I thought of a friend and confrere today as I was reading the passage from the Book of Genesis in preparation for today’s homily. Fr. James Edmiston died some years ago at the young age of 53. He had pursued and won a doctoral degree in entomology, the study of bugs. As I pondered the picture of God bringing the various animals to Adam, I remembered that Fr. James had discovered a new species of fly while doing research in Germany. As is the custom in science, the bug was named after him. Of course, the story of Adam naming the animals is not to be taken literally. The creation of the various creatures and of Adam’s partner, Eve, is rather a story of how God has made it possible for us to participate in the creation of new life. While all animal life has the power to procreate, human intelligence makes it possible for us to classify and distinguish the various types of life. It is that intelligence that raises us up and sets us apart.
The Gospel reading for today tempers that realization with the need to remember that even though we are the highest form of life, we must remember to be humble. This humility, this faith, saves the Syro-Phoenician woman’s child from an unclean spirit. So I also remember Fr. James’ gift of humility as we often joked with him about the fly that bore his name. Though we share God’s power as the Creator, we must do so humbly.
Today we also mark the twenty-ninth observance of the World Day of Prayer for the Sick. In his message for this day, Pope Francis reminds us that the experience of sickness makes us realize our own vulnerability and our innate need of others. Sickness makes us feel all the more clearly that we are creatures – creatures who are dependent upon God. Sickness also raises the question of life’s meaning, a meaning that can be found in our devotion to the care of the sick.
As we celebrate the Eucharist today, we praise God for the gift of life and pray for all those who are afflicted with chronic illness, disability, infection or terminal illness.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator