So much of the Old Testament – the Hebrew Scriptures – is filled with stories that try to explain in theological terms why the world is the way it is. A clear example of this is in the book of Genesis. The creation stories portray God as a good God who was pleased with his creation. At the end of each day, God “saw that it was good”. Why then does a woman bear such pain in giving birth to a child? Why does a man have to work hard in the heat of the sun to raise food for his family? Why then do sickness and death happen even to good people? Why is there genocide, inequality, and abuse? The story of Adam and Eve in the Garden gives us an answer. The world was a paradise, and God had only one commandment for Adam and Eve – “Do not eat the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden. You may eat the fruit of all the other trees.” Of course, we know what happens! Eve and Adam both eat the forbidden fruit, and, because of their disobedience, God expels them from the Garden and life now becomes burdensome and painful. St. Augustine would call this the “original sin” which we all inherit simply by being born. We now have a propensity to sin, a built-in urge to do bad things and to disobey God’s commandments. Original sin affects individuals by bringing dissatisfaction and guilt into their lives. We will never be happy “until we rest in Thee”. (St. Augustine). But the grace of Christ gives us the power to overcome and minimize the consequences of original sin. Prayer and sacraments are the antidote to despair. Paradise is back within our reach! – – – Fr. Jim