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Genesis: 2:7 – 3:7
The LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground
and blew into his nostrils the breath of life,
and so man became a living being.
Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,
and placed there the man whom he had formed.
Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow
that were delightful to look at and good for food,
with the tree of life in the middle of the garden
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals
that the LORD God had made.
The serpent asked the woman,
“Did God really tell you not to eat
from any of the trees in the garden?”
The woman answered the serpent:
“We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;
it is only about the fruit of the tree
in the middle of the garden that God said,
‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'”
But the serpent said to the woman:
“You certainly will not die!
No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it
your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods
who know what is good and what is evil.”
The woman saw that the tree was good for food,
pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom.
So she took some of its fruit and ate it;
and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her,
and he ate it.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened,
and they realized that they were naked;
so they sewed fig leaves together
and made loincloths for themselves.
The Word of the Lord.
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Mark Twain once said, “The best way to get rid of temptation… is to give into it.”
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Temptation.
We all feel it … and sometimes we give in.
It’s something human beings have struggled with since the Garden of Eden.
Our first reading takes us back to the beginning, that moment when Adam and Eve first sinned.
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Satan appears in the form of a serpent.
Slithering towards Eve, he allures her into eating from the tree of knowledge. “Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat from any of the trees in the garden?” he hisses.
“No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods!”
Notice Satan does not deny the existence of God when manipulating Eve; he is far more cunning than that. Rather, he tries convincing her to doubt her need for God.
“Your eyes will be opened…and you will be like gods!” he says.
Free. Independent. Self-sustaining. No need for God.
This becomes a marquee tactic of the devil – not to make us doubt God’s existence, as much as convincing us not to care that God exists, or has our well-being in mind.
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The moment Eve looks at the fruit, she concludes three things: it is, “good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom.”
Then, she takes it and bites into it.
Most of our temptations stem from that moment.
Although God commands Eve not to eat the fruit – doing so would be poisonous to her body and soul – she perceives it as, “good for food,” something pleasing to her physical appetite.
Often, we face the same temptation – to bite into things that seem pleasing to our appetites in the moment, but really do us harm.
For example, do we ever overindulge in things like food, drink, betting, social media, or the internet?
We can spend hours draining ourselves, wasting our time… and for what good?
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One way to combat this temptation to overindulge is to fast, creating a stronger sense of self-discipline and balance this Lent.
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Secondly, Eve finds the fruit, “pleasing to the eyes.”
Lured by its shape and color, she bites in. Then, she shares it with Adam. Chances are, they both went back for more, even though God commanded them not to.
Today we’re lured by a different kind of “fruit” – a nice pair of shoes, a fashionable purse, a new set of golf clubs, a fancy car, a bigger home.
Things that seem, “pleasing to the eyes.”
We acquire them, but more is never enough. Somehow, having more leaves us feeling just as restless weeks or months later as we did before.
What lures me? What do I find myself constantly wanting more of?
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One way to assuage that desire for more is to give alms to those who have less. As Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us, “It is in giving that we receive.”
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Finally, Eve finds the fruit, “desirable for gaining wisdom.”
Although God warns her not to touch it, she cannot turn away. So, she does what she wants, instead of what she should.
This is, perhaps, the most common temptation of all: pride. Thinking that we can have whatever we want or do whatever we want, even when our conscience tells us otherwise.
When do I ignore my conscience and do what I want instead of what I should?
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One way to humble ourselves into doing the right thing is through prayer.
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“The best way to get rid of temptation,” Mark Twain once said, “is to give into it.”
While witty, we know that isn’t true. The best way to get rid of temptation is to fast, give alms, and pray as the Lord has taught us.
Are we willing to do that – to become more like Christ – this Lent?
May God bless our journeys ahead.
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Image credits: (1) Oswald Chambers (2) National Catholic Register (3) QuoteFancy