5th Week in Ord. Time, Tuesday – 7th February 2023 — Gospel: Genesis 1,10-2,4; Mark 7,1-13
Becoming Worthy Care Takers
In the first reading, we are reminded of the special role of humans. God created everything and nothing has come to be without God’s willing it. Human beings are the epitome of creation. They have the privilege of having control over the lesser parts of God’s creation. Men and women are made caretakers of creation. They are always to do what God would want them to do, not just what they wish to do. Being mindful of all creation has always been a response to the God given relationship that we have with all of what God has created. Believing in God as the Creator and Giver of all, humans have a responsibility to care for all of God’s creation, especially as they are the most conscious and thought-enabled creatures on this planet. In reducing, re-using, and recycling they show appreciation for all that God has created, especially for the benefit of those who will come after.
When mortals start thinking that they take the primary place of God and can dictate rules and regulations over creatures, then things start to fall apart. In the Gospel, Jesus reprimands the religious leaders who have taken on too much authority in hand and caused problems for others by lording it over others. These leaders upheld their human traditions over the truth. Yet Jesus reminds the religious leaders that the relationship between God and humans is most important than the human laws and regulations. Humans are called to be images and likenesses of God. They must use their intellectual ability, emotional concerns, and their physical strength to demonstrate to the world that they are privileged to live in God’s creation and provide the same feelings for others.
