Self Banishment

~~~ First Sunday of Lent ~~~

~~Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7~~Psalm 51~~Romans 5:12-19~~Matthew 4:1-11~~

Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.

Adam and Eve ate of the tree of good and evil...the tree of knowledge...
after being tempted by the serpent.
The knowledge they gained was that they were naked.
Before their transgression their natural bodies were not an issue for them.
They were exactly as God had created them to be...
perfect in every way.

Once they had gained knowledge from the fruit of the tree they
banished themselves from the presence of God.
They hid and covered themselves with the largest
leaves they could find...

When we sin it is not God that casts us out
we remove ourselves from his presence.
The magnificence of God is such that sin makes
us repulsive to ourselves.
God, on the other hand, is always more than willing
 for us to repent and return to his gaze.

When we turn away from sin and return to God it is just
as wonderful as when the Prodigal Son returned to his earthly father.

It is very early in our Lenten time of repentance and mercy.
We repent and God forgives in his infinite mercy.

I invite you to use this Lent to examine what you are hiding from God.

Of course we know that we can hide nothing from him,
but still we look for somewhere to hide our face.

We are blessed to have a Creator God who forgives all
of our indiscretions.
Peace.