In the Beginning

Paying attention to the 

two creations

02/12/2019

Genesis1:1-19 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.

I love that we are beginning the book of Genesis and reflecting on the creation account. There is so much depth of meaning in the first two chapters of Genesis 1 and 2, it’s impossible to take it all in. If you don’t believe me, just read Pope St. John Paul II’s enormous exposition of these two chapters in his book Man and Woman He Created Them, which is well worth your time and trouble.

Let me just point out one delightful detail. Genesis opens with the evocative words, “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless wasteland and darkness covered the abyss.” Can you think of any other biblical book that also opens with the exact same words? It’s my favorite book, the Gospel of John. It begins similarly, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…All things came to be through him and without him nothing came to be.” It continues: “What came to be through him was life and this life was the light of the human race, the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” Do you remember in Genesis what God created first of all? We read in Genesis 1:3, “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’.” In other words, there is a close correlation between the old creation, wrought by the hands of God the Father in Genesis, and the new creation at the hands of God the Son in John. Both the Father and the Son are preoccupied in overcoming “the formless wasteland,” or in Hebrew the “tohu wa-bohu.” That is, Genesis and John present two beginnings in the bible: the first which overcomes the darkness of non-existence in the heart of the universe (bringing all into being), and the second which overcomes the darkness of sin in the hearts of men and women (bringing people to perfection).

In the gospel of Mark we see Jesus curing all who come to him with their diseases and demons, that is, those overwhelmed by their own personal darkness. And what does Jesus do? Well, like Father like Son, and we might also say, like Genesis like John, that is, he cures and heals, he sanctifies and enlightens. Jesus says in effect, “Let there be light” in the darkness of people’s broken lives and “the darkness does not overcome it.” The Son learned from the Father how to zero in on whatever is “formless wasteland,” the tohu wa-bohu and heal it and make it whole.

But notice Jesus’ preoccupation is always with the darkness of sin in the human heart, the second creation. How many times he surprisingly says, “Your sins are forgiven you,” when the poor person in front of our Lord only wanted to be healed of leprosy, or blindness, or to walk, or to rise from the dead. But that focus on the physical was his Father’s work, to overcome the formless wasteland of the material universe. The Son’s job, on the other hand, is to overcome the formless wasteland in the spiritual universe, the wasteland of sin, through the light of the sacraments.

My friends, pay attention to the these two great beginnings in your own life, both the beginning of Genesis and your physical wellness. But do not ignore the beginning of John and the your spiritual welfare. There is such a great emphasis today on physical health and well-being. People got into shape to run the Fort Smith marathon last Sunday. We all make New Year’s resolutions to diet and exercise. Every time we visit the doctor or dentist they remind us we must take better care of our bodies, the physical creation of Genesis 1.

But we too easily forget the second creation of John 1. When was the last time we went to sacramental confession? Even if we go to sacramental confession frequently, that does not absolve us of the need to seek forgiveness directly from the people we hurt with our sinful words and actions every day: spouses, parents, children, coworkers, and even perfect strangers whom we judge in our hearts. That sin is a source of spiritual darkness, the formless wasteland that hides in the human heart.

Just the first three words of the book of Genesis – “in the beginning” – is packed with profound meaning. Imagine what the rest of the chapter, the rest of the book, and the rest of the bible might mean!

Praised be Jesus Christ!