Today we read another version of the creation story. Though it appears as the second story in the book of Genesis, it is really a much older story. In it, we are reminded more powerfully that the other creatures of the earth were created as a gift to humanity. The creatures and the garden in which God places Adam are all created for the man created from the clay of the ground, the ben-adam.
With every gift comes a responsibility. In this case, it is humanity’s responsibility to cultivate and care for the garden that God has created for him.
This story comes from a different biblical tradition: the so-called Yahwist tradition which portrays humanity as cooperating in the act of creation through cultivating and caring for it. The first story in the Bible which we read on both Monday and Tuesday of this week comes from the Priestly tradition which portrays man as having dominion over creation.
Dominating the environment and the various species which inhabit our earth has not worked to our advantage. Domination has led to extermination. Consequently, the Yahwist tradition is used by the Holy Father in his latest writings about the environment and our place in it. In both “Laudato Si” and “Fratelli Tutti” we are urged to embrace our role as gardeners who work with God to preserve and enhance creation.
Coming as they do right before Lent, these stories can act as an impetus for us to come up with different Lenten practices that will not only lead us to a less consuming stance but also teach us to embrace a more responsible attitude toward the gifts we have been given by the Creator.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator