Our lives and our human senses can be opened up in different ways. In our first reading from Genesis, the serpent seduces Eve, resulting in both Adam and Eve eating of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, with their eyes and minds being opened to shame and embarrassment. In the Gospel, there was another kind of opening up: the opening up of the ears of the deaf man through Jesus’ command. The deaf man was filled with joy when his speech and hearing were restored. The people who witnessed the healing of the deaf man were filled with wonder, saying "(Jesus) has done all things well; he makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” Adam and Eve were punished for their disobedience, being driven from the garden. God’s justice and mercy are the themes of our readings today.
We can open up ourselves to good things on our journey of faith, things that will help us and encourage in our faith. Or, conversely, we can open up ourselves to temptations or things that will take us off our journey of faith, things that will weaken our faith. What I see in a lot of young people, and adults as well, is that they think they can fool around and experiment with things, things they know they should not be doing, thinking they are not dangerous and that they will not lead to an addiction or negative consequences. However, like Adam and Eve being seduced, we can be seduced and tricked into things. Doing things that will educate us in the faith, forming our conscience in the teachings of the Church, and practicing devotions of our faith and being an active part of our faith community are all things we can do to help us be open to the good things of our faith, while helping us resist temptation.
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