FROM WANTING TO ALLOWING

We have started the holy season of Lent with an Ash Wednesday. This is the season to examine ourselves to know where we stand in our lifestyle, moral values, faith, etc. The first Sunday in this season of Lent invite us to reflect on SIN. St. Paul in his letter to the Romans tells that sin entered the world through one man (Rom 5:12). In the same way, the redemption from sin for the whole world-not only humanity but for all creatures-also entered through one man: JESUS (Rom 5:17-19). Now, how sin entered through one man? Why are we trapped in this nature of sin? How can we overcome this? All these questions are answered in today’s readings.

In the first reading we have the creation and fall of man. If we observe closely there were two trees in the Eden garden: “the tree of life also in the midst of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen 2:9). The woman told the serpent that they “shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden” (Gen 3:3) because God commanded them that if they touch it, they would die. But, the cunning serpent persuaded the woman to eat the fruit from that tree which is in the middle of the garden and also give it to the man-her husband. Here neither did woman pay attention to what the serpent was telling her nor did she use her reasoning capacity sufficiently. The serpent was telling that if they eat the fruit from the tree (which is in the middle of the Garden –TREE of LIFE) they would know what is good and evil (Gen 3:4). But in reality there was another tree which was for the knowledge of good and evil. If they were to eat fruit from that tree they must have realized what was good and evil and eventually also realized the serpent as the real evil. But, man and woman ate from the tree of life, which God told them not even to touch it. They disobeyed God. They touched the tree of life, they ate from it and they destroyed the life of that tree. They committed a SIN. They disturbed the harmony that existed between God and human beings.

The tree of life is a metaphor of other life (living beings) on earth. When man touches the life of the other, it disturbs the harmony and it is SIN. When we see a flower which is so beautiful and admirable, we want to have that flower for ourselves. So, we touch and pick that flower without even realizing or using our reasoning capacity (which Eve also did) that the life of that flower has reached its end by our plucking and separating it from its plant. Eve SAW the fruit and WANTED to have it FOR HERSELF.... destroyed life… (Adam also did the same) they committed SIN. Later, King David SAW Bathsheba and WANTED to have her FOR HIMSELF… destroyed life… committed SIN. JESUS saw THE TRICKS OF DEVIL but, allowed THE SPIRIT TO WORK (REASON). THUS, HE saved NOT ONLY himself BUT all of us. Let us not give ourselves to the human feeling and destroy life, rather like Jesus let us surrender our human weaknesses to the spirit and allow ourselves to be guided and moved by the spirit. Let us move from human wanting to the allowing of the spirit.