Today’s first reading is a perfect example of how the devil works so secretively in the lives of the faithful. This passage is from Genesis chapters 2 and 3.
The LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being.
Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden
Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the LORD God had made. The serpent asked the woman, “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” The woman answered the serpent: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman:
“You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil.” The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened,
and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
“You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil.” The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened,
and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
It was no coincidence that the serpent was the most cunning of all animals.
Disobedience to the Lord was supposed to look attractive.
The devil was honest in saying that Adam and Eve’s eyes would be opened if they ate of the fruit.
Their eyes were opened.
They were opened to evil, to sorrow, to disobedience, and to pain.
This is how the devil works, even in our lives today.
He does not work in a showy or extreme manner.
He works in a sly, deceitful, and often cunning way.
The devil is VERY real and VERY present in the world today.
We need to be aware of this.
We need to pray against the devil and his works.
We need to turn to the Lord in times of trial and temptation.
The power of the Lord will triumph over evil.
May we not give in to the temptations of the world.
May we always fix our gaze on the one true Lord.
When being tempted, take a moment to pray to the Lord for the strength to withstand the temptation.
May the Lord protect us always and help keep us free from evil.
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