Monday 10 February 2025

5th week in Ordinary Time

Today is Monday the 10th of February, the feast of Saint Scholastica, in the 5th week of Ordinary Time.    The monks of Pluscarden Abbey sing Psalm 90:  You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.” As I listen, I become aware that I, too – and all the people around me – live in the shelter of the Almighty. And as I enter into prayer I, too, place my trust in my Creator, my stronghold, my God.  Today’s reading is from the Book of Genesis. Today, we will only hear the scripture read once...   Genesis 1:1-19  In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.  And God said, ‘Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’ So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.  And God said, ‘Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.’ And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, ‘Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.’ And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.  And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.’ And it was so. God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.      Through our own experience of the natural world, we are invited to engage with this reading from Genesis to be drawn into a deeper encounter with God.     "In the Beginning.’ How might we imagine before the Beginning? A nothingness, chaos?    How do we respond to God's creative word bringing light, order, and life? Where might you see God creating order out of chaos, in the world, in your own life?     Through the reading we enter into the intentional rhythm of God’s creative ebb and flow that makes space for rest and declares each day "good." How do you honour God’s rhythm in your life?     Where do you acknowledge the need to rest and to witness the wonder of creation?    As God brings order out of chaos, we are reminded that God moves through creation in mysterious ways, perhaps that mystery leading us to seek deeper intimacy. How might the natural world —light, storm, or calm—speak to me of God’s presence? How might you trust that God is at work in the "storms" of your life?    "It was good." In the Creation story, God repeatedly declares everything as "good." We are invited to see the world through God’s eyes, including ourselves and others.    How do you experience gratitude for the goodness of creation? How might you affirm that goodness in yourself, others, and the world?    Take a moment to join with the God of Genesis, resting in the rhythm of Creation and all that is ‘good’.    Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.  As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.  Amen.