Homily for Monday, Week 6 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Monday
Week 6 of Ordinary Time

Feb.13, 2023
Gen 4: 1-15, 25
Provincial House, New Rochelle, N.Y.

The 3d chapter of Genesis presented mankind’s alienation from God by an act of disobedience.  The 4th chapter presents humans’ alienation from each other by envy.

The passage doesn’t tell us why God looked favorably on Abel’s sacrifice but not on Cain’s (4:4-5).  Perhaps there’s a hint here of tensions within Israel between the nomadic way of life in the heroic age of their ancestors like Abraham, and the settled way of life of cities and farms.  That tension is something of a constant in human history, even in our own American history, as we see in the disagreements between Jefferson and his party, preferring a society of agriculture and small craftsmen, and Hamilton, advocate of big cities and industry; and in the perennial range wars of the West between ranchers and farmers.  Even today a large part of the civil strife in Nigeria and other countries is over land use—grazing flocks vs. cultivation.

God advises resentful Cain that he can do well and can resist sinful envy (4:6-7).  He can live at peace with his brother, as can people of varied ways of life.  As they sing in Oklahoma, “The farmer and the cowman can be friends.”

But Cain chooses not to, as we’re all tempted to put our own concerns in 1st place:  “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (4:9).

God, however, identifies himself as the champion of the offended and oppressed.  Abel’s blood cries out from the soil (4:10).  God has a preferential option for the poor and the marginalized.  We are meant to be mutually supportive.

God also shows compassion for the offender, offering Cain a measure of protection (4:15).  God doesn’t demand vengeance but offers mercy and opportunity to repent.

One more theme to discern:  as noted, it’s not evident why Abel’s sacrifice pleased God but Cain’s didn’t.  God’s choices are his own, unknowable to us.  He preferred the younger son Jacob over Esau, the youngest son David over his brothers, even Israel, so tiny among all the nations of the earth.  God choices—his elections—are acts of grace calling for our gratitude and faithfulness.