Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Wednesday of the fifth week in Ordinary Time, February 12, 2025

Delivered by Father Peter Tukan, SDB from Salesian Don Bosco Gerak in the Diocese of Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. Genesis 2: 4b-9.15-17; Rs psalm 104: 1-2a.27-28.29bc-30; Mark 7: 14-23THANKSFOR PARADISE Ourmeditation today has the theme: Thanks for Paradise. Europeans are verygrateful for the natural beauty of their homeland, but when they have theopportunity to visit other parts of the world, they are even more gratefulbecause this world is so beautiful to enjoy. Asians are proud of their naturalwealth and tropical world. But when they experience Europe or America, they areeven more amazed and grateful that this world is so amazing. Americanshighly praise their culture and homeland as if it’s heaven on earth, but whenthey come to Europe, Asia or Africa, they become enriched by the reality ofthese places which are so beautiful and they feel so grateful. Likewise,African people who are very confident in the original beauty of their homelandwhich is full natural resources. However, they will be even more happy andgrateful when they come to Europe, America and Asia to have a share ofexperience on the beauty of these continents. In conclusion, we are gratefuland amazed for God who already created this world and handed it all over to us. Thefeeling of happiness and gratitude of the world were first made by the firsthuman beings namely Adam and Eve. After they were created in the image andlikeness of God as male and female, God placed them into a paradise that was socomplete and beautiful. In fact, we all follow the same process of creation.For instance, I was born as a person from a unique race and culture, placed inan environment in accordance with my hereditary factors. God indeed had createdeach of us in His image and likeness from the standpoint of the unique creationof ourselves and where we came from. SoI accept, I am happy, and I give thanks for my creation and my placement in theplace where I come from. All people too, which means each of us is gifted witha unique personality and was made attached with beauty and wholeness in aliving environment that suits each person's personality. Evil and sin can onlyarise when a person does not feel at home with the environment or the"paradise" where he or she is in. When the relationship between oneanother in this "paradise" is no longer a dignified manner among menand women but a threatening and detrimental enemy from one to another, therewill be a disaster and destruction. The paradise will become a garden of sin. Therelationship between persons and with their environment, according to theGospel reading today, is damaged by evil intentions and negative desires thatemanate from the human hearts. The evil truly comes from within the man and thewoman. We need to strengthen our gratitude and happiness because we are giftedwith the grace to live together with our neighbours in this paradise where weare in, and so evil can be avoided from our lives.Let's pray. In thename of the Father ... Our Almighty God, may Your Spirit always animate ourlives at every moment and in this wonderful world where we find ourselves andother creatures living together. Our Father who art in heaven... In the name of the Father ...