Summary
Highlights
Father Mike Schmitz introduces The Bible in a Year podcast, brought to you by Ascension. The podcast will read through Genesis to Revelation using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, which covers the 14 narrative books of the Old Testament and New Testament, along with supplemental non-narrative books. Listeners can find the reading plan at ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear and subscribe on podcast apps or via email by texting 'catholicbible' to 33777. Today's readings are Genesis Chapter 1 & 2 and Psalm 19, focusing on the early world period and the creation of the world.
Genesis Chapter 1 describes God's creation of the heavens and the earth. On day one, God creates light and separates it from darkness. On day two, a firmament is created to separate waters. Day three sees the gathering of waters to reveal dry land and the creation of vegetation. Day four, God creates lights in the sky (the sun, moon, and stars) to separate day from night and mark seasons. On day five, living creatures in the water and birds in the air are created. On day six, land animals and finally, humanity, male and female, are created in God's image to have dominion over the earth. Each day, God declares His creation 'good,' and on the sixth day, 'very good.' On the seventh day, God rests, blessing and hallowing it.
Genesis Chapter 2 provides a more detailed account of creation, focusing on humanity. The Lord God forms man from the dust of the ground, breathing life into him. He plants the Garden of Eden, with the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, placing man there to tend it. Man is commanded not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Recognizing that it is not good for man to be alone, God brings all the animals for Adam to name, but no suitable helper is found. God then causes a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, takes a rib, and forms woman. Adam exclaims, 'This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.' This establishes marriage, where a man leaves his parents to cleave to his wife, becoming one flesh. They were both naked and felt no shame.
Psalm 19, a psalm of David, praises God for revealing His glory through creation ('The heavens are telling the glory of God') and through His perfect law. The psalm describes how the natural world speaks of God's handiwork continuously, while God's law revives the soul, makes the simple wise, rejoices the heart, and enlightens the eyes. It emphasizes the purity, endurance, and righteousness of the Lord's ordinances, which are more desirable than gold and sweeter than honey. The psalmist asks to be cleared of hidden faults and presumptuous sins, concluding with a prayer for his words and heart's meditation to be acceptable to God, his rock and redeemer.
Father Mike emphasizes the profound importance of Genesis Chapters 1 and 2, stating they are foundational to understanding the entire Bible and Western civilization. Unlike other ancient creation myths that depict creation born of violence or sexual domination, Genesis presents God creating 'ex nihilo' (out of nothing) through sheer goodness. The Catechism highlights that God, infinitely perfect, created humanity to share in His blessed life, not as slaves or entertainment. The unique Judeo-Christian worldview states that all human beings are created in God's image and likeness, both male and female, establishing their inherent dignity not from strength or government, but directly from God.
God created humanity for three purposes: labor, leisure, and love. Before the fall, man was placed in the Garden to work and tend it, reflecting God's own creative labor. God also ordained leisure, resting on the seventh day and commanding humanity to do the same. Lastly, Genesis 2 reveals creation for love, as God states it is not good for man to be alone. The term 'helpmate' (ezer k'negdo) used for Eve does not imply inferiority; in the Old Testament, 'ezer' is often used to describe God as a helper, indicating Eve's indispensable and complementary role. This is beautifully captured in the poem that states Eve was taken from Adam's side to walk with him, from beneath his arm to be guarded, and from near his heart to be loved. The man and woman's nakedness without shame signifies the unspoiled goodness of God's original creation.
Father Mike clarifies that Genesis 1 doesn't have to be taken strictly literally or historically in every detail but is deeply truthful and poetic. He points out that while light was created on day one, the sun, moon, and stars were created on day four, suggesting a thematic, rather than chronological, arrangement. The first three days establish realms (light/dark, water/sky, dry land), and the next three days fill those realms with rulers (sun/moon/stars, fish/birds, land animals/humans). This structure demonstrates that the creation account conveys profound truths about God, humanity, and the world, emphasizing its initial goodness before sin.