavens is a voice that resounds more intensely than a trumpet. This voice cries to our eyes, and not to our ears, the grandeur of the one who made it.” And St. Athanasius wrote: “The firmament, through its magnificence, beauty and order, is a prestigious preacher of its author, whose eloquence fills the universe.” So look around you today. Take a

deep breath, quiet your mind, and let the world speak to you. If God can use dirt and air and water to create such stunning beauty, imagine what he can do with your heart— which he also declares “very good”!

“Father, open my eyes to your goodness and beauty today. Inspire me and lead me more deeply into the mystery of your love!”