5TH FRIDAY HOMILY IN THE ORDINARY TME — YEAR A
5TH FRIDAY HOMILY IN THE ORDINARY TME — YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: THE ORIGINAL SIN VS SERPENTIZATION!
BY: Fr. Benedict AGBO
Genesis 3:1-8; Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7; Mark 7:31-37
What is original about the original sin? What is special about it? Nothing really! The scriptures have simply x – rayed analogously the human condition of throwness in a world of freedom and man’s constant debacle with temptations and the effect/ consequence of yielding to them.
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Let me just explain 6 major existential tendencies well accounted for in this biblical pericope about the original sin;
1. SERPENTIZATION; Deceit by our ancient enemy the devil (represented by the image of the serpent) has remained and will remain man’s greatest existential facticity. And how he handles this enduring temptation will determine his success and happiness on earth. The story began with the serpent’s visit to the woman and the series of arguments/ dialogue that went on in a bid to decieve the Woman.
2. MINIMALISM; This is the human tendency towards playing around the degree of sin as if to know how serious or how little and how far he / she can go. Eve was interested in this fact that they could eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden but not the one in the middle.
3. LEGALISM; This is slavery to the letters of the rule and the consequences of breaking it and not understanding the spirit behind the rule. Eve exaggerated the rule as follows: ‘God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die”. The devil quickly saw her low level of spiritual maturity and cashed in on her legalism. The next thing he told her was: ‘You will not die…’
4. LIBERALISM; This is the dangerous tendency in man of wanting to be free like God. When the devil saw that tendency in Eve, he told her: ‘For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil’. This one caught Eve in her elements and she succumbed.
5. SENSUALIM; Seeing sin as a delight to the senses ( eg the eyes) is the greatest killer of morality. David made the same mistake as soon as he began looking at the naked body of Bathsheba, the wife of Urriah, 2 Sam 11: 2. The Bible says that ‘When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes…she took of its fruits and ate; and also gave some to her husband…’. Listening to our senses is always the final masterstroke of the enemy.
6. DEGENERATION; Hiding from the presence of the Lord takes one down the lane of degeneration. As soon as Adam and Eve sinned, they went into hiding. This is why many cult people or those who live in mortal sin find it sometimes difficult to come to Church because they don’t want to be reminded of their unworthiness.
In today’s gospel, they brought to Jesus a man who had a lot of existential impediments; the impediment of speech makes one unable to speak the Word of God, the impediment of hearing makes one unable to hear the Word of God, the worst is the impediment of the will that makes one unable to do the will of God. Only Jesus can restore these situations. He took the man aside from the multitude and looking up to heaven, he sighed at what the devil had done and said: ‘Ephphatha’ – be opened. That is one of the simplest deliverance prayers which the Church says through the mouth of the priest at every sacrament of baptism. Deliverance from the devil’s work and from sin is the salvific work of Christ on earth. All mankind fell in Adam, who disobeyed God and in a mysterious way all mankind will be restored to God’s friendship through obedience to Jesus, the second Adam.The more we surrender to his grace the more we are free. The resultant effect of salvation is praise worship. HE HAS DONE ALL THINGS WELL! May God bless you today!
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