The Lord God then called to the man and asked him: Where are you? He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because
I was naked, so I hid.” Then God asked: Who told you that you were naked? Have
you eaten from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat? The man replied,
“The woman whom you put here with me—she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate
it.” The Lord God then asked the woman: What is this you have done? The woman
answered, “The snake tricked me, so I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the
snake: Because you have done this, cursed are you among all the animals, tame
or wild; On your belly you shall crawl, and dust you shall eat all the days of
your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your
offspring and hers; They will strike at your head, while you strike at their
heel.[1]
I think that we all have heard the adage, “The
devil made me do it.” Although it is
stated in humor, how often we actually live as though it is true. If we get angry, we excuse our angry by
putting the blame on someone or something else.
It is as if it is not our fault.
“The devil made me do it.” Our
passage takes away our excuses, desires us to see our faults, causing us to
confess our faults and seek the mercy that God is continuously, at all times,
offering us.
In reading our passage, we must take the
historical and make it apply to us. We
can do this when we see the Garden as the Church, Christ’s kingdom, in which we
are placed through Baptism. In Baptism,
all our sins are washed away by the Blood of Christ. We are given white robes of righteousness,
spotless and without blemish. And then
we sin. Most often, we sin as a result
of seeking happiness, seeking what is pleasing to us. The fruit looked good to Eve; eating it would
please her; therefore, she allowed herself to be deceived. Adam loved his wife; she was pleasing to
him; therefore, he chose her over God.
We do the same thing daily. The
sin itself probably brought a sense of happiness of our first parents because
sin often gives us pleasure for a short time. It is then that God calls out to us, “Where
are you?” We are no longer in the state
that he had made us. It is not only in
mortal sin that God calls us to repent; it is in all sins. Whether it is venial or mortal, we often
desire to make excuses, attempting to justify or mitigate our sins. Adam, his happiness he was thinking was his
wife, immediately began to blame her for his current situation. Although we are still in the “garden,” the
Church, we are attempting to hide our nakedness through our excuses. If we are not watchful, mortal sin can remove
us from the “garden,” from the kingdom.
There, of course, is another Garden, the Garden
of Gethsemane. This garden is also a
type of the Church. This is the “garden”
in which we must decrease while He must increase.[2] It is the place where we prepare to die—not only
to sin in our lives, but also physical death.
It is where we pray for strength and mercy. It is where we must partake of the fruit of
the tree of knowledge of good and evil because we are becoming more mature, being
made ready to partake of the goodness of the fruit, seeing the wickedness of
evil and the greatness of good. We must
fight the impulse to not fall asleep, fighting to stay awake for just one hour,
not allowing ourselves to fall asleep, thinking the “wisdom” of the world is better
than the wisdom of Christ. We enter this
“fight” by lifting our hearts to God.
In the liturgy, we are commanded, “Lift up your
hearts,” and we reply, “We lift them up to the Lord.” As St. Augustine teaches us, “It is good to
have the heart lifted up, yet not to one’s self--for this is pride--but to the Lord, for
this is obedience and can be the act only of the humble.”[3] We must not only recite those words; we need
to actually desire to lift up our hears up to the Lord, imploring his grace and
aid to do it. We need his aid in order
to dismiss all other thoughts but him.
He will do it, but only with our cooperation. We must put forth effort also. We must not quit at the hint, or first step,
of failure. This is our fighting sleep
for one hour. We need to be constantly
lifting up our hearts to the Lord, praying always. Our “hour” has also come. Death is at the door, the very threshold. “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you
do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; its desire is for you, but you
must master it.”[4] Jesus did not
fight his battle alone; he prayed to his Father. We must do likewise. If we think we are “okay,” we are being deceived
by the pride within us.
Our
first parents fell into open disobedience because they were already secretly
corrupted, for the evil act would never had been done had not an evil will of
the mind preceded it.[5] As Augustine explains, “And what is the origin
of our evil will but pride? For ‘pride
is the beginning of sin’ (Sir 10:13). And what is pride but the craving for undue
exaltation? And this is undue exaltation:
when the soul abandons Him to whom it ought to cleave as its end and becomes a
kind of end to itself. This happens when
it becomes its own satisfaction. And it
does so when it falls away from that unchangeable good which ought to satisfy
it more than itself.”[6] Therefore, although during the Mass we need
to have no thoughts but him, in our every hour we need to lift our hearts up to
him, having him govern our words and actions.
However, we often fail in this.
We fail because we fall asleep and lift our hearts up to ourselves.
However,
God loves us; and, seeing our condition, he calls out to us. We will hear him if we are “listening.” “But God, willing to show, even by this, that
sin had not quenched His tenderness nor disobedience taken away His favor
toward him and that He still exercised His Providence and care for the fallen
one, said, ‘Adam, where art thou?’ not being ignorant of the place where he was
but because the mouth of those who have sinned is closed up, sin turning the
tongue backward, and conscience taking hold of it so that such persons remain
speechless, held fast in silence as by a kind of chain. And God wishing therefore to invite him to
freedom of utterance and to give him confidence and to lead him to make an
apology for his offences, in order that he might obtain some forgiveness, was
Himself the first to call, cutting off much of Adam’s distress by the familiar
appellation and dispelling his fear and opening by this address the mouth that
was shut. Hence, also it was that he
said, ‘Adam, where art thou?’ ‘I left you,’ says he, ‘in one situation, and I
find you in another. I left you in
confidence and glory, and I now find you in disgrace and silence!’”[7]
Confidence
and glory is the condition that God leaves us in after dismissing us from the
Mass. When we lift our hearts up to
ourselves, God finds us in a different condition: in disgrace and silence. Afterwards, we will have thoughts of
God. This is God calling out to us,
“Where are you?” If we do not have
thoughts of God, we have hardened ourselves to the point that we cannot hear
him calling.
The
devil would not have ensnared man in open and manifest sin, doing what God had
forbidden, had man not already begun to live for himself.[8] “As Aaron was not induced to agree with the
people when they blindly wished him to make an idol and yet yielded to
constraint and as it is not credible that Solomon was so blind as to suppose
that idols should be worshipped but was drawn over to such sacrilege by the [cajolings]
of women, so we cannot believe that Adam was deceived and supposed the devil’s
word to be truth and, therefore, transgressed God’s law but that he, by the
drawings of kindred, yielded to the woman, the husband to the wife, the one
human being to the only other human being. For not without significance did the apostle
say, ‘And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the
transgression’ (1 Ti 2:14); but he speaks [as he does] because the woman
accepted as true what the serpent told her, but the man could not bear to be
severed from his only companion, even though this involved a partnership in
sin. He was not on this account less
culpable, but sinned with his eyes open. And, so, the apostle does not say, ‘He did not
sin,’ but ‘He was not deceived’.”[9] Likewise, we so often sin with our eyes open;
nevertheless, we point the finger, attempting to divert the blame, causing a
falling away from God.
St.
Augustine teaches us: “This falling away is spontaneous for, if the will had
remained steadfast in the love of that higher and changeless good by which it
was illumined to intelligence and kindled into love, it would not have turned
away to find satisfaction in itself and so become frigid and benighted; the
woman would not have believed the serpent spoke the truth, nor would the man
have preferred the request of his wife to the command of God, nor have supposed
that it was a venial transgression to cleave to the partner of his life even in
a partnership of sin. The wicked deed,
then—that is to say, the transgression of eating the forbidden fruit—was
committed by persons who were already wicked. That ‘evil fruit’ could be brought forth only
by ‘a corrupt tree.’ But that the tree
was evil was not the result of nature for, certainly, it could become so only
by the vice of the will, and vice is contrary to nature. Now, nature could not have been depraved by
vice had it not been made out of nothing. Consequently, that it is a nature, this is
because it is made by God; but that it falls away from Him, this is because it
is made out of nothing. But man did not
so fall away as to become absolutely nothing; but, being turned towards
himself, his being became more contracted than it was when he clave to Him who
supremely is. Accordingly, to exist in
himself--that is, to be his own satisfaction after abandoning God--is not quite
to become a nonentity but to approximate … that. And, therefore, the holy
Scriptures designate the proud by another name, ‘self-pleasers’.”[10] This “already wicked” is the concupiscence
that remains in us after Baptism, and we let it lead us to sin.
Perhaps,
someone might be confused when St. Augustine says “made out of nothing.” What he is referring to is: nature. God puts in us his nature, which is
something. The concupiscence which
remains in us is not put in us by God.
It is not of God; therefore, it is made of nothing, no thing; and the
saint explains elsewhere that sin is no thing because sin is not made by God. We must not allow ourselves to err, thinking
that God created the universe out of nothing. He spoke the universe into existence, creating
it from his Word. Therefore, he created
the universe out of something: himself.
When we say that he created the universe out of “nothing,” we are
referring to the fact that he spoke it into existence, not utilizing any other
thing.
As said
previously, pride is the beginning of sin (Sir 10:13). Augustine goes on to teach: “It is a worse and
more damnable pride which casts about for the shelter of an excuse even in manifest
sins, as these our first parents did, of whom the woman said, ‘The serpent
beguiled me, and I did eat;’ and the man said, ‘The woman whom you gave to be
with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.’ Here, there is no word of begging pardon, no
word of entreaty for healing. For though
they do not, like Cain, deny that they have perpetrated the deed, yet their
pride seeks to refer its wickedness to another.”[11] Is not the saint speaking directly to us?
St. John
Chrysostom gives more clarification: “Adam sinned the first sin; and, after the
sin, straightway hid himself. But, if he
had not known he had been doing something wrong, why did he hide himself? For then [at that time], there were neither
letters, nor law, nor Moses. Whence,
then, does he recognize the sin and hide himself? Yet not only does he so hide himself but, when
called to account, he endeavors to lay the blame on another, saying, ‘The
woman, whom you gave me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And that woman again transfers the accusation
to another, viz. the serpent’.”[12]
When we
cast blame or make excuses, we are accusing ourselves. We are admitting we are wrong; however, we are
trying to justify our words or actions.
No one can make us sin; it is something we choose to do because of the
situation or circumstances. An outside
force can be a contributing factor, but it ultimately is a choice we make. As Augustine states: “Where there is a plain
transgression of a divine commandment, this is rather to accuse than to excuse
oneself. For the fact that the woman
sinned on the serpent’s persuasion and the man at the woman’s offer did not
make the transgression less, as if there were anyone whom we ought rather to
believe or yield to than God. …The sin
was a despising of the authority of God—who had created man, who had made him
in His own image, who had set him above the other animals, who had placed him
in Paradise, who had enriched him with abundance of every kind and of safety,
who had laid upon him neither many nor great nor difficult commandments…”[13] Eve, knowing God’s commandments, allowed
herself to be deceived because she liked what she heard and saw. Adam, seeing what his wife had done, chose
her over God, choosing to sin with his eyes open. We sin in the same way. According to the passage in Sirach, God is
telling us that pride is the beginning of sin.
Therefore, all sin comes about as a result of the pride within us. If we become angry, it is because anger is
pleasing to us at that moment. It is not
pleasing to us to not be angry, regardless of what God says about the
anger. This is pride. We cannot dispel pride; we must go to God. God will remove it, but only with our
cooperation, which consists of constant prayer.
The Lord
God then called to the man and asked him: Where are you? From Tertullian we learn: “God
was neither uncertain about the commission of the sin nor ignorant of Adam’s
whereabouts. It was certainly proper to
summon the offender, who was concealing himself from the consciousness of his
sin, and to bring him forth into the presence of his Lord, not merely by the
calling out of his name but with a home-thrust blow at the sin which he had at
that moment committed. For the question
ought not to be read in a merely interrogative tone, ‘Where are you, Adam?’ but
with an impressive and earnest voice and with an air of imputation, ‘Oh, Adam, where are you’—as much as to intimate: ‘You
are no longer here; you are in perdition’—so that the voice is the utterance of
One who is at once rebuking and sorrowing.”[14]
If we are so hardened as to not hear our Lord
during the week, at least let us remember he is calling us during the Mass,
especially when we recite the Confiteor.
Let us also recall that we are hearing him when we go to the Sacrament
of Reconciliation—Confession. St.
Chrysostom exhorts us: “Let us …
not deny [our sins], I beseech you, nor be shameless, that we may not
unwillingly pay the penalty. Cain heard
God say, ‘Where is Abel your brother?’ And
he said, ‘I know not; am I my brother’s keeper?’ (Gen. 4:9.) See how this made his sin more grievous? But his father did not act thus. What then? When he heard, ‘Adam, where art thou?’ (Gen.
3:9), he said, ‘I heard your voice, and I was afraid because I am naked, and I
hid myself.’ (Gen. 3:10.) It is a great
good to acknowledge our sins and to bear them in mind continually. Nothing so effectually cures a fault as a
continual remembrance of it. Nothing
makes a man so slow to wickedness.[15] … How do you think
to obtain pardon for sins … when you have not yet confessed them? Assuredly, he is worthy of compassion and
kindness who has sinned. But you who have
not yet persuaded yourself [that you have sinned], how do you think to be
pitied when you are … without shame for some things? Let us persuade ourselves that we have
sinned. Let us say it not with the
tongue only, but also with the mind.[16] … If you keep your sins
continually in remembrance, you will never bear in mind the wrongs of thy
neighbor.”[17]
Let
us keep in mind our sins, and let us take them before our God, whom we know to
be merciful. Often, we tire of an
individual saying, “I’m sorry,” and then doing the same or a similar
thing. However, we do no want God to
tire of us saying, “I’m sorry.” We
should remember constantly the petition in the Lord’s Prayer, “and forgive us
our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” We are asking God to forgive us in the same
way that we forgive others. If we don’t
desire to forgive others, then we are telling God to not forgive us. Is this our desire? Or is our desire the desire of the psalmist: Out of the depths I call to you, Lord; Lord,
hear my cry! May your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, Lord, keep
account of sins, Lord, who can stand? But with you is forgiveness and so you
are revered. I wait for the Lord. My soul waits, and I hope for his word. My
soul looks for the Lord more than sentinels for daybreak. More than sentinels
for daybreak, let Israel hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is mercy, with him
is plenteous redemption, and he will redeem Israel from all its sins.[18] This needs to be a continuous desire. Therefore, it is a continuous cry for mercy,
a continuous waiting and hoping. Since
it is a continuous cry for mercy, the necessitates a continuance recognition of
our sins.
Often,
we fall into slothfulness, thinking, “God is merciful; he knows I’m a sinner;
therefore, I don’t have to confess all my sins; he will forgive me.” Wherefore, we need to pay heed to what God is
telling us through St. Paul: I charge you
in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the
dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: … be urgent in season and out of
season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching.
For the time is coming when people will
not endure sound teaching; but, having itching ears, they will accumulate for
themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from
listening to the truth and wander into myths. As for
you, always be steady, endure suffering (emphasis added)…[19] Although, the apostle is writing to someone
he has appointed bishop, we must still recognize this as pertaining to each of
us. We must be careful that we are not
one of those who will not endure sound
teaching; but, having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves
teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the
truth and wander into myths. We are
not the judge of whether we have or have not; hence, we constantly pray that
Christ keep us in his way. When we find
ourselves disagreeing with the dogmas and doctrines of the Church, we really
need to be in prayer. We need to be
extremely careful in finding fault, since this normally leads to gossip,
back-biting, which becomes a cursing of people instead of blessing them. We need to be compassionate of others,
praying for them since we sin also. When
we find fault, we are placing ourselves above others, and that is the opposite
of what we are supposed to be doing.
For it is all for
your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more
people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our
inner nature is being renewed every day. For this slight momentary affliction is
preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, because we
look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the
things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
For we know that if the earthly tent we
live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens.[20] Note, it not only
says, as grace extends to more and more
people, it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God, it says that
this is for our sake. When we find
fault, make excuses, we do not bring glory to God; hence, we bring detriment to
ourselves.
Let
us remember that the devil doesn’t make us do anything; we do things because
that is what we desire to do. The flesh
is weak; therefore, we must be praying constantly for the grace and mercy of
God, asking him to be with us and guide us.
As soon as we begin making excuses, accusing others for making us angry,
or justifying our wrong words or deeds, it should come to mind that this is
evidence of the pride within us. This
should cause us to pause and repent and to become more compassionate, causing
us to pray for others as well as for ourselves.
[1]
New American Bible, Revised
Edition., (Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,
2011), Ge 3:9–15.
[2]
Catholic Biblical Association (Great Britain), The Holy Bible:
Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, (New York: National
Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, 1994), Jn 3:30.
[3]
Augustine of Hippo, St. Augustin’s City
of God and Christian Doctrine, 1887, 2, 273.
[4]
Catholic Biblical Association (Great Britain), The Holy Bible:
Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, (New York: National
Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, 1994), Ge 4:7.
[5] Ibid.
[6]
Ibid.
[7]
John Chrysostom, Saint Chrysostom: On the Priesthood, Ascetic Treatises, Select
Homilies and Letters, Homilies on the Statues, 1889, 9, 393.
[8]
Augustine of Hippo, St. Augustin’s City of God and Christian Doctrine, 1887, 2,
274.
[9]
Ibid., 272.
[10]
Augustine of Hippo, St. Augustin’s City of God and Christian Doctrine, 1887, 2,
273.
[11]
Ibid., 274.
[12]
John Chrysostom, Saint Chrysostom: On the Priesthood, Ascetic Treatises, Select
Homilies and Letters, Homilies on the Statues, 1889, 9, 422.
[13]
Augustine of Hippo, St. Augustin’s City of God and Christian Doctrine, 1887, 2,
274.
[14]
Tertullian, Latin Christianity: Its Founder, Tertullian, 1885, 3, 316–317.
[15]
John Chrysostom, Saint Chrysostom: Homilies on the Gospel of St. John and
Epistle to the Hebrews, 1889, 14, 508.
[16]
Ibid.
[17]
Ibid.
[18]
New American
Bible, Revised Edition., (Washington, DC: The United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011), Ps 130:1–8.
[19]
Catholic Biblical Association (Great Britain), The Holy
Bible: Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, (New York:
National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, 1994), 2 Ti 4:1–5.
[20]
Catholic Biblical Association (Great Britain), The Holy
Bible: Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, (New York:
National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, 1994), 2 Co 4:15–5:1.
