Thursday of Week 5 of Ordinary Time – First Reading

Commentary on Genesis 2:18-25

We continue the story of the creation of Man. The Man, here clearly understood as male, is still alone on the earth with only the plant life which had been given to him in the Garden.

Now once more, from the soil of the earth, God brings into being all the animals and birds. They are brought to the Man who gives names to them all, a sign that he is responsible for them and is over them:

… and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.

But the Man still needed “a helper as his partner”. The animals and birds could not fill that role. Without female companionship and a partner in reproduction, the Man could not fully realise his humanity and the command to increase and multiply.

The Man was put into a deep sleep and, as he slept, one of his ribs was removed and the gap covered with flesh. The rib, in its turn, was formed into a Woman, and God then brought her to the Man.

On seeing her the Man is delighted and bursts into song:

This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
this one shall be called Woman,
for out of Man this one was taken.

Note also here, there is a play on the similar-sounding Hebrew words ishsha (‘woman’) and ishah (‘her man’). The writer then reflects that:

Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.

They become literally “one flesh”. Classical Hebrew has no specific word for ‘body’. The sacred writer also stresses the fact that conjugal union is willed by God. We have here a beautiful image of marriage, one that has been experienced again and again. Often, it is only when the union is broken by the death of one partner that the closeness of the union is fully realised.

As a final comment, the writer says that, though naked, they “were not ashamed”. This is a sign of their innocence. Nakedness is still a source of shame in our modern world. We are still uncomfortable with nudity.

One by-product of this discomfort is pornography, watched in darkness or read in secret. And there is the exploitation of nudity, where people are reduced to being objects of sexual desire, or reduced to objects of contempt and ridicule. Yet, artists have been constantly enthralled by the beauty of the human body in its natural state, and have created some of the most beautiful creations in painting and sculpture.

The story of the creation of Woman as ‘helpmate’ to the Man also reminds us that perhaps the most ecstatic experience of human living is when a couple, passionately bonded body to body, express their love for each other in a way that cannot be surpassed. Here, body, mind and spirit fuse in one perfect expression of union. Indeed it is not good that a man or a woman “should be alone”.

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Thursday of Week 5 of Ordinary Time – Gospel

Commentary on Mark 7:24-30

Having challenged some of the religious principles of the Pharisees and scribes, Jesus now pointedly goes into gentile territory. The next three stories take place in non-Jewish areas. Why did Jesus go to the city of Tyre on the Mediterranean coast? It may have been to give him some breathing space from the crowds which pressed in on him everywhere. Later, he will move on to Sidon, and then eastwards by way of the Sea of Galilee to the area known as Decapolis (Ten Towns). All of these places were dominated by Gentiles. Because the people there recognised his healing powers, he ministered to them also.

We are told that he entered a house in Tyre and did not want to be recognised. Why was this? Because his mission was only to his own people? Because people without faith only saw in Jesus a wonder worker? Nevertheless, he was already too well known even here to escape notice. His fame had spread even to these places.

It is then that a gentile woman came to him. She was a Greek, but Syro-Phoenician by birth. She prostrated herself before Jesus and begged him to exorcise the evil spirit in her daughter. Jesus’ answer seems somewhat strange and out of character:

Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.

Jesus’ words suggest an image where the children of the family are fed first, and then the leftovers are given to the dogs under the table. In so speaking, Jesus indicates the prior claim of the Jews to his ministry. In fact, we see this, too, in the missionary work of Paul. Whenever he arrived in a town for the first time, he always went to the Jewish synagogue first to preach the message of Christ, and only later to the Gentiles. Because of the shared tradition of Jews and Christians, they were the obvious people to hear the message first.

Jews (and also Muslims) avoided dogs as unclean animals. They were unclean because they ate all kinds of things indiscriminately. The name ‘dogs’ was sometimes applied by Jews to Gentiles, and for the same reason. It is likely that the woman would be aware of this disparaging title.

It is also important to sense the tone in which Jesus spoke, and this is indicated by the reply of the woman. It is done in a mood of friendly banter. This is clear from the immediate response of the woman:

Sir [also translated ‘Lord’], even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.

In other words, they do not wait until the children are finished eating. They eat simultaneously, even though they only get scraps. Her powerful faith is immediately rewarded and her daughter is healed.

This is a story anticipating the faith of future Gentiles who will become Christians. Let us pray that such faith may be ours also. We know that Jesus excludes absolutely no one from his mercy and healing power. Both as individuals and communities, may we too be as inclusive as possible in our relationships.

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