Reflection:
Ever wonder what is wrong with the world? When we turn on the news, it is a parade of violence, scandal and lies. We have experienced injustice in our own lives. When we ask, “What is wrong with the world?” Christianity offers a direct and challenging answer: Original Sin.
In the creation story of Genesis, God creates the world and calls it good. He does not make junk; God is not responsible for the evil we see in the world. In the story, he creates Adam and Eve not because He needs them, but because He desires to share His love with them. Love is its own reason. In the Garden, they walk with God in harmony—this represents the state of Original Justice and Holiness. Humans were in a right relationship with God and with one another. In the story, they are free to eat from any tree except one, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It was not a test or a trap, rather, it represents that love has limits. Love is a commitment and a choice.
Tempted by the devil, Adam and Eve reject God. The fruit represents more than disobedience; it symbolizes the desire to “be like God” without God. The first sin is a rejection of divine love. Its effects ripple outward like a stone thrown into a pond. With it is the loss of Original Justice and Holiness. Humans are now marked by the stain of Original Sin and will struggle with concupiscence, an inclination to sin.
The human condition is now marked by a clouded intellect and a weakened will, and death has become part of the world. As St. Paul teaches, through one man’s sin came death—both bodily and spiritual separation from God.
Yet there is hope. If through Adam came death, through Christ comes life. Jesus, the new Adam, overcomes temptation, suffers, dies, and rises to redeem us. In baptism, we share in His victory and are restored to relationship with God. What is wrong with the world? Original sin. But there is a cure: Jesus Christ.
Reflection Questions
- In your prayer ask: How better can I look to Jesus as the model for my life? How can his resistance of temptation help me resist in my life?
- Reflect on this: With what does Satan tempt me in my life? Is it worldly success or pleasure? Is it acclaim from other people and popularity?
- Consider in quiet reflection: In what ways do I fail to make holiness, the authentic love of God and neighbor, the ultimate goal of my life?