2019.10.20 The Fall of Man

Overview:

Today the children heard the story of the creation of the first man and woman - Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve differed from all of the other creatures made by God because they were made in His image. By breathing His own life into them, God gave each of them a soul.

The soul is the spiritual, immortal and innermost aspect of a human being, giving rise to the search for self-knowledge, and the capacity to know and love our Creator.

God loved Adam and Eve very much. He provided for all of their needs, giving them a beautiful place in which to live.  He even gave them dominion over all that He had created. God also blessed them with free will - the ability to make choices.

As the story unfolds, we learn that God told them not to eat of the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It is important to know that the reason God told them to avoid this fruit, was to protect them from harm.

One day when Adam and Eve were in the middle of the garden, near the forbidden fruit, Eve found herself doubting God's word, giving into temptation and committing the first sin. She believed the lies of the devil (who took the form of a snake), convincing her that she could be like God if she ate the fruit.

This original sin was a massive sin of both disobedience and pride. Adam and Eve had to leave paradise and the original sin was passed down, through the generations, resulting in life as we know it. Because of this sin, we are all struggling to fill the gap between us and God so that we may once again find happiness through His grace and mercy.

Thankfully, forgiveness is at the center of God's heart, and He promised that a Savior would be born to show us the way back to heaven.  That promise was fulfilled over 2000 years ago, when God the Son was born, and the Word was made flesh.

Like Adam and Eve, we are born with both original sin and with a free will. The original sin is washed away through Baptism. Our free will, combined with curious minds, selfish interests, and enticing temptations concerning the things of this world, routinely set us at the base of the tree in the garden. Will we eat the fruit or obey God? It's a struggle that gives rise to much unrest that sinks deep into our souls.

Decisions must be made with a formed conscience. When we choose actions that hurt ourselves or others, we sin against God. Our relationship with Him suffers and we must ask for both His help and His forgiveness. When we choose actions that are fundamentally good, we please God and become better versions of ourselves.

We have many weapons at our disposal to help us in the exercising of our free will, including the sacraments, the Ten Commandments, fasting and prayer. Moreover, we must never forget that God gave each one of us our own Guardian Angel. They are our ever-present, invisible companions who will guide and guard; lift and love; defend and deliver us all the days of our lives.

New Words: 

Garden of Eden, Paradise, Soul, Original Sin, Savior

Classroom Reinforcement Activities:

The children participated in a puppet show to reenact the creation and fall of man. They also completed an apple cutout worksheet writing about, or drawing a picture of, one thing that they know is wrong, but are sometimes tempted to do.

At Home Reinforcement:

Start a discussion with your child on how they use their own free will. Have them think of times when they have used it in a good way, and then times in which their use of it may have hurt themselves or others.

Give them examples from your own life and then feel the power of connectivity.