12 th Sunday in Ordinary Time
June 21, 2015
12 Noon & 5:30 PM Liturgies
J.A. Loftus, S.J.
“In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness” (Genesis 1: 1-4).
Sound familiar? These are the first four verses of the book of
Genesis, the opening of the great creation myth of the Judeo-
Christian tradition. Every religion, and most every tribe of ancestors we have had, has its own creation story. Ours is one of the most stunningly succinct and direct and beautiful.
Why bring it up today? Because the world has just been invited to reflect again on just how we all got here, and why. Rarely has any church decided to celebrate Genesis in modern times. To be honest, a “church” did not issue the invitation this time either.
One man did, but he does happen to be the Bishop of Rome, the
Pope. His Encyclical came out on Thursday of this week.

I doubt it is mere coincidence that the Pope’s Encyclical,
Laudato Si , was released this week. Today’s scripture readings also impel us to reflect on the relationship between God and nature, or
God and creation. Francis is a very careful planner and knows instinctively how to use public media to make a point.
So what might one of the major points be? One is certainly the rocky relationship between science and faith. The relationships between scientific explanation and religious faith have shared a bumpy road for centuries (Think Galileo &
Company). Lots of “either-or-thinking,” or “black-white” choices have narrowed perspectives for both religions and for science.
Either “blind” faith or “scientific reductionism” seemed appealing choices down through the years.
But it is a false and misleading dichotomy. It is never a simple choice between so-called “facts,” and “myths.” Our so-called facts are always conditioned by the stories we tell, the poetry we compose that largely creates what we see as reality to begin with.
Sorry this sounds so “heady,” but we all know it to be true anyway.
That’s all Pope Francis is asking all of us to do: to reflect again prayerfully on our “common home.”
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In Pope Francis’ own words: “…science and religion, with their distinctive approaches to understanding reality, can both enter into an intense dialogue fruitful for both” ( Laudato Si , #62).
Most of us realize today that what we call “reality” or “nature” is constantly evolving, growing, and becoming ever more and more fascinating and puzzling. There are a gazillion “things” in our universe that we can’t see, smell, touch, or hear. But we know they are real (Think Black Holes or Dark Energy). Science is positively astounding.
A recent example: a dishwasher-sized object has awakened on a comet hurtling at an enormous speed, more than three million miles from earth. The dishwasher named Philae descended from a spaceship called Rosetta eight months ago. And it just began to talk to us on earth again after seven months of silence. Who could ever have imagined this could be “the real” even two decades ago?
Human beings mold and shape reality every day. And, please
God, we will continue to mold and shape a world beyond even our present-day imaginings. That’s why creation was given to us in the first place. That’s what our sciences and arts and history have developed to guide us. But most of us are not “deists” anymore.
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God’s hand can be seen increasingly in the creative processes that inhabit our worlds.
Listen to a much-beloved, if atheistic, scientist, Carl Sagan:
“Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality. When we recognize our place in an immensity of light-years and in the passage of ages, when we grasp the intricacy, beauty, and subtlety of life, then that soaring feeling, that sense of elation and humility combined, is surely spiritual”
( The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark ).
Today’s readings re-insert us into this great drama. Job brings us back to Genesis. A power larger and more enigmatic than any other we can know still guards and guides the seas. And those waves are often still frightening, if not terrifying. But there is a guiding hand somewhere in the Chaos.
This is a lesson repeated in Mark’s gospel. “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey” (Mk: 41)? Oh, there are other explanations that have been offered for this “miracle.” Perhaps this story is just another incidence of Lake Gennesaret’s waves whipped into frenzy at a moment’s notice as it is even today. (It’s really a very shallow lake with mountains guarding both ends.
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Storms start and subside in a moment’s notice all the time.) One can dismiss the story altogether if one wishes. But it’s still a powerful story and it still has a message for us in today’s world.
Another dismissive explanation might be that perhaps through the eyes of faith, the disciples saw the storm, woke Jesus afraid for themselves, and noticed that just as Jesus awoke, the seas suddenly went calm. So perhaps it’s just a temporal coincidence?
That dismisses it too.
There are any number of ways to de-bunk stories of the
“miraculous.” There are all sorts of alternate possibilities to
“explain” strange “things that go bump in the night.” But there remains a deeply numinous power in the stories that can unlock even larger mysteries in our world.
We human beings are the guardians of creation, even though we’re just a part of it ourselves. We can delight in it, be amazed by its increasing complexity, celebrate its evolving awesomeness. But perhaps above all, we are challenged to respect and protect it for our future. This is our common home that we all inhabit ( Laudato
Si ).
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Listen to Francis (both Pope Francis and Saint Francis). They invite us all (Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and even the
“nones”) invites us all to praise “my lord Brother Sun,” to praise
“Sister Moon, and Brothers Wind and Air,” and especially “Mother
Earth.” Laudato Si! The Pope’s letter is a friendly reminder.
In the beginning, God saw that it was all good. And God gave it all to us: to enjoy, to understand, to tame, to guide, to grow, and to preserve. Creation grows whenever we understand it better and respect it more consciously. Creation grows whenever we come together to protect it. Our common home only grows with our care and love.
In the beginning, God saw that it was all good! God still does see it all as good. Let’s help for a change. Peace!
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