Fr. Bob's Reflection for Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The story of Adam and Eve is perhaps the best known story in history. They ate fruit from the wrong tree. Right in the middle of the garden was a tree that was off limits. They were not to even touch it. You know the story. Adam and Eve did everything they were told not to do. They ate the foribbiden fruit, and the first man and woman were evicted from the Garden of Eden. The human race has been in trouble ever since. If I were Adam or Eve, I would appeal the case on two accounts. The first being entrapment. If God did not want them to eat the fruit of the tree, why did He make it so accessible? If you don't want people to use something, you hide it. You don't put it in the middle of the garden and just say, "Don't touch!" My second appeal would be that the punishment did not fit the crime. For picking one piece of fruit, they are expelled from the garden forever? And look what happens right away. The serpent tells Eve to eat the fruit, and it would make her like a God. She then gives it to Adam. God asks him, "Why did you eat from the tree?" Adam points to Eve and says, "She made me do it." And Eve blames the serpent. It was the first split in God's creation. The story is not so much a history lesson. But a lesson in living. It's a reminder that we have been endowed by the Creator with the gift of choice. What we do with that gift will largely determine our quality of living. We can misuse the gift of choice, and the misery it can bring to ourselves and others is beyond calculation. But, we can also use it wisely. The right choices can enrich our lives and the lives of those around us. The gift of choice is not a curse. It was intended as a blessing. But we are humans. And we can turn it into a curse by misusing it. Young people can make the wrong choice by trying drugs. Their lives can be thrown off course and even ruined by it. But others who choose to stay away from drugs go on to live wonderful, happy lives. The Bible teaches us that we are made in the image of God. Biblical scholars and Theologians agree that we bear no physical likeness to God, since God is Spirit. But we are like God in our capacity for free choice. Next time you face a choice, ask yourself a question: Will I remember this day with sadness or gladness? It's all up to you. The choice is yours to make. What will you do next? Yours in Christ, Fr. Robert Warren, S.A. Spiritual Director