The Actual Original Sin

Today's readings take us back to the beginning and the story of Creation and the Fall. When we discover the symbolism of these ancient texts, we come to realize that we're not talking about a man and woman tricked by a snake into eating an apple and then getting punished by God. Instead, we see how immensely blessed by God the man and woman were but instead listened to the lies of the Enemy of their human nature. They chose to reject God's authority and took the prerogative of deciding what is true and false, good and evil, right and wrong upon themselves. This was the actual original sin, and we can see it all over the place, including, if we're honest, in our own hearts. The Lent the Church invites us to repent of this tendency to want to make ourselves the arbiters of right and wrong so that we might submit to God the Father's authority over us and be truly his children.