Reading 1
Sir 17:1-15
God from the earth created man,
and in his own image he made him.
He makes man return to earth again,
and endows him with a strength of his own.
Limited days of life he gives him,
with power over all things else on earth.
He puts the fear of him in all flesh,
and gives him rule over beasts and birds.
He created for them counsel, and a tongue and eyes and ears,
and an inventive heart,
and filled them with the discipline of understanding.
He created in them knowledge of the spirit;
With wisdom he fills their heart;
good and evil he shows them.
He put the fear of himself upon their hearts,
and showed them his mighty works,
That they might glory in the wonder of his deeds
and praise his holy name.
He has set before them knowledge,
a law of life as their inheritance;
An everlasting covenant he has made with them,
his justice and his judgments he has revealed to them.
His majestic glory their eyes beheld,
his glorious voice their ears heard.
He says to them, “Avoid all evil”;
each of them he gives precepts about his fellow men.
Their ways are ever known to him,
they cannot be hidden from his eyes.
Over every nation he places a ruler,
but God’s own portion is Israel.
All their actions are clear as the sun to him,
his eyes are ever upon their ways.
Ps 103:13-14, 15-16, 17-18
Responsorial PsalmR. (see 17)
The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him,
For he knows how we are formed;
he remembers that we are dust.
R. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.
Man’s days are like those of grass;
like a flower of the field he blooms;
The wind sweeps over him and he is gone,
and his place knows him no more.
R. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.
But the kindness of the LORD is from eternity
to eternity toward those who fear him,
And his justice toward children’s children
among those who keep his covenant.
R. The Lord’s kindness is everlasting to those who fear him.
Gospel
Mk 10:13-16
People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them,
but the disciples rebuked them.
When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them,
“Let the children come to me; do not prevent them,
for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Amen, I say to you,
whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child
will not enter it.”
Then he embraced the children and blessed them,
placing his hands on them.
Meditation: Sirach 17:1-15
“He looks with favor upon their hearts, and shows them his glorious works, that they may describe the wonders of his deeds and praise his holy name.” (Sirach 17:7-8)
Isn’t it amazing how much God has left for us to discover about the world he created and the laws that govern it? There are countless plants and animals no one has even laid eyes on, let alone studied or catalogued. Using even the most powerful telescope, we are just beginning to discover the laws that govern the universe.
There is so much more to learn. There are so many more mysteries to solve. Exciting new theories about the universe are pro-posed and tested every year. New discoveries have led to life-saving advances in medicine and jaw-dropping innovations.
However, there are limits to how far we should go in our experimentation and exploration. Just because we can do something doesn’t always mean we should. So how do we go about figuring out what these limits are? By looking to the Scriptures and the teachings of the church for guidance.
But why should we have limits in the first place? Because of the way that scientific discovery can lead to arrogance and a misuse of God’s precious gifts to us. Think, for instance, of the cosmonauts who scoffed that they had been to “heaven” and hadn’t seen God there.
Take life issues as another example. We know that even if it became possible to create human life through a process like cloning, this is not a right that we as limited creatures have. Similarly, no good or desirable ends—such as cures for disabling diseases—can justify something as wrong as the destruction of human embryos created in God’s image.
God is not an enemy of human knowledge and exploration. The author of Sirach simply reminds us to observe the limits God has set. He urges us to make God a partner in our endeavors, not to block him out. And he calls us to give God glory and praise for the world he created— including the minds he has given us to grow in understanding it. We are stewards of the earth, not its lords.
“Father, I am in awe of the world you have created. Forgive our arrogance in forgetting the limits you have set for us.”
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