The story of the Fall, which we heard in today’s 1st reading, endlessly fascinates us because it is also the story of Everyman and Everywoman, of each one of us. We are like our first Adam and Eva, who chose to go against God and to be satisfied by eating fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The effects of sin bring about the downfall of others. The result are disastrous; the relationship with God is broken, their own relationship is damaged and they feel shame. They find it hard to look at each other, and will need to work for their living and experience the suffering of hard labor and toil. Remarkably God doesn’t not forget them and is abundant to them because God wants them to find a way back into God’s love. God is always planting new seeds in our hearts. The Lord forgives us when we return to Him in the sacrament of reconciliation and our hearts are cleansed.
Lent is about the expansion of the heart so that it becomes more loving and generous. First, prayer opens the heart and helps us to listen to God’s word. Second, the invitation to fast expands our hearts so that we become more aware of the ways that we so often focus on satisfying our own needs and desires rather than being willing to open our hearts to our neighbor. Fasting can make us more grateful for what we have received and more generous to others in their need. Third, we can develop our Lenten exercises by giving to others, especially through almsgiving and charitable works. By the end of Lent, with plenty of exercise, our spiritual heart will be in better shape and more ready to resist temptation and place its trust in God.