A reading from the Book of Genesis
(Chapter 3:9-15)
A popular topic for debate among folks who are interested in religious literature is whether to take the story of Adam and Eve literally. The passage from the Book of Genesis read at Mass today recounts the dialogue between God, Adam, and Eve, after the couple had eaten of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. This passage reports the punishment God inflicted on the serpent for tempting Adam and Eve, but it does not include the penalties imposed on them. Whether or not one takes this story literally, the important thing is to grasp the message it was designed to communicate. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they committed the first sin, and that was because they had placed their will above the will of God. That is the definition of sin. So we can imagine this episode as having taken place as it is described as Scripture, or we can regard the story as an allegory. That decision is up to us, so long as the story inspires us to discern God’s will, in Scripture and in the teaching of the Church, and through prayer and contemplation; and, knowing God’s will, acting accordingly in every detail of our lives.
Responsorial Psalm
(Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8)
“If you, O LORD, mark iniquities, LORD” the psalmist asks, “who can stand? But with you is forgiveness, that you may be revered.” As remote as the story of Adam and Eve may seem to us, the dynamics at work in it should seem familiar. We human beings are constantly tempted, as Adam and Eve were, to behave in ways contrary to the will of God. We may yield to temptation out of avarice or, probably more often, out of moral laziness. And yet, we know that if we acknowledge our failures and turn to God in repentance, God will forgive us—again and again if necessary.
A reading from St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians
(Chapter 4:13—5:1)
Folks who are conscious of their advancing age sometimes write on social media, “I didn’t know this would happen so quickly.” Younger readers may not identify with that experience—yet—but it is a universal one. We all grow older; we all die. On the one hand, God doesn’t call us to be morbid about that fact, but rather to make the most of every day. Remember, Jesus said, “I came so that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Still, as St. Paul discusses in this passage, we should remain aware that this life is a journey toward the next one and that we should spend it preparing for what God wants for us—eternal life in his presence.
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark
(Chapter 3:20-35)
The gospel passage read today is harsh, including references to Jesus’ relatives saying that he was “out of his mind” and scribes saying that he was possessed by the devil. Those who dismissed Jesus in such terms made it easier for themselves to disregard what he was teaching—love of God and love of each other, without exception. For that tribal society, universal love was a radical idea, and it might have been more comfortable to summarily reject it than to consider that it might be valid. We live in a very different culture, and yet, the tendency persists to think of “us” and “them” rather than “we.” That’s not what God calls us to. As Jesus taught, and demonstrated, God calls us to regard the wellbeing of others as no less important than our own. That is God’s will and, like Adam and Eve, we are called to make God’s will our own.
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Sculpture: The temptation of Adam and Eve by the devil. Pedestal of the statue of Madonna with Child, western portal of Notre-Dame de Paris, France.
Excerpts from the English translation of the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL). All rights reserved.
Charles Paolino is managing editor at RENEW International and a permanent deacon of the Diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey.