Critic magazine reported in the late 1960s that
Pope Paul VI had called a panel of experts to Rome to discuss original sin.
The group surfaced several interesting ideas.
No one denied the disordering of our human nature which post-biblical
theologians labeled "original sin." Its effects are too evident to
be discounted or ignored. But they stressed that the historical triggering
device of this universal condition was probably different from the biblical
myth we learned as children.
Pope Paul's team of anthropologists,
Scripture scholars, theologians and other specialists concluded that our
primal ancestors' sin wasn't something they did; it was something they
didn't do. They were presented with a God-given opportunity to change the
environment in which they lived, but they refused to do so, forever
condemning their descendants to a lifetime struggle with the sin-causing,
disordered surroundings they willingly accepted.
The panel forces us to hear Sunday's readings
from a new perspective.
Nakedness
The always perceptive author of Genesis
presents us with an undeniable sign of our disordered human condition:
clothes (Gen 2: 7-9; 3: 1-7). Every culture or tribe known to
anthropologists covers some part of their bodies. It might be minimal, not
even concealing the parts we normally hide. But humans never reveal all of
themselves to everyone. It's too risky.
Though small children have no problem with
nudity, once they reach the point of knowing good and evil, they alter their
behavior. The first man and woman could have changed all that, but they
refused to do what was necessary to bring about a transformation of their
surroundings. They sacrificed a fulfilling life for an all-pervasive death.
Paul's reflection on Jesus' significance
takes on a new meaning when we begin to look at Adam's sin as one of
omission rather than commission (Rom 5: 12-19). By permitting the sinful
dimensions of his surroundings to dominate his existence, the first man
guaranteed that sin would be part of our existence. Only by challenging His
environment did Jesus provide us with the power and example to change our
environment.
Paul reminds the Romans, "If death began
its reign through one man because of his offense, much more shall those who
receive the overflowing grace and gift of justice live and reign through one
man, Jesus Christ....Just as a single offense brought condemnation to all, a
single righteous act brought all acquittal and life."
One courageous, environment-changing action
will benefit everyone who lives in that environment.
Testing time
Matthew is the first evangelist to specify the
temptations Jesus overcomes in the wilderness (Mt 4: 1-11). Expanding on
Mark's simple comment that Jesus was "put to the test by Satan,"
he clicks off three areas of testing.
Scripture scholars agree that the temptations
which Matthew lists aren't so much those Jesus faced in the early 30s, as
they are the ones His community experienced in the late 70s.
Turning stones into bread implies that some in
the Gospel community believed they did enough for others by just meeting
their physical needs. Throwing oneself from a great height and walking away
unscathed contradicts those who thought stupendous, headline-making actions
were the most important of our faith. And the human desire to gain political
clout can be inspired by no one but Satan.
Doing or saying something to counter each
temptation, Jesus sets an example for us. By the dying/rising way He lived
His life, He not only resisted these specific temptations, but also created
an environment which ran counter to them.
Presuming Paul VI's experts are correct,
Jesus saves us from original sin by showing us how to alter the sinful
surroundings in which we live. There's just one problem: It takes a death
to accomplish such a transformation.
(2/10/05)