4 October 2015
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Chapter
One of the Book of Genesis offers us the creation of the world in connection
with the “Priestly” tradition of writing that focuses on teaching that the
world is an orderly place, governed by the rhythms God has put into place (e.g., six
days of creation, followed by God’s rest, situating Sabbath
observance within the context of creation itself).
Here
we have another tradition about the creation of the world as imagined by the Yahwist. The events are
more free-flowing, beginning with the formation of the first man into whose being God
breathes divine breath. God seems almost human, having breath like us. But soon God realizes that something in creation is not quite right, not yet
complete. Man needs to have a partner. God then proceeds to create an array of animals as possible soul mates
for his human. The LORD invites the man to “name” these creatures, as naming in the
ancient world was a way of participating with God as a co-creator. The
creatures are interesting, varied and beautiful, but none satisfies man’s
deepest longing. God then casts man into
a deep sleep and lovingly shapes from him a new creation. As the man awakes he
instantly recognizes that this new partner is good completes him. And in a
language of poetry, the man expresses his delight and his sense of completeness: This at
last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.The author, Ms. Barbara Gawle, leads Bible studies at her parish, Incarnation Church of Wethersfield, CT. She is a CBS graduate and the 2012 recipient of the Biblical School's highest award, the Lawrence Boadt Memorial Medal.
