How Good It Is

Readings for Monday February 7, 2011

First Reading: Genesis 1: 1-19
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 104
Gospel: Mark 6:53-56


In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over the waters.
Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw how good the light was. God then separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” Thus evening came, and morning followed–the first day.
Then God said, “Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters, to separate one body of water from the other.” And so it happened: God made the dome, and it separated the water above the dome from the water below it. God called the dome “the sky.” Evening came, and morning followed–the second day.
Then God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin, so that the dry land may appear.” And so it happened: the water under the sky was gathered into its basin, and the dry land appeared. God called the dry land “the earth,” and the basin of the water he called “the sea.” God saw how good it was. Then God said,
“Let the earth bring forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit with its seed in it.” And so it happened: the earth brought forth every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit with its seed in it. God saw how good it was. Evening came, and morning followed–the third day.
Then God said: “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky, to separate day from night. Let them mark the fixed times, the days and the years, and serve as luminaries in the dome of the sky, to shed light upon the earth.” And so it happened: God made the two great lights, the greater one to govern the day, and the lesser one to govern the night; and he made the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky, to shed light upon the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw how good it was. Evening came, and morning followed–the fourth day. (Gen 1:1-19)

In today's first reading, we hear the beginning of the creation story. There is a common theme that stands out, after each thing that God made it is said that "God saw how good it was." Isn't it interesting that everything that God makes is good? How often do we think about how good all of God's creations are. Now most of us will not doubt how amazing a sunset or sunrise is, most of us will never doubt the beauty of the mountains, and most of us will never call a wonderful blue summer sky a bad thing. But remember, God did not just stop with the sea and the earth, God went on to create something else ... God went on to create man and woman, and God saw the goodness in this creation as well. We must remember that God create us for good, and even if we and the rest of the world do not see the goodness in each other, God does. God does not create bad things, everything that God creates is good. So the question that we must ask ourselves is; are we trying to be the good person that God created us to be?

Father above, we thank you for the gift of this day. We thank you and give you praise for all that we are. Lord, please pass on your healing touch to all those who come to you, all those who are sick and in need of healing. Lord we pray for all those who are in need of conversion, may they be brought to your truth and light. Amen.