“Not good”: A litany of confession based on Genesis 1

by Magdalena I. García

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And God said, “This is good; eso está bien.” Since the beginning of time, we have acted as if the earth belongs to us, forgetting that we belong to the Creator and to the earth. And God said, “This is not good; eso no está bien.”

The earth was without shape or form, it was dark over the deep sea, and God’s wind swept over the waters. And God said, “This is good; eso está bien.” The earth was vast and the waters were mysterious, so colonizers set out to conquer the earth and explore the seas, claiming ownership of God’s creation.  And God said, “This is not good; eso no está bien.”

God created the light and saw how good the light was. God separated the light from the darkness. And God said, “This is good; eso está bien.” Light and darkness are beautiful and complimentary, they give us the rhythm of days and seasons, but we show partiality and discriminate on the basis of color. And God said, “This is not good; eso no está bien.”

God made the sky, a dome to separate the waters above from the waters below. And God said, “This is good; eso está bien.” The separation of the waters gave us the idea that we could divide and classify all living things, establishing an artificial hierarchy of species and peoples. And God said, “This is not good; eso no está bien.”

God made the dry land appear and named it Earth, and God named the gathered waters Seas.  And God said, “This is good.” Earth and seas are not human domains, but we contaminate the land and pollute the waters, leaving many living creatures without a home or sustenance. And God said, “This is not good; eso no está bien.”

The earth produced plants yielding seeds and fruit trees bearing fruit, each according to its kind throughout the earth. And God said, “This is good; eso está bien.” The earth is cultivated by workers unable to enjoy its fruits because they are paid starvation wages; many are forced to flee their native lands in order to survive. And God said, “This is not good; eso no está bien.”

God made the stars and two great lights, one for day and one for night, and God put them in the dome of the sky to shine on the earth. And God said, “This is good; eso está bien.” The stars in the sky are darkened by pollution, but we insist on the use of damaging fossil fuels although cleaner and safer options are available. And God said, “This is not good; eso no está bien.”

God created the great sea animals, the tiny living things that swarm in the waters, the winged birds, every kind of wildlife, every kind of livestock, and every kind of creature that crawls on the ground. And God said, “This is good; eso está bien.” All creatures were given a place and purpose in the web of life, but we have destroyed habitats and over 100 species are lost each day becoming extinct. And God said, “This is not good; eso no está bien.”

God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God created them, with diverse races and genders God created them. And God said, “This is good; eso está bien.” All humans bear God’s image, but we insist on asserting that some are unworthy or inferior simply because they are different, as if God made mistakes. And God said, “This is not good; eso no está bien.”

God blessed the humans and said to them, “Prosper, multiply, fill the earth and manage it.” And God said, “This is good; eso está bien.” God asked us to care for creation, but we hoard goods, enslave people, invade nations, and damage the planet, knowing that the impact of our decisions will not be borne equally or fairly between rich and poor, women and men, and older and younger generations. And God said, “This is not good; eso no está bien.”

God rested from all the work of creation. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy. And God said, “This is good; eso está bien.” Rest is part of creation, ordered for our benefit, a time of renewal for all living things, including the soil, but we value doing more than being, productivity over creativity, materialism over relationship. And God said, “This is not good; eso no está bien.”

God of the Universe and all living creatures, forgive us for disobeying your charge and damaging your Creation. Teach us to live in such a way that we might hear your voice loudly and clearly saying to us, “This is good; eso está bien.”

Give us the courage to live in such a way that we might hear the peoples of the earth loudly and clearly saying in unison, “This is good; eso está bien.”

© Magdalena I. García