Thursday first week of Lent

The woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and the tree was 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.   Genesis 3:6

Everything God created was good. God did not create evil. Evil entered the world because God gave humans free will—the ability to choose good or evil—and humans chose to misuse God’s good creation for harmful ends. The serpent’s lie is not saying the fruit is good or attractive. The lie is that this particular good thing, this piece of fruit, is meant for Eve to eat.

This deception happens often in life. We see things that look good on the surface, that seem desirable, but God knows they are not good for us. So he tells us they are off limits. Like Eve, we will be tempted to eat the fruit, to make a decision that will cause us harm in the end.

Pray for the grace today to recognize and refuse the forbidden fruits that will bring unnecessary pain to your life.

This reflection from Messages of Trust for Lent, originally published by Ave Maria Press, was reprinted with permission of the authors, Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran. For more parish resources, visit https://www.rebuiltparish.com/.

Responsorial psalms are excerpted from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Other scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC, and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.