Justification

Today's first reading is about the fall of man -

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.

I think it's interesting how we justify sin. We make it go away and not seem like sin. I don't remember where I read it lately, but people rarely do bad things thinking that they're bad. They may know that they're bad, but they make excuses to justify their actions. Eve justified eating the fruit by looking at all of it's good qualities. After they did it, their eyes were opened and things like temptations entered the world. I know after I screw up, all of the justifications usually disappear and I just see the truth - I chose sinfulness over righteousness.

Wow! At least to me, the readings really flow today - Psalm 51, w/ the response "Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned."

Ps 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17

R. (cf. 3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.”
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

After sinning, we realize we need God's forgiveness and for Him to create a new heart in us... HE must open our mouths to proclaim His praise... it comes from God. We just choose to give it back or to throw it away.

Second reading - Romans 5:12-19

I think I'm going to put a lot of this reading into my talk on the cross for the Rez this weekend. If something like sin can enter the world through one person, how much MORE can grace and salvation enter the world through Christ??

For if, by the transgression of the one,
death came to reign through that one,
how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace
and of the gift of justification
come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.

There is so much deep theological stuff in this reading that I can tell is there but goes over my head... here's stuff from Haydock's Bible Commentary, but even a lot of this goes over my head:

Ver. 12. As by one man...in whom [2] all have sinned. That is, in which man all sinned, (not in which death all sinned) as it must be the construction by the Greek text: so that these words are a clear proof of original sin against the Pelagian heretics, as St. Augustine often brings them. Nor does St. Chrysostom deny original sin, though in this place he expounds it that all by Adam's sin were made guilty of death and punishments. But how could they deserve these, had they not sinned in Adam? (Witham)

Ver. 13-14. Until the law, sin was in the world. That is, from Adam's fall, both original sin and actual sins truly infected all mankind. (Witham) --- Not imputed. That is, men knew not, or made no account of sin; neither was it imputed to them, in the manner it was afterwards, when they transgressed the known written law of God. (Challoner) --- All were conceived and born in sin, in what we call original sin, and liable to death, even infants, who were not come to the use of reason, and consequently could not sin after the similitude of the transgression of Adam, or by imitating his sin, but were born in sin: and besides this, all manner of actual sins, which men committed by their own perverse will, reigned every where in the world. But before the law these sins were not imputed, that is, were not declared sins, that deserved such punishments as were ordained by the law. --- Adam, who is a figure of him that was to come. That is, of Christ, whom the apostle calls the last Adam, 1 Corinthians xv. 45. But he was a figure by contraries. By the first Adam, sin and death entered into the world; by Christ, justice and life. (Witham)

Ver. 15. &c. But not as the offence, so also is the gift, or the benefits which mankind receive by their Redeemer, Jesus Christ. For St. Paul here shews that the graces which Christ came to bestow upon men, and offers to all, are much greater than the evils which the sin of one man, Adam, caused. 1. Because, if by the offence of that one man, Adam, many, i.e. all died by original sin that descended from Adam, (the blessed Virgin mother by a special privilege being always excepted) much more that grace of one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many,[3] the comparison does not imply that more in number receive the grace of Christ, than were infected with sin; but that they who receive the graces which are offered to all, receive greater benefits than were the damages caused by the sin of Adam. For the judgment indeed was by one unto condemnation, or so as to make all guilty of one sin, that is, of original sin; and for other actual sins, men committed them by their own proper will; whereas the grace of Christ justifies men from many sins; that is, also from all sins which they have committed by their own malice. 2. Because by it, that is, by the offence of one man, death reigned in the world, and made all men liable to damnation; yet now by the incarnation of Christ, (which would not have been, had not Adam sinned) all they who are justified by the grace of their Redeemer, have Christ God and man for their head: he is become the head of that same mystical body which is his Church: they are exalted to the dignity of being the brothers of Christ, the Son of God; they are made joint heirs with him of the kingdom of heaven, and so by the grace of Christ have a greater dignity in this world, and shall be exalted to a greater and more eminent degree of glory in the kingdom of his glory for all eternity; which hath given occasion to the Church, in her liturgy, to cry out, as it were with a transport of joy, O happy fault, which hath procured us such and so great a Redeemer! See St. Chrysostom,[4] hom. x. (Witham)

http://haydock1859.tripod.com/id149.html

The sin of Adam and Eve takes us away from the initial place God put us - not quite united with Him, but able to walk with Him and talk with Him. The grace of Christ's sacrifice gives us the gift of grace and justification and not only being with Him walking but being ONE with Him... a daughter/son of GOD. It blows my mind.

The Gospel - Matt 4:1-11 - the temptation of Jesus in the desert. Christ never gives in; He never even tries to rationalize or justify. I probably would have said something like, "oh, yah, I will prove that I'm who I say I am," and justified giving into temptation that way. But that's why I'm not God... From Adam and Eve giving into temptation with weak justification, to a plea for mercy, to a commentary from St. Paul about how through Adam sin entered the world and through Christ something so much greater entered the world, to Christ perfectly resisting temptation... wow Church, way to put the readings together this week!

On a personal note - I need to spend a lot less time with people and a lot more alone with God. I see lately how much potential I have to hurt people with nothing more than the over use of words. I need to be open and honest with others about my life. But if I spend more time than is healthy with other people and not enough with God, there is a tremendous potential for me to say things I should never say and simply hurt others through over involvement. If I spend less time with people, I think the time I do spend will be infinitely more meaningful.

I know I've screwed up a lot, especially lately. I only want to do what is right and in God's will. And I strive to do that..but I rationalize doing things that hurt others because of the amount of time I spend daily in conversation that isn't completely Christ-centered. If I spend too much time thinking about my own affairs or especially those of others, I don't leave much time to contemplate the mysteries of God or grow deeper in my relationship with Him.

God's been convicting me a lot lately, but it's all a general theme - cut back on stupid time, spend more time with Him, bring balance to my life, and be open with the people I need to be open with...there just shouldn't be so many that it turns into gossip for me to be open. I just need to address what I need to address with the direct people involved. And I need to be less involved in general, so that there isn't this constant need to solve interpersonal problems...it has to go back to the root problem of over involvement.