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Reading: Genesis 4: 1-15
The man had relations with his wife Eve,
and she conceived and bore Cain, saying,
“I have produced a man with the help of the LORD.”
Next she bore his brother Abel.
Abel became a keeper of flocks, and Cain a tiller of the soil.
In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the LORD
from the fruit of the soil,
while Abel, for his part,
brought one of the best firstlings of his flock.
The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
but on Cain and his offering he did not.
Cain greatly resented this and was crestfallen.
So the LORD said to Cain:
“Why are you so resentful and crestfallen.
If you do well, you can hold up your head;
but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door:
his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master.”
Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out in the field.”
When they were in the field,
Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Then the LORD asked Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
He answered, “I do not know.
Am I my brother’s keeper?”
The LORD then said: “What have you done!
Listen: your brother’s blood cries out to me from the soil!
Therefore you shall be banned from the soil
that opened its mouth to receive
your brother’s blood from your hand.
If you till the soil, it shall no longer give you its produce.
You shall become a restless wanderer on the earth.”
Cain said to the LORD: “My punishment is too great to bear.
Since you have now banished me from the soil,
and I must avoid your presence
and become a restless wanderer on the earth,
anyone may kill me at sight.”
“Not so!” the LORD said to him.
“If anyone kills Cain, Cain shall be avenged sevenfold.”
So the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest anyone should kill him at sight.
Adam again had relations with his wife,
and she gave birth to a son whom she called Seth.
“God has granted me more offspring in place of Abel,” she said,
“because Cain slew him.”
The Word of the Lord.
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Autoimmune diseases – such as type 1 diabetes and arthritis – confuse the body’s natural defense system, so that the body can no longer tell the difference between a healthy and an unhealthy cell; meaning, normal cells are mistaken for a threat.
As a result, the body begins attacking itself.
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Doesn’t it feel like our world is attacking itself?
Although we’re all equal and loved in the eyes of God, sometimes one human being unfairly mistakes another for a threat, as if that person doesn’t belong in our society, much like a malignant cell in the body.
Consider this in the context of religion, racism, economic inequality, or the political division rampant across our country. These are like autoimmune diseases attacking our world.
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In our first reading from the Book of Genesis, Cain mistakes his brother, Abel, for a threat. Cain’s insanely jealous, because the Lord favored Abel’s offering over his. As a result, he lures his brother out into a field and kills him.
Immediately, the Lord reveals himself and says to Cain, “Where is your brother, Abel?”
Cain’s response becomes the first question human beings ever ask God in the bible: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
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How can we reconcile this ancient and malignant “us versus them” mentality?
Perhaps it will never be completely removed; not until the Lord returns. But you and I should work for greater peace in our homes, in our Church, and in our broader community.
In the words of Saint Francis of Assisi, “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.”
Being proactive in working for peace can start the healing process we’re so direly in need of today.
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