Adam Blames Eve, Eve Blame Snake, Dirty Catholic Blames Pageant

Genesis 3:8-12

When they heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from God.  God called to the Man: "Where are you?"

He said, "I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked. And I hid." God said, "Who told you you were naked? Did you eat from that tree I told you not to eat from?" The Man said, "The Woman you gave me as a companion, she gave me fruit from the tree, and, yes, I ate it." God said to the Woman, "What is this that you've done?" "The serpent seduced me," she said, "and I ate." 

Is anyone surprised that the very first sin, after the bite, was Adam blaming something on his wife?  Maybe it's just me. I have a nickname for Mr. Man that I use from time to time and that nickname is "Blamer McBlamenstein." I use it when he accuses me of losing his key or hiding his wallet or moving his whatever-it-is to anywhere but where he thought he put it. It's a fun game.

Of course, he could make the same assertions about me. Like right about now, when you are realizing that a whole bunch of these Jesse Tree posts are dated correctly, but oddly, not showing up until a few days later? I blame the Christmas Pageant. Sometimes it's just easier to pass the buck than to admit to our own disorganization, faults, or mistakes.

And Adam and Eve made a BIG mistake. Did you catch that bit in verse 8 about "God strolling in the Garden?"  Adam and Eve lived with God. He walked about and enjoyed the Garden with them. You know, chillin' in the Garden with God, eating cherries in the warm evening breeze. Like you do.

The apple-binge changed the easy, dependent relationship humanity had with God. Instead of living with God, we became commuters. We visited God on hilltops and at burning bushes. We saw God occasionally in dreams and temples. We called out to God, God called out to us, but often, we just couldn't hear each other talking. 

And that lasted for a while, until God came back to walk among us again. Without that big mistake, we would not known what we were missing. Without that big mistake, we would not have known Jesus. A line in the Exultet, a hymn sung at the Easter vigil, sums up this idea poetically,  "O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam, that gained for us so great a Redeemer!"  

So while we wait this Advent in eager anticipation for our Redeemer to come again, we can thank- or blame- Adam and Eve for the greatest gift we await- Jesus.

Comments

[mpf004]

I guess I heard about original sin. I heard the dude blamed the chick, I heard the chick blamed the snake. I heard they were naked when they got busted. And things haven't been the same since.

[Liza Villamayor Starman]

You haven't changed, still doing the Roman Catholic comedy sermon....