God Creates Light and Space

Genesis 1:18

od is eternalthat is, God has no beginning or end. And yet, the world and everything in it, even time itself, began when God spoke it into being. Lets read about Gods
amazing creative power in the very first book of the Bible, Genesis.

In the beginning when

God created the heavens
and the earth, 2the 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. 3Then
God said, Let there be light;
and there was light. 4And God saw
that the light was good; and God separated
the light from the darkness. 5God called the
light Day, and the darkness he called Night.
And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
6 And God said, Let there be a dome in
the midst of the waters, and let it separate
Going Deeper
Read It! The creation of the world, which
marks the beginning of salvation
history, is read every year at the Easter
Vigil! See also CCC #27989 (Religious
instruction about the Creation is very
important).
Do It! This week do something specific
as a family to show respect for Gods
creationtake a load of recyclables to the
recycling center or plant a tree.

the waters from the waters. 7So 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. 8God
called the dome Sky. And there was evening
and there was morning, the second day.
Lets Pray
The heavens tell the glory of God; the skies
proclaim the work of his hands (from
Psalm 19:1).
Thank you, God, for the beauty of your
world. Help us to take good care of the beautiful things you have made and to treat creation with respect. In the name of the Father,
and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen!

Special Words:
A mighty wind is sometimes
translated a wind of God
or Spirit of God.
Did You Know? There are
volcanoes on Mars. The tallest,
the Olympus Mons, stands
eighteen miles high.

God Creates Sea and Sky

Genesis 1:919

ave you ever stood on the seashore and imagined how deep the water must be? Have
you ever seen a mountain touch the sky? God created the world as a home for every
fish that swims, every seagull that flies, and every bug that creeps. And then God entrusted
it all to us! Lets listen to how God prepared a place for every living creature!

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.
10
God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called
Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11Then
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. 12The 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. 13And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
14 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, 15and let

Going Deeper
Read It! This story is also from the
Easter Vigil. See also CCC #299
(Gods creation has order).
Do It! Together, go and watch the sun
set tonight!

them be lights in the dome of the sky to give

light upon the earth. And it was so. 16God
made the two great lightsthe greater light
to rule the day and the lesser light to rule
the nightand the stars. 17God set them in
the dome of the sky to give light upon the
earth, 18to rule over the day and over the
night, and to separate the light from the
darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19
And there was evening and there was
morning, the fourth day.
Lets Pray
Your mercy, Lord, is as deep as the deepest
ocean; your love is greater than the highest mountain. Thank you for all the ways you
take care of us! In the name of the Father,
and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen!

Special Words:
Vegetation
refers to all the plant life
on earth. The dome of the sky
(v. 14), sometimes called the
firmament, refers to the
vast space above the
water.

God Creates All Living Creatures

Genesis 1:2025

hats your favorite animal? Do you like puppies, giraffes, or majestic sea creatures?
In todays reading, God created the birds, the fish, and all the other living creatures.
Then he put them in the homes he had created just for them, until the whole world was
filled with life!

And God said, Let the waters bring forth

swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly
above the earth across the dome of the sky.
21
So God created the great sea monsters and
every living creature that moves, of every
kind, with which the waters swarm, and ev-

Lets Pray
Doxology by Thomas Ken
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost!
Amen.
Going Deeper
Read It! CCC #319 (God created the world
to show his glory).
Do It! Visit a zoo this weekend!

ery winged bird of every kind. And God saw

that it was good. 22God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the
waters in the seas, and let birds multiply
on the earth. 23And there was evening and
there was morning, the fifth day.
24 And God said, Let the earth bring
forth living creatures of every kind: cattle
and creeping things and wild animals of
the earth of every kind. And it was so.
25
God made the wild animals of the earth of
every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and
everything that creeps upon the ground of
every kind. And God saw that it was good.

Did You Know? The

ordered beauty of Creation
is proof that God exists. The world
did not appear by accident, but by
Gods design. Before creating the birds
and fish and animals, he created a
home best suited to their needs. Before
creating us, he made sure wed have
everything we need. What a
wonderful God!

God Creates People

Genesis 1:2631

fter creating all those animals, God delighted in the infinite variety of the world. And
yet something was still missing, someone who would take care of Gods amazing creation. So God created the very first man, Adam.

Then God said, Let us make humankind in

our image, according to our likeness; and
let them have dominion over the fish of the
sea, and over the birds of the air, and over
the cattle, and over all the wild animals of
the earth, and over every creeping thing
that creeps upon the earth.
27
So God created humankind in his
image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28
God blessed them, and God said to them,
Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth
and subdue it; and have dominion over
the fish of the sea and over the birds of the
air and over every living thing that moves
upon the earth. 29God said, See, I have

Lets Pray
Heavenly Father, thank you for loving
us into the world.
Going Deeper
Read It! CCC #307 (We are fellow
workers in Gods kingdom).
Do It! Send a card today to someone for
whom you are especially thankful!

given you every plant yielding seed that is

upon the face of all the earth,
and every tree with seed in
its fruit; you shall have
them for food. 30And
to every beast of the
earth, and to every
bird of the air, and
to everything that
creeps on the earth,
everything that has the
breath of life, I have given
every green plant for food.
And it was so. 31God saw everything that he
had made, and indeed, it was very good. And
there was evening and there was morning,
the sixth day.

Special Words:
One meaning of subdue is
to cultivate; dominion
refers to ownership.
Did You Know? There are more
than three million varieties of
animals on earth?

Adam and Eve

Genesis 2:1824

ave you ever been to a wedding? In todays story, God brought Adam and Eve together
to create the first human family. Adam waited for his partner until God made her
just for him!

Then the Lord God said, It is not good

that the man should be alone; I will make
him a helper as his partner. 19So out of the
ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air,
and brought them to the man to see what
he would call them; and whatever the man
called every living creature, that was its
name. 20The man gave names to all cattle,
and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was
not found a helper as his partner.
21
So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to
fall upon the man, and he slept; then he
took one of his ribs and closed up its place
with flesh. 22And the rib that the Lord God
had taken from the man he made into a
woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then
the man said,
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.
24
Therefore a man leaves his father and his
mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.
Lets Pray
Prayer for the Family
A Traditonal Catholic Prayer

Blessed are you, loving Father, Ruler of the

universe:
You have given us your Son,
And have made us temples of your Holy
Spirit.
Fill our family with your light and peace.
Have mercy on all who suffer,
And bring us to everlasting joy with you,
Father,
We bless your name forever and ever.
Amen.

Going Deeper
Read It! The gospel reading (OT 27B) is Mark 10:216; CCC
#2207 (The family is the community where we learn
things like moral values).
Do It! Plan a family nightsomething fun for the whole
family to do together!

Quote of the Day: Perfect

married life means the
spiritual dedication of
the parents for the benefit
of their children.
St. Thomas Aquinas

That Bad Snake!

Genesis 3:6, 915

lone in the garden paradise, Adam and Eve enjoyed perfect happiness. God said they
could eat from every tree in the garden except from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and
Evil. So together they worked and played, took care of the animals, and marveled at the
beauty all around them. Then the evil one, in the form of a snake, ruined it all. Has God
said... ? the snake hissed, tempting Eve to doubt her Creator. Surely God is afraid of
your becoming as wise as he! Go on... take a bite!

So when the woman saw that the tree was

good for food, and that it was a delight to
the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired
to make one wise, she took of its fruit and
ate; and she also gave some to her husband,
who was with her, and he ate....
9
But the Lord God called to the man, and
said to him, Where are you? 10He said, I
heard the sound of you in the garden, and I
was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid
myself. 11He said, Who told you that you
were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of
which I commanded you not to eat? 12The
man said, The woman whom you gave to be
with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and
I ate. 13Then the Lord God said to the woman, What is this that you have done? The
woman said, The serpent tricked me, and I
ate. 14The Lord God said to the serpent,
Because you have done this,
cursed are you among all animals

and among all wild creatures;

upon your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15
I will put enmity between you and the
woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.
Lets Pray
God, whose mercy and compassion never
fail, look kindly upon the sufferings of all
mankind: the needs of the homeless; the
anxieties of prisoners; the pains of the sick
and the injured; the sorrows of the bereaved; the helplessness of the aged and
weak. Comfort and strengthen them for the
sake of your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.
St. Anselm1

Going Deeper
Read It! This week (OT 10B), the gospel is Mark
3:2035; CCC #324 (God would not permit
an evil if he did not cause a good to come
from it).
Do It! Look in magazines and newspapers for
examples of people making good and bad
choices. If the choice was a bad one, what should
that person have done instead?

Did You Know? Snakes have

special belly scales called
scutes to help them
move along the ground.

Cain and Abel

Genesis 4:35, 812

t first, Adam and Eve had two sons: Cain, who raised crops, and Abel, who tended
flocks. Like most brothers, Cain and Abel didnt always get along! In this sad story, we
read of a difference between the two brothers that brought about the first murder.

In the course of time Cain brought to the

Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground,
4
and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And
the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5but for Cain and his offering he had
no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his
countenance fell....
8 Cain said to his brother Abel, Let us
go out to the field. And when they were in
the field, Cain rose up against his brother
Abel, and killed him. 9Then the Lord said
to Cain, Where is your brother Abel? He
said, I do not know; am I my brothers
keeper? 10And the Lord said, What have
you done? Listen; your brothers blood is

crying out to me from the ground! 11And

now you are cursed from the ground,
which has opened its mouth to receive your
brothers blood from your hand. 12When
you till the ground, it will no longer yield to
you its strength; you will be a fugitive and a
wanderer on the earth.
Lets Pray
A Prayer for Vocations2
Lord, let me know clearly the work that you
are calling me to do in life.
And grant me every grace I need to answer your call
With courage and love and lasting dedication to your will. Amen!

Going Deeper
Read It! CCC #2538 (The tenth commandment tells us
not to envy).
Do It! Talk about a time when you were envious of
someone. When we envy, we forget to be thankful!
What would you like to thank God for today?

10

Special Words: Firstlings

are the first animals to be
born in a flock. The fat portions
refer to the choicest and best
parts of the animal.

Quote of the Day: Give

us, Lord, a humble, quiet,
peaceable, patient, tender, and
charitable mind, and in all our
thoughts, words, and deeds a
taste of the Holy Spirit.
St. Thomas More

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