“There are two ways to be fooled. One
is to believe what isn't true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”
― Søren Kierkegaard (1813 – 1855: Danish philosopher, theologian, & poet)
Scripture Text: (GN 3:1-8)
Now the serpent was the most cunning
of all the animals
that the LORD God had made.
The serpent asked the woman,
“Did God really tell you not to eat
from any of the trees in the garden?”
The woman answered the serpent:
“We may eat of the fruit of the trees
in the garden;
it is only about the fruit of the tree
in the middle of the garden that God
said,
‘You shall not eat it or even touch
it, lest you die.’”
But the serpent said to the woman:
“You certainly will not die!
No, God knows well that the moment you
eat of it
your eyes will be opened and you will
be like gods
who know what is good and what is
evil.”
The woman saw that the tree was good
for food,
pleasing to the eyes, and desirable
for gaining wisdom.
So she took some of its fruit and ate
it;
and she also gave some to her husband,
who was with her,
and he ate it.
Then the eyes of both of them were
opened,
and they realized that they were
naked;
so they sewed fig leaves together
and made loincloths for themselves.
When they heard the sound of the LORD
God moving about in the garden
at the breezy time of the day,
the man and his wife hid themselves
from the LORD God
among the trees of the garden.
This isn't just a story about Adam and
Eve acting on their desire for more than God had given them; more than they
needed; more that could hurt them-for life!
Even in Eden they wanted more!
Today, we act this story out every
time we deliberately choose to sin. Things certainty can be turned upside down
when our eyes are opened to
the emptiness of what looked “good”, “pleasing” and “desirable”.
We too, are tempted to cover up our shame and disobedience by hiding from God,
just like Adam and Eve did.
In this culture of ours we are growing
harder and harder of hearing to what is really good for us. We ask for the
touch of Jesus to free us to listen to our hearts, our better selves, and the
heart-needs of others. This “touch of Jesus” can be found simply by going to
confession with a Catholic priest, where we feel God’s mercy and love in a
tangible way. In doing so, we leave all the bad stuff behind and God gives us
His grace to overcome our human weaknesses.
Its really that simple!
"Lord, probe me and know my
heart...then lead me in the ancient paths." (Ps 139:23-24)
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