THE BREATH OF LIFE…

Genesis 2:4-9,15-17
4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. In the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,5 when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up–for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to till the ground;
6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground–
7 then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed.9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden;17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”

Mark 7:14-23

14 And he called the people to him again, and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand:15 there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him.”
16 * Other ancient authorities add: “If any man has ears to hear, let him hear”17 And when he had entered the house, and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable.18 And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a man from outside cannot defile him,19 since it enters, not his heart but his stomach, and so passes on?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.)20 And he said, “What comes out of a man is what defiles a man.21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery,22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man.”

MEDITATION 

THE FIRST READING: The author descibe the sixth day of creation when; land animals, humans, the heavenly angelic beings and a divine garden were created, preceeded by the formation of mist—water, the mystical tree of life—so trees/plants could sustain both man and animals. The most distinct supernatural feature in this creation account is when the Potter formed man with earthly matter, followed by Him breathing life into this figure made of clay. 

Becuase of Gods infinite greatness, the Hebrew people used the tetragrammaton YHWH when refering to God. When we inhale air it express “YH” as when the child born draw his first breath, whereas the consonant “WH” express a deep sigh when air is released and our lives naturally come to an end.

THE GOSPEL READING: Christ makes the point that the intake of substances albeit deadly cannot defile the soul, whereas whatever comes out of man; satanic words, ideas and actions, machinations that are birthed in the heart and mind, sully, profane and desecrate the soul! With this teaching Christ puts paid to most of the onerous 613 Mitzvot ‘works of the law’ commands that focused on the eternals or stomach, dealing with external hygiene,utensil cleanliness and food handling, what food should or should not be eaten, how it is to be prepared etc, whilsts evil thoughts, actions (vv 21-23) and works of charity that germinate in the heart were blocked, ignored or were not unattended to!

The priesthood of Christ—Holy orders—was instituted by Christ to confer; baptism, confirmation, confession, marriage, the Holy Eucharist and the anointing of the sick, visible rites or Sacraments that is purposed to breathe new life into the compromised soul, whilst dispensing supernatural grace and healing. We who are dead in sin are cordially invited to obtain a new lease on life in Christ before we exhale our last breath and return to dust!

LET US PRAY: Psalms 104:1-2,27-30

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, thou art very great! Thou art clothed with honor and majesty,2 who coverest thyself with light as with a garment, who hast stretched out the heavens like a tent,27 These all look to thee, to give them their food in due season.28 When thou givest to them, they gather it up; when thou openest thy hand, they are filled with good things.
29 When thou hidest thy face, they are dismayed; when thou takest away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
30 When thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; and thou renewest the face of the ground.

Commentary. Henry R SYLVESTER Note: The daily scripture readings are taken from the Roman Missal which the Catholic Church use in the daily Celebration of the Holy Eucharist throughout the world.Some weekly readings may differ because of the celebration of local feast days.