First Reading:  Genesis 2:18-24

Creation of Man and Woman

This reading focuses upon the place of marriage in the plan of creation.

Genesis 2:18-24 represents the height of the second creation story in Genesis. The first creation story (Genesis 1) begins with water and the furthest reaches of the (then known) universe. Over the course of seven days, creation becomes closer and closer until it touches the person in the creation of man and woman. (One can think of this story as "creation by the sea.")

In the second creation story (Genesis), a desert appears. God orders a spring to appear and, from the mud of the sand and the water, he creates the first human being. But, God realizes the loneliness of the first person [18], so he creates animals and plant life [19]. In giving the animals and plant life names, the first person defines their power in purpose in creation [19-20]. In this sense, the first person was God's "co-creator." But even this activity does satisfy the first person's loneliness [20].

Up to this point, the first person did not have a sexual function; the word "man" is used in a generic sense for "human being." Only with the deep sleep and the removal of the rib [21] did the first person become male. God creates the woman and presents her to the man [22]; the man repeats the "creation naming" [19-20] by giving his partner a name (and a function) [23]. This is the high point of the second creation story God creates while man "co-creates."

The editorial comment about marriage [24] only defines the previous passage. The fullness of humanity is expressed in the marriage bond. Marriage is the exercise of co-creation with God. A good marriage brings happiness and joy to the couple; loneliness is banished.

Marriage has taken a beating in our culture, but it will never completely disappear. The second creation story speaks a universal truth; marriage is the world-wide symbol of human fulfillment.