Lessons from Genesis 3: 9-24

In today's first reading, Genesis 3: 9-24, we are given the story of God's concerns over Adam and Eve. He is looking for them and calls out to Adam: "Where are you," Adam? Adam hears God calling and comes "clean," that is he tells God the truth about himself:   "I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself."

"Where are you?"  God asks you and me that same question when we have done something inappropriate, unkind, uncaring, unwise, and, yes, sinful, that is, we have turned away from doing what we have been asked by God to do or not to do.  As with Adam, God cares! His caring does not mean that God will take away the consequences of our wrongdoing but it does mean that God will take precautions to protect us from the Evil One, as He did in the Garden of Eden.

When God asks Adam: "Who told you that you were naked," He gets right to the point: "You have eaten, then,  from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!" You and I need to learn to get right to the point and not hem around the bush when we know for certain that a wrong has been committed or that another person's behavior is inappropriate, that person being someone over whom we have authority or with whom we have made an agreement that has been violated:  a child, an employee, a spouse, a friend.

Another part of this story upon which it is important to reflect is Adam and Eve's response to God: neither owes up to his/her responsibility in doing wrong. Adam blames Eve. Eve blames the serpent.  We have this same inclination to blame someone/something outside of ourselves for the mistakes we have made!  We take ourselves "off the hook," so to speak! Only the truth will make us free and give us the wisdom we need to learn from our mistakes!

Help us, Lord, that we may have the courage to acknowledge that we have heard your voice, that we have been in hiding because we know that we have done wrong and that we have allowed ourselves to get trapped by Satan's lies.  Help us, Lord, to stop the blame game and take responsibility for our behaviors!