3 October 2021

And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 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.’
From Genesis 2:18-24, NRSV

In today’s first reading, we hear about how God involved Man in the great act of Creation, involving him in the naming of everything that he had made. Until this point, we hear that God looked on each thing that he had made and saw that it was good. Now, for the first time, God sees that there is something that was not good. – it was not good for Man to be alone. Although God had created a wonderful assortment of creatures, none of these was similar enough to Man to be a suitable companion for him. Such was the closeness of God with Man that God recognised the need for him to have a partner like himself. Just as God had created the Man, so he carefully created Woman. When the Man awoke and saw the Woman, he instantly recognised in her the fulfilment of his deepest longing. She was not his inferior but of the same flesh and bone as himself.

• • Why do you think that Man and Woman were not created at the same time?
  • Who are the people that help you to be “complete”?

Pray for those who experience loneliness or isolation.

Image – God Creating Eve from Adam’s Rib – Orazio Borgianni 1615