In the second creation story in the Book of Genesis, the man recognizes the woman as bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. It is a reference to kinship, to a connectedness so profound as to create true union, in which the two of them become one flesh. The stories of creation are all about relationship: relationship between the man and the woman, relationship between all things created and the Creator, relationship between humankind and all of creation. Relationship is God’s desire and God’s purpose. We see this reflected in Psalm 128, where the Lord blesses humankind all the days of our lives, generation after generation: your children shall be like olive plants around your table, their identity firmly grounded in their relationship with Lord who created them.
When, in Mark’s Gospel, the Pharisees challenge Jesus’ understanding of the relationship between man and woman, Jesus cites the Book of Genesis to demonstrate that God’s intent was always that the man and woman should be one: from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female and the two shall become one flesh. In a true marriage, God is the bond between the man and woman, the power that makes them one. But as Jesus is well aware, humankind’s hardness of heart has sometimes allowed for the dissolution of this relationship. The choice is ours: whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it. It is up to us to choose relationship, not only in the day to day, but with God over all else.
The most extraordinary example of God’s desire for relationship is the Incarnation, when Jesus became fully human and took on flesh, that he might experience death on behalf of all. And, having become fully human, Jesus can take all of creation with him through death to everlasting life. Moreover, Jesus is the origin of all things, for it is he from whom and through whom all things exist, the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us. The union Jesus shares with all humanity through the Incarnation enables him to call us brothers and sisters; he chooses relationship with us. Will we choose relationship with him?
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
No comments:
Post a Comment