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.
The peace of the Lord be with you.
This particular chapter in Genesis details the fall of humankind. At its center of “the fall” is the desire not to be the created, but the Creator. A major element of this fall is when we doubt what God has told us that he wants us to do. This instruction, given to us by God, is not to restrict our freedom but to ensure it.
All the problems that we face throughout history are linked to this very moment and the consequences that came from it. However, God will not let evil and pain have the final say. God’s goodness has created a remedy almost immediately that will gradually unfold throughout history and continues to unfold to this day. God is the source of the justice our souls seek and long for.
May we accept the grace to listen, respond and follow. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.