Homily Fifth Friday of Ordinary Time (Genesis 3:1-8) “How Shame entered the World”
Homily Fifth Friday of Ordinary Time (Genesis 3:1-8) “How Shame entered the World”
The story of the first sin seems a little bit hard to understand. Is it simply about disobedience? God told Adam and Eve not to eat from a particular tree in the garden (The tree of the knowledge of good and evil). The first parents ate from the tree and then, sin and suffering entered the world.
Somehow it seems like original sin is more complicated than that. What is so wrong about knowing about good and evil we might ask? It would be an asset to have a well-formed moral conscience. We spend a lot of our life trying to develop a conscience. Some people never seem to achieve that.
Could it be that what entered the world when the first parents ate the forbidden fruit was shame and guilt? Before the forbidden fruit was consumed Adam and Eve lived in the garden in innocence. They did not even consider doing anything wrong. After they ate the fruit the first parents began to see the world in black and white. They were consumed with shame at what they had done.
We could compare this to human development. When we are small children, we have no shame. We are open to new experiences. We believe that we are good, the world is good, we can trust others. Then we begin to endure the critiques of others. We are told we are bad at times. We learn to be cautious. We hate to look inadequate in front of others. We can tend to believe that religion is all about rules. God is all about judging and condemning.
As we grow in our spiritual life, we realize that we need to leave shame behind. We need to gain our confidence back. We must decide that it is all right to fail at times. Finally, we need to discover that God is not about judging. God is about loving. Our aim is to return to the Garden of Paradise and to fall into the arms of our God.
Reflection Questions:
- How would I define original sin? Does the serpent represent Satan or not?
- Is it good to be a black and white person? How do I get rid of guilt and shame?
Dear Parishioners,
Here are two pictures. One is of the ceiling in our common room in the rectory. The other is a picture of the ceiling in our new apartments in the Lee Parish Center. Thanks to all who have contributed to TTT and have made our move to better quarters possible.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark