Tuesday, 5 June 2018

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B


Genesis 3:9-15; 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1; Mark 3:20-35

The Lord God called to the man after he had eaten of the tree. ‘Where are you?’ he asked.
Where are you?
This is a question we often ask each other, and a question we occasionally ask of ourselves – Where am I? But, somehow, in the mouth of God it seems like a strange question. The Lord God called to the man … Where are you?
It goes without saying that God knew precisely where Adam was; he is not asking for enlightenment. He is trying to enlighten Adam – ‘Adam, my son, what have you done? Look at yourself, look at where you have taken yourself.’
God wants us and comes looking for us. Though his fear and guilt may have paralysed him somewhat Adam must still, somehow, have been aware, however dimly, that it was the goodness of God that was seeking him, that God still wanted him. God wanted to reveal himself to Adam as a patient, understanding, forgiving but just God. He wanted Adam to find him and he wanted Adam to find himself.
Sin always takes us to a place we should not be, a dark place, a lonely place. The Lord God calls to Adam; Adam is hiding. Why? Because he has sinned. He experiences for the first time that sin inescapably removes us from the presence of God. Sin causes us to lose the one capacity we need to remain in his presence – our innocence – and so deprived of his innocence Adam finds himself hiding in his guilt. As we all well know, this is a terrible place to be.
Sin makes us ashamed of ourselves and our shame is experienced as nakedness. Adam is ashamed of himself. He discovers his nakedness. We know that he always was naked but it didn’t bother him because he was innocent. The eyes of an innocent person are always directed to God and to the other and to self with a pure gaze. But now Adam’s eyes are turned towards himself. He has caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror of his soul and suddenly he is deeply ashamed, and hides.
Sin makes us hide from God, from each other, and from ourselves. When we hide from God we hide from all that is good – peace, joy, light, life, truth, wholeness, love. The fracture in our personality caused by sin makes us hide also from the ‘other’ because we fear that should the other see our shame they might withdraw their love, and reject us. So we sew fig leaves of pretence about ourselves in a vain effort to disguise our guilt. And would do we do that?
Sinners routinely blame others! Having sinned we accuse others. In answer to God’s question: Have you been eating of the tree I forbade you to eat? Adam replied: It was the woman you put with me; she gave me the fruit, and I ate it.’ Notice the double accusation the womanyou? Eve, in turn blames the serpent: The serpent tempted me and I ate.