Today’s first reading is from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, one of the most challenging and complex of all the New Testament books. After opening his epistle, Paul provides a summary of covenant history in just a few verses.

For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made. As a result, they have no excuse; for although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks (Rom 1:19-21).

In the movement from Eden to expulsion, murder to mayhem, flood to foraging for a new home, land to slavery to a land of promise, attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what [God] has made  – but we ever fail to understand, or if we do, we did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks.

St. Paul has written that of our ancestors in faith and failure. He writes of the people in his own time. He has written it for us. As the Letter to the Romans unfolds, St. Paul then goes on to describe the ensuing corruption all traceable to human beings, the very ones meant to carry the image of God in the world (Gen 1:26).

Make today a day when you are mindful of the world God created with his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity. Make today one on which we all accord him glory as God [amd] give him thanks.

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