20 June 2021
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
It is written in the book of Job that the sea was born, that it came forth from the womb (cf. Job 38:8). It is written in geology textbooks that the oceans were produced when water vapor emerged from below the surface of the Earth, rose into the atmosphere, and then cooled into a liquid, falling down into basins to form oceans and lakes. The process by which water vapor and other gases emerged from the center of the earth was very violent, involving explosive eruptions. Therefore, the book of Job is correct: the creation of the oceans is analogous to childbirth, in the sense that the water vapor that eventually became our oceans did indeed burst forth from the Earth in a violent and painful manner.
If you are lucky enough to spend any time by the sea this summer, you might meditate on the oceans being born. What did it look like as they began to appear? You might also consider the next verse from Job, where it is written that God made the clouds as a garment for the sea and thick darkness for its swaddling bands (cf. Job 38:9). God treats the sea like a baby, wrapping it with special clothing. The sea may strike us mortals as awesome and unfathomable, but to God it’s just a naked, helpless baby.