THE BOOK OF GENESIS –
« This
book, the first of the Pentateuch or Torah, tells us about the origins of the
world and also the story of the patriarchs.
«
The authors of the 11 first chapters of the book
of Genesis, are interested in the origins of the world. According to the
calculations of the scientists the world is 4 billion years old and, the human
beings have lived in this world for about 2 million years. In Scripture the
origins of the world are presented by means of stories and legends that were
present also in the cultures of the peoples surrounding Israel. Israel
transforms these stories into a message of the revelation of God as creator who
gives life, always ready to forgive and, to take care of the people He has
created.
«
These stories from Genesis are not historical,
they are theological reflections on the great truths and questions that the human beings have always
had and have tried to solve in different ways according to their beliefs and
cultures.
«
There are 4 authors, or group of authors, or sources(traditions)
in the book of Genesis: Yahwist (J) Elohist (E) Deutoronomist (D) and the Priestly
(P)
«
The text of the first Reading for next Sunday
belongs to the Yahwist tradition, which is the most ancient tradition. The main
themes of this source are:
o
Creation of the human race – life
o
Sin and the lost of Paradise - human suffering
o
The sin of Cain – violence, hate, wars.
o
The story of the giants
o
The story of the flood – Natural
catastrophes.
o
The list of the nations
o
The tower of Babel – human pride that ignores God
o
After Babel we enter into the second part of
Genesis, the story of Abraham and of the other patriarchs.
«
For the Yahwist
the primeval history of the human race has 4 points which are repeated
over and over again:
o
God lets us know what is sin
o
and its consequences, punishment for sin
o
The mercy of God
o
The human being continues to sin.
«
We may see this in the stories of:
o
Adam and Eve
o
Cain and Abel
o
The flood
o
The tower of Babel
«
As we begin the season of Lent let us
reflect on this constant behavior of God
and, of the human being. This mercy and
forgiveness of God will become flesh, in Jesus of Nazareth. For our sake and
our salvation he has pitched his tent among us, and has become one of us.
FIRST READING: Gn 2,7-9; 3,1-7.
Ø God
formed “man-Adam” name which some authors translate as “creature from dust” (hā’
ādām), man is formed out of the clay of the ground and lives because God blows into his nostrils the breath of life.
Ø Before making his creature God planted a garden in Eden.
This garden is the earth which God gives to man so he can live on it. He does
not only live in the garden but must take good and tender care of it. He has to
take care of the earth in the same way
God takes care of creation
Ø After
the creation of man God continues to decorate the garden creating trees, fruit
trees, rivers everything that will delight man, because God has created us to
be happy.
Ø Among
the trees God puts two especial trees,
the tree of knowledge of good and bad
and the tree of life.
Ø In
the text which we will read this coming
Sunday the Church has omitted the story
of the creation of the woman. This passage is the first reference to the
institution of marriage from the very beginning of human existence on earth.
Ø After
telling what God has done for his
creature, the author tells the first answer of this creature to his/her
Creator. The story of the temptation of
our first fathers is the story of our own temptations. It is described in a
very clear and graphic manner. Let us
try to discover the real message which is found beneath the images:
o
The trees were delightful to look at and good
for food
o
Temptation is usually about something which is
attractive and pleasant, but which is forbidden (you shall not eat it or
even touch it, lest you die.”
o
The woman allows the serpent to talk to her. She
has not understood the precept God has given them, she sees it as something arbitrary, somenting she cannot do because God said so, but
not as something God has said for their wellbeing. She says “God has
said…”
o
The serpent is right they will know what is good
and what is bad.
o But
it is not enough to know intellectually but to know from the depth of our heart
and soul. To know what is good and what
is evil does not help us unless we love the truth. If this is not so it happens
to us what we read in the story of the first sin; the fruit looks good… why
should I not eat it? God does not
know how good this is!!!
o
The woman finally takes the fruit in her hands
and shares it with her husband who becomes her accomplice because he does not
remind her about the words God has said to them.
o
To help us understand that something has changed for Adam
and Eve with the disobedience or sin, the
Bible says that their eyes are opened and they realize that they are naked. Yes now they realize how poor they are, how
vulnerable, how weak and they are ashamed. Before the sin they were able to
look at creation with the same eyes of God and discover the beauty and the
goodness in all, they were able to look at reality as God sees it. They have
lost their innocence, their happiness, their peace, they have lost it for them and for the whole
human race.
o
In the next chapter of Genesis we read
about the first fight between brothers, a fight that ends with the death of one
of them. In a very simple way by means
of a story the Bible puts in front of our eyes the reality of all our hate,
violence, fights, wars…
RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Ps 51,3-4. 5-6. 12-13.17
BE MERCIFUL, O
LORD FOR WE HAVE SINNED
Have mercy on me,
O God, in your goodness
In the greatness
of your compassion
Wipe out my
offense
Throroughly wash
me from my guilt
And of my sin
cleanse me
For I acknowledge
my offense
And my sin is
before me always
Against you only
have I sinned
And done what is
evil in your sight.
A clean heart
create for me, O God
And a steadfast
spirit renew within me
Give me again the
joy of your salvation
And a willing
spirit sustain in me
O Lord, open my
lips,
And my mouth shall
proclaim your praise.
v
Psalm 51 is a penitential psalm composed by
David after he repented from his double sin of adultery and murder.
v
A psalm that reflects also our feelings when we
are faced with our sinfulness
v
We implore the help that comes only from God,
and that he is willing to give it to us, more He always has the initiative, and
he offers continually his help to even
before we ask for it.
v
The last verse we will recite this coming Sunday
is the invocation of the Church at the beginning of the liturgical hours.
SECOND READING – Rm 5,12-19
During the seasons of Lent and Easter until
Pentecost, the second reading will have the same theme as the First Reading and
the Gospel.
Paul compares Jesus with Adam. Jesus is the
second Adam, with his obedience obtains for us our justification. He gives back
to us what the first Adam had lost and gives to God the worship of obedience
which the first Adam did not give to God.
GOSPEL Mt 4,1-11
In this fragment of the Gospel
according to Matthew Jesus is portrait as the new Adam, whom Paul mentioned in
his letter to the Romans. Jesus is faced with the worst of the temptations that
confront the human being. He is victorious because he remains firm on the word of God and to the loving and reverend
obedience to the Father.
«
Let us remember that temptation is always about
something we like and we are not supposed to have or do; or about something we
fear and we are supposed to do.
« In
the gospel we read that Jesus after his baptism is led by the Spirit to the
desert. After his baptism Jesus heard
the voice of the Father saying “This is
my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.”
« With
these words the Fathers confirms Jesus in his being and in his mission.
« Jesus’
mission is going to be difficult, he will have to teach who the Father, the God of Israel, really is. The Father, is a loving and forgiving God. Jesus will have to interpret the Law,
to let us know the real will and purpose
of the Father in giving the law. All of this and many more things will not
please the teachers of Israel. His, is a fearful mission. On the other hand he
feels in himself a power which may be an opportunity for the tempter to tempt him.
« In
the loneliness of the desert the tempter approaches him and questions what
Jesus has heard after his baptism. The
tempter says “if you are the son….”
o
Change the stones into bread to satiate your
hunger. Take advantage of your power, you can do it and you will not be hungry
anymore. The temptation to use the power He has for his own good and not for
the good of others, not to serve others but to serve himself. If we look at
Jesus when we are tempted we will be able to overcome like He overcame leaning
on the Word of God “… we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that
comes from the mouth of God.”
o
Throw yourself from the Temple, make something
that will attract a huge crowd. If you want to do your mission being humble or
in the way the Father will show you, very few people will follow you. “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to
the test.” God is sublime, awesome,
totally different from us, we cannot use Him, trick Him, not even think that He
is going to do whatever we want, we cannot blackmail Him. All of this is an
offense against God.
o
The third temptation is very strong, the tempter
has not been successful with the hunger or the pride, he will try the
temptation of power. “all these I shall
give to you, if you prostrate yourself and worship me” the same temptation of Adam and Eve “your eyes will be opened and you will be
like gods”. This is a lie! And
Jesus gives a strong answer to the tempter “Get
away, Satan! It is written:
the Lord, your God shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.”
o
The tempter leaves him and the angels serve him.
What might be the meaning of this sentence?
Once we overcome our temptation,
the reward is peace, joy, and we acknowledge the continuous presence of God in
our life.
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Claretian Corner
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My God, Three in One: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, give
me the light of your infinite wisdom, so that I may know you and may know
me. Help me also to know what you want
me to do to serve you and to love you with all my being, as much as it is
possible in this present life with the help of your grace. (From the morning prayer of María Antonia
París, foundress of the Claretian Misisonary Sisters).
My Lord, you are mi love, my honor, my hope and my
refuge. You are my glory and destiny.
My teacher, my Father. Help me to look for nothing but for you; to know nothing
but your divine will to fulfill it. I only want you, and in you and for you I want to love all the other things.
.You are more than enough for me. Let me love you as you love me. (Prayer of St. Antonio
María Claret, Founder of the Claretian Missionary Sisters.)
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