From the desk of the pastor for August 23, 2026

The Lord be with you! Last week we looked at the theme of Creation highlighting how God had created the world good. Today we look at how humanity makes the world and itself good in the image of God.

Whereas Genesis 1 presents the creation of mankind as the last thing God does as a sort of capstone to the cosmos, the second creation account has God create Adam very early on. In fact, Adam is the first living thing! Genesis 2:5 describes the earth as a barren waste devoid of life because no rain had fallen and only a little stream flowing in Eden. God creates Adam by blowing breadth into the ground and then plants a garden for him. These acts are very important, and we will come back to them in a moment.

At this point we should be asking, "Wait a minute. What happened to the six days of creation?" The six days of creation and the day of rest belong to the first account of creation whereas Adam and Eve belong to the second. Nowadays we are inclined to see these two stories in opposition, but the Israelites did not. Throughout the Old Testament, and especially in Genesis, the same story is often given in two complimentary ways. Just as we were not supposed to think that God made the universe in 144 hours, we are not supposed to read the second account as if it were a documentary.

Instead, the literal meaning is the symbolic. In particular, God creates humankind as a way to link the material universe to Himself through man. The earth does not have the breadth of life - the Holy Spirit - but Adam does. Adam is the conduit through which God is going to bless the world with life and grace. Adam and the stream are being contrasted to show that more is needed than elements for life to be good or even to flourish. God is needed, and only Adam has a divine aspect.

Once Adam is around, God makes all sorts of creatures to be a companion to man. Animal life is subordinated to Adam not as a slave but as part of man's adopted family with Adam the head. This covenantal or family framing will appear a lot in the Bible. None of these "children" can be a spouse to Adam, and his heart is not satisfied. God casts Adam into a sleep, symbolizing death, and creates Eve from his side. Adam is made complete by losing part of himself, and Eve comes into being by sacrifice. The two immediately join their hearts together and find a new happiness in love!

This second account of creation is deeply interested in what makes humanity special: love and knowledge. These very capacities will soon be turned to corrupting our first parents, but that is our next article. May we remember that God has created our species to love all creation in imitation of God's love for us.

In His Sacred Heart,
Fr. John