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This is the book of the generation of heaven and earth, when they were made, in the day in which the Lord God made the heaven and the earth, and every herb of the field before it was on the earth, and all the grass of the field before it sprang up, for God had not rained on the earth, and there was not a man to cultivate it. But there rose a fountain out of the earth, and watered the whole face of the earth. And God formed the man of dust of the earth, and breathed upon his face the breath of life, and the man became a living soul. And God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and placed there the man whom he had formed. And God made to spring up also out of the earth every tree beautiful to the eye and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of learning the knowledge of good and evil. And a river proceeds out of Eden to water the garden, thence it divides itself into four heads. The name of the one, Phisom, this it is which encircles the whole land of Evilat, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good, there also is carbuncle and emerald. And the name of the second river is Geon, this it is which encircles the whole land of Ethiopia. And the third river is Tigris, this is that which flows forth over against the Assyrians. And the fourth river is Euphrates. And the Lord God took the man whom he had formed, and placed him in the garden of Delight, to cultivate and keep it. And the Lord God gave a charge to Adam, saying, Of every tree which is in the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—of it ye shall not eat, but in whatsoever day ye eat of it, ye shall surely die. And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone, let us make for him a help suitable to him. And God formed yet farther out of the earth all the wild beasts of the field, and all the birds of the sky, and he brought them to Adam, to see what he would call them, and whatever Adam called any living creature, that was the name of it. – Genesis 2:4-19
God made the animals to be a companion for man “…and he brought them to Adam, to see what he would call them, and whatever Adam called any living creature, that was the name of it.” Adam’s mind was a pure and unbroken mirror, perfectly reflecting all around him. His speech, the speech of Paradise, was perfect expression, and each name he gave perfectly expressed the essence of each thing he named. Between the mind, the word coming forth from the mind, and the thing named by the word, there was no conflict, no gap, no misunderstanding. Adam was at one with God, with himself, and with creation, in understanding, in activity, and in love.
Sin broke man’s mind into countless pieces, and each piece reflects only a tiny and disconnected fragment of what is real. Sin broke man’s activity, and his efforts always end in defeat. Sin broke man’s love, and he devotes his heart to that which is unworthy, and the object of his love devours him.
Grace heals man’s mind, his activity, and his love. Grace unites the fragmented thoughts, gives power to man’s activity, and directs his love to that which is truly lovable. Grace restores man to Paradise.
Christ, the New Adam, came to give us this grace. Let us worship Him.
This commentary was taken from The Eternal Sacrifice: The Genesis Readings for Great Lent by Fr. Steven Allen. You can order a copy from Lulu at http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/FrStevenAllen
