Start Seeing the Image of God

Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

First Reading: Genesis 1:20—2:4A

God said,
"Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures,
and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky."
And so it happened:
God created the great sea monsters
and all kinds of swimming creatures with which the water teems,
and all kinds of winged birds.
God saw how good it was, and God blessed them, saying,
"Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas;
and let the birds multiply on the earth."
Evening came, and morning followed–the fifth day.

Then God said,
"Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures:
cattle, creeping things, and wild animals of all kinds."
And so it happened:
God made all kinds of wild animals, all kinds of cattle,
and all kinds of creeping things of the earth.
God saw how good it was.
Then God said:
"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air, and the cattle,
and over all the wild animals
and all the creatures that crawl on the ground."

God created man in his image;
in the divine image he created him;
male and female he created them.

God blessed them, saying:
"Be fertile and multiply;
fill the earth and subdue it.
Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air,
and all the living things that move on the earth."
God also said:
"See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth
and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food;
and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air,
and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground,
I give all the green plants for food."
And so it happened.
God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.
Evening came, and morning followed–the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed.
Since on the seventh day God was finished with the work he had been doing,
he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.
So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,
because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.

Such is the story of the heavens and the earth at their creation.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (2ab) O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars which you set in place—
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

Gospel: Mark 7:1-13

When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus,
they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals
with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.
(For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,
do not eat without carefully washing their hands,
keeping the tradition of the elders.
And on coming from the marketplace
they do not eat without purifying themselves.
And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,
the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds.)
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,
"Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders
but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?"
He responded,
"Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites,
as it is written:

This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.

You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition."
He went on to say,
"How well you have set aside the commandment of God
in order to uphold your tradition!
For Moses said,
Honor your father and your mother,
and Whoever curses father or mother shall die.
Yet you say,
'If someone says to father or mother,
"Any support you might have had from me is qorban"'
(meaning, dedicated to God),
you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.
You nullify the word of God
in favor of your tradition that you have handed on.
And you do many such things."

NAB

Most of us come into contact with a lot of other human beings on a daily basis: the people we live with, work with, socialize with, and all the people we interact with every time we run to the store or a doctor’s appointment.

It’s easy to only see the ways that people inconvenience us. The baby woke up every three hours during the night; the toddler won’t stop asking for snacks; my husband forgot to get milk on his way home from work. The checkout person is going too slow; the other customer behind me is making annoying small talk; this student didn’t do his assignment; that driver cut me off; my friend didn’t text me back right away. If I’m not careful I could wind up spending the entire day being annoyed with everyone who dares to cross my path, when I should be seeing them for what they really are: beings created in the divine image of God.

God created man in his image;
in the divine image he created him;
male and female he created them.

It’s an easy lie to buy into that I am very important and that everything is about me. But that is a skewing of reality; it’s pride. When I ask the Lord to kill my pride and give me humility instead, I see things as they really are. God is God, the all-powerful Creator. We all are His creation, and as such, all have inherent worth and dignity. When I remind myself of these truths, it’s a lot easier to stop being annoyed with people and start showing them the respect and love they deserve.

The Pharisees in today’s Gospel had a skewed and prideful view of reality. They were putting the things of man ahead of the things of God. The First Reading and the Psalm remind us of how truly marvelous God and all His creation are. If anything gets in the way of loving God and His creation, then it’s not worthy of our time and attention.

We all are His creation, and as such, all have inherent worth and dignity.Click to tweet

Do an examination of your priorities. Is there something that has been keeping you from loving God and honoring His creation? If so, do a small act of kindness for someone, starting with those you are closest with.

Anna Coyne is a Saint Paul native, wife, mother, and convert to the Catholic faith. When not chasing after her two young children you can probably find her teaching piano lessons, knitting, tripping over wooden train sets, or writing. Find out more about her here.