I remember being deeply moved by the following passage in Chapter 2 of the Book of Genesis when I first read it. A majestic landscape suddenly sprang to mind. Yet now, it calls me to reflect. 

"A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; and the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which flows around the whole land of Cush. And the name of the third river is Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates" (Genesis 2:10–14). 

In Genesis chapter 1, God created man "in our image" (verse 26); in chapter 2, He formed man from the dust of the ground (verse 7), breathed into him the breath of life (ibid.), and bestowed upon him "our likeness." This was so that humankind might live in spirit and truth to worship God, just as Jesus later said: "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24). 

I believe that the "Garden of Eden" may refer to the memory of our primordial experience with God. Memory is always a treasure trove of knowledge. Therefore, I consider the "river" mentioned in the passage "A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden" to be the human knowledge that God bestowed upon humankind in a manner proportionate to man. As it is also connected to the spiritual realm that manifests "our likeness," it can water the whole person. 

Consequently, I considered that the "four rivers" mentioned in the passage, "there it divided and became four rivers," might refer to the four functions that circulate throughout the entire physical realm of a human being, created "in our image." Thus, the first river, Pishon, seems to symbolise the reproductive function—which produces offspring, a form of wealth—as indicated by the phrase "there is gold." This function is also closely linked to the hormones that regulate the mind and body. 

When God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" (Genesis 1:26), the human reproductive function—which brings forth humankind as descendants who will live with spirit and truth alongside their physical bodies—is indeed worthy of being described as "there is gold." 

As it is written, "the gold of that land is good" (2:12), not only the dignity of life shared by all living creatures, but also the concrete blessing that guaranteed the human dignity of those created in the image and the likeness of God was placed in it. This was implied by the words, "bdellium and onyx stone are there" (ibid.). 

Bdellium was reportedly a precious commodity on a par with gold. It symbolises power. Furthermore, onyx—which appears in the Book of Exodus as one of the gemstones adorning the breastplate and ephod worn by the priest Aaron, and is depicted in the Book of Revelation as one of the jewels which adorned the foundations of the wall of Jerusalem—can be considered a symbol of authority. 

These blessings, placed within human reproductive function, are intended to enable every believer to cultivate the strength (power) of their faith—so that they may live their daily lives in collaboration with the Holy Spirit—and to ensure that those who collaborate with the Holy Spirit may live with radiance (authority). 

This was meant to manifest as a blessing bestowed upon all people from birth. However, at some point, it began to manifest as a desire to dominate and control one's neighbour, to satisfy higher-order needs—such as the need for belonging, the need for recognition, and the need for self-actualisation—and some even began to act upon this desire… 

Living creatures indeed reflect the eternity of the Almighty God by ensuring the survival of their species. Therefore, we can see that the reproductive function, which enables the transmission of genes, in conjunction with the function of maintaining one’s own physical body, carries equal or even greater significance. 

However, it was not merely this; it was precisely within this function—in which the secretion of hormones plays a profound role—that the grace enabling a person to prepare themselves for God was bestowed. Power and authority were not graces intended to dominate and control one's neighbour, but rather to govern and control oneself in a manner befitting a neighbour of the Holy Spirit. 

I intend to take a greater interest in human reproductive functions and behaviour and try to learn more about them. I expect this will shed some light on the secret behind the "perpetrators and victims" who appear every day all over the world. 

Maria K. M.

 

 

In Genesis, God revealed His will through the words: "Let us make man in our image, after 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 earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth" (Genesis 1:26). 

It goes on to say, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (1:27). When we look at God's subsequent command: "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" (1:28), we notice a point that differs from the God's will mentioned above. 

Although God created humankind and said, "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 earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth," the command given was, "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." The phrase "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it" has been newly added, whilst "the cattle" has been omitted. 

There are other creatures that have been excluded as well. These include the great sea monsters that God created on the fifth day, and the beasts of the earth created on the sixth day, before He resolved to create humankind. However, it is not realistic for humankind to subdue these creatures even today. Whilst it may be thought that "the cattle" were excluded because they were created from the outset to obey humans, there must surely have been a reason why Genesis recorded in this way. 

The reason God commanded humans to "be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it" lay in the cattle. The subsequent words of Genesis read: "And God said, 'Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And 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" (1:29–30). Indeed, the word "the cattle" does not appear here. 

Who is to provide food for "the cattle"…? I had never realised, nor had it ever occurred to me, that such a meaning lay hidden behind the fact that man was made to till and guard the soil of the Garden of Eden, and that from the very beginning of creation, man and cattle were intended to relate to one another in this way. Yet, from this passage, I feel I can glimpse the world in which God looked upon all that He had made and saw that it was "very good." 

God can provide for the needs of all life, both human and animal. And as it says, "Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken" (3:23), the man has continued to till the land even after being driven out of the Garden. People have lived alongside the cattle. 

In the Gospels, the exchange between Jesus and a woman who pleaded "to cast the demon out of her daughter" is recorded as follows: "And he said to her, 'Let the children first be fed, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.' But she answered him, 'Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.' And he said to her, 'For this saying you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.'" (Mark 7:27–29). 

This story follows on from the previous scene. There, Jesus had been debating with the Pharisees and the scribes, who were fixated on the traditions of the ancients, and had explained the meaning of the debate to the crowd through parables. However, realising that even His disciples, who had been listening, did not understand, Jesus explained: "What comes out of a man is what defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts" (7:20–21). 

When Jesus said to the woman, "For this saying," He must have seen a contrast with the scene in which He had said, "For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts." I believe that the woman's reply, "Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs," reflected the world which He had declared to be "very good," seeing everything that he had made. 

Maria K. M.

It occurred to me that "it might be good to take a moment to reflect on the flow of Genesis," so I began by opening the New Testament. Immediately, the words, "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love" (John 15:9) caught my attention. "I really must look at Genesis after all," I thought.

The Father loved the Son, who became the Word, and loves us with that same love. The "love" that the Son, Jesus, speaks of when He says, "Abide in my love, " refers to the Holy Spirit sent in Jesus' name. And the origin of Jesus speaking in this way must be found in Genesis.

With this in mind, I began reading Genesis, and what immediately caught my eye was the difference in the terms used to describe God in Genesis chapters 1 and 2. From the beginning of chapter 1 through verse 3 of chapter 2, the term used is "God," but from verse 4 of chapter 2 through the end, the term "the Lord God" is used.

In Chapter 1, the opening passage states, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light" (Genesis 1:1–3). From this passage, we can imagine "God," working within the relationship of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Next, the point at which the term shifts from "God" to "the Lord God" is found in Chapter 2: "In the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up -- for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to till the ground" (Genesis 2:4–5). The "man to till the ground" was the way of being God had established for humanity from the beginning, so that the command God gave to humanity—"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" (Genesis 1:28)—might be fulfilled.

God first desired that man become one who would serve the earth, which he was to subdue. To this end, God breathed into man the "breath of life, " so that man might possess a spirit. This was so that man, created in God’s likeness, might be connected to the Holy Spirit and placed within a relationship with God. The phrase "the Lord God" used here is thought to express the relationship between the Father and the Son.

This state of relationship between God and humanity closely resembles the state in which we, together with the Holy Spirit, participate in the Mass before the Blessed Sacrament. Undoubtedly, Jesus has restored this state to us believers in the Mass.

Maria K. M.

 

Inspired by the image of the San Damiano Crucifix, which had such a profound influence on Saint Francis of Assisi, I began to wonder whether the Gospel of John might have been written with the priesthood of the New Covenant as its central theme. Determined to explore this idea further, I immediately turned to the Gospel of John.

However, from its very opening, the Gospel of John pointed directly to Genesis Chapter 1. I then went through a process of trial and error and was able to receive some feedback. As I did so, I realised that it might be worthwhile to examine the narrative flow of Genesis slowly. I began to think that this might be the shortest route.

God completed all creation, finished all His work, and rested on the seventh day, setting that day apart as holy. Human beings were created to celebrate that day, which God had set apart, together with Him. We came to know this through God becoming human and coming to earth as Jesus Christ. Furthermore, Jesus taught us that God is our Father in heaven.

It is written that Jesus, the only Son of God, "to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God" (John 1:12). I believe that God desired to celebrate the sanctified day together with humanity in a father-child relationship. And Jesus, who "gave power," imparted to his disciples the specific training necessary for people to become children of God.

We do not know specifically what characteristics the man created in God's image possessed, but since Jesus told us that "God is spirit" (John 4:24), we understand that the likeness to God bestowed upon man lies in his spirit. However, I suspect this is something that people have sensed for a very long time. On the other hand, just as the theme of free will is often debated, it has become possible to consider that there may have been a risk involved in endowing humans with a spirit to make them in God's likeness.

With the advent of AI, we are experiencing that risk first-hand. AI is rapidly surpassing human knowledge. Above all, what troubles people is that whilst AI learns autonomously and provides solutions to numerous problems, deriving optimised conclusions in a short time, the path by which it reached those conclusions is completely invisible to humans.

Even amidst such circumstances, products are being rapidly commercialised and marketed for profit, and the global economy continues to turn on this basis. Many experts fear that society has become akin to a dangerous laboratory. Furthermore, the reality persists that there are even those who misuse these achievements to fulfil their own interests and desires.

We who have accepted Jesus and believe in His name wish, precisely in such an environment, to walk the path of becoming children of God, trusting in the fact that we have been given the "power to become children of God." That path must be the one left by Jesus, who said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). In any case, I wish to press on.

Maria K.M.

 

I received the following feedback from an acquaintance regarding the column I posted last month. 

"I simply cannot come to terms with the phrase 'I will put enmity' (Genesis 3:15) spoken by God in Genesis. God punished human sin—symbolised by Adam and Eve's failure to keep their promise—with the words 'I will put enmity' for all eternity. The phrase 'put enmity' is a very harsh one. Although the essential nature of humanity was sternly admonished by God with His words, 'I will put enmity,' I want to believe that we are forgiven through Jesus." 

I think there was a slight misunderstanding here, likely because I did not make enough effort to convey my thoughts clearly. Therefore, I would like to delve a little deeper into the content of my previous post and share my idea. 

This was when I looked to Genesis to find the reason why the world had not acknowledged the Word and the people had not accepted it (cf. John 1:10–11). On this occasion, as in the post before last, I interpreted the "serpent" in Genesis as the "human information" that manifested between the first woman and man. As we considered last time, because Adam interpreted the "human information" he shared with the "woman" differently from her, he already harboured "enmity towards God" when he stood before God after eating from the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil." This "enmity towards God" held by Adam was passed down from him to all his descendants. However, since Adam's descendants are also the descendants of the "woman," the divine word "I will set enmity" was likewise passed down to all descendants. 

Here, two forms of "enmity" were inherited: the "enmity towards God" harboured by humankind, and the divine word "I will put enmity" placed by God between humankind and "human information." 

The problem lies in the fact that the "enmity towards God" held by humans evolves. The divine word "I will put enmity" functions to enable humans to distinguish ‘human information’ from God and to maintain their relationship with Him; therefore, unless God Himself changes it, it possesses a permanence that continues to operate unaltered. However, the enmity towards God held by humans changes as human knowledge evolves. Moreover, it evolves rapidly compared to other living creatures. I would like to consider this situation. 

When God resolved to "create humankind," He formed man of dust from the ground; hence, it is said that man was called Adam ("man of ground"). Although it is not explicitly stated and therefore somewhat unclear, the man and woman described in Genesis Chapter 1 appear to be written in Hebrew with the nuance of male and female. It is written that God resolved to create humankind in His image, as beings bearing similarities to Him; however, first He created man's physical body in His own image. 

So, what of another aspect, likeness—that is, the similarities? This is described in detail in Genesis Chapter 2. 

At the beginning of Chapter 2, it is written that God completed all creation, finished all His work, rested, and sanctified that day. Jesus said, "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:23–24). Judging from these words, I believe that God created humankind with the plan that "humankind should subdue the earth, rule over every living creature, and worship God through all creation." Man was created for the day God had sanctified. 

For this reason, God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Genesis claims that man thus became a living being, bearing witness to the fact that God bestowed upon man a likeness to Himself. 

Later, God told Adam, "In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19). The phrases "out of it you were taken" and "you are dust" in these words precisely describe a person composed of both body and spirit. Does this mean that we face two kinds of death? 

Thank you for reading this far. If I were to continue here, it would become rather lengthy, so I shall continue in the next post. I would be grateful if you would reflect on this with me. Thank you for your support. 

(This article is the one I contributed to a Japanese Internet magazine, Catholic AI.)

Maria K. M.