First Sunday of Lent (Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7) “Fly to Freedom”
First Sunday of Lent (Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7) “Fly to Freedom”
What is the root of all temptation? The crux of all temptation is that we are invited to believe a lie. For that reason, Satan is called the prince of lies. We believe something will make us happy that really won’t. And this has been the way it has been from the very beginning.
Every great religion has its religious myths. When we hear the word myth, we have a sense that all myths are just made-up stories. But if we believe that we are mistaken. Myths are often written to proclaim a particular truth. The Greeks were especially adept at developing religious myths that had to do with philosophical, psychological and religious truths.
One story the Greeks told revolved around a boy named Icarus. Icarus lived on the island of Crete in ancient times. His father, Daedalus, was a talented builder. The King of Crete asked Daedalus to build a labyrinth, a labyrinth that would be a prison. He wanted to lock up his enemy, the king of Athens. He wanted to torture his prisoner as well as keep him a captive. If we have ever been in a corn maze, we know what a labyrinth is. We have paths we can walk down as we try to find our way through the maze. Most of the walkways lead to dead ends. The people in the labyrinth must then go back and start over. Eventually there is a way out. The king of Crete wanted a labyrinth with no way out so his prisoner would be trapped forever.
Daedalus built the labyrinth. But because he helped the King of Athens escape, he himself was imprisoned in the labyrinth with his son Icarus. Daedalus managed to procure beeswax, string and feathers. He made wings so that he and his son could fly out of the labyrinth to freedom. The two men would fly completely off the island of Crete. Before the two left the labyrinth, Daedalus told his son not to fly too close to the sun or the wax would melt. He told him not to fly too close to the sea or the feathers would be clogged by the dampness. Icarus became giddy with his flying. He wanted to soar. He went too close to the sun. The wax melted the feathers fell off the wings, Icarus plunged into the sea. The story reminds us that we must always remain humble.
The story of Adam and Eve presents many important truths. We feel that the story is about disobedience, but it isn’t that simple. We need to pay attention to the tree that Adam and Eve were ordered not to eat from. Two special trees were in the garden along with many other trees. One tree was the tree of life. The other tree was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is the only tree that God told the first parents not to eat from.
We might think that this is kind of a heavy-handed order. Why did God want to keep Adam and Eve from learning about good and evil? We might have been tempted to make the same choice as Eve. But how did things change for Adam and Eve? Before our first parents ate of the tree, they weren’t ignorant of good. No, they saw the world they lived in as a good place. Everything about life was good. And they viewed themselves as good. Satan told them that if they ate of the fruit they would become like God. But the truth was that they were already like God because they were immersed in goodness.
When they ate of the fruit, they saw evil. Evil seemed to be everywhere especially within themselves. Adam and Eve became suspicious and afraid of God for the first time. Before they ate of the tree of good and evil, they knew they were intimate friends of God. After, they doubted this. Humanity has doubted this truth ever since. Our spiritual project since the fall has been to regain our trust in the world, each other and God.
We know how wonderful it is to be around people who see the world as good. We know how horrible it is to be in a place where everything around us is imperfect. Lent is a time to deal with sin. Also, it is a time to try to regain a sense of the original goodness that we once had. We need to take responsibility for our sin without losing hope. When we need to steer the course between pride and despair that is humility, otherwise, we lose a sense of where we are at, what we are about. If we can’t fly right, we might fall, fall hard.
As humans we will never be perfect, but we can live life aware of the fact that God made us good. Jesus reminds us we can rely on the mercy of loving God. If we live with such awareness, we will escape Satan’s labyrinth of lies. We will find hope and freedom.
Reflection Questions:
1. Have I ever been hurt by a lie? What was it?
2. Do I believe moderation is good? What tells me this?
Dear Parishioners,
As a priest and as a Christian I have participated and led tens of thousands of Eucharistic celebrations. The Eucharist has been a constant in my life since I was an infant. Some of my earliest recollections are of attending Mass with my family. I have taken Liturgy and Theology courses that have explained the Eucharist, but I still feel ignorant at times when it comes to this most important sacrament.
One of the most fruitful things that I have done, is to celebrate explanation Masses where each part of the Mass is explained. Preparing to do this, forced me to really ask why certain things are done and what the origins of certain signs, symbols and rituals are. As Catholics it is helpful if we understand the Mass so that we can help others to understand.
On March 14th and 15th, the people of Sacred Heart will have a special opportunity to learn more about the Mass. A priest friend of mine from the Diocese of Saginaw will be here, to offer two nights of reflection on the Eucharist. The first night will be a Theological explanation. The second night will be an explanation Mass. The presentations will begin at 7 p.m. and will last about an hour. Can you spare the time to learn about this most important sacrament? Mark these dates on your calendar and plan on being here.
May Our Lady and all the angels and saints watch over you this week.
Fr. Mark