SAINT JOSEPHINE BAKHITA, VIRGIN (OPTIONAL MEMORIAL)

The Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground.

You might think the Bible is one book, and it is. But in another way, it’s like a library. Some books are historical narrative. Some are poetry. Some are wise sayings. Some are prophetic. All of them have been inspired by God to reveal himself to us. So when we read the Bible, we need to pay attention to what type of passage we’re reading. Even more important, we need to consider how God might be using that passage, and the way it was written, to speak to us.

The Book of Genesis uses stories and prayers and poetry to describe God’s work in his people before they became slaves in Egypt. Take today’s creation story, for example. It describes God reaching down and making man from the clay of the ground. He breathes his own life into the man and places him in a beautiful garden with the command to care for it.

So what does this story tell us about God and our relationship with him?

God is intimately involved in our lives (Genesis 2:7). He is not aloof and doesn’t stay far off from us. He “gets his hands dirty,” grabbing a handful of clay to form it into his very own son or daughter.

God breathes life into each one of us (Genesis 2:7). It’s God’s own breath that brings us to life. We are not merely material beings. We are infused with God’s own Spirit, his breath of life. Yes, we are dependent on him for our most basic physical needs, but his breath of life also opens us up to the spiritual realities of heaven.

God has a plan for us, and it involves “taking care” (Genesis 2:15). God placed the man and woman in the garden to cultivate it. That means that they, and by extension each one of us, has a purpose. And it’s something outside ourselves, a calling to take care of something or someone else. Because by giving of ourselves, we grow in loving as God loves.

How blessed we are—God has given us an entire “library” in the Bible, and he speaks to us on every page!

“Heavenly Father, thank you for your word, the Bible. Help me listen to what you have to say today.”

Genesis 2:4-9, 15-17
Psalm 104:1-2, 27-30
Mark 7:14-23