Our Mother Eve

Today is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.   I admit I have trouble connecting the first reading to the Gospel.  The first begins: “After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree, the LORD God called to the man and asked him, ‘Where are you?’  He answered, ‘I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.’ Then he asked, ‘Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!’ The man replied, ‘The woman whom you put here with me—she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it.’ The LORD God then asked the woman, ‘Why did you do such a thing?’ The woman answered, ‘The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.”  Quite the conversation!

The reading continues: “Then the LORD God said to the serpent: ‘Because you have done this, you shall be banned from all the animals and from all the wild creatures; on your belly shall you crawl, and dirt shall you eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.’ The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living.”

Then our Gospel reads: “The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, ‘Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.’ But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus...”

Perhaps the first reading speaks of the first sin caused by Eve who was blamed by craven Adam for the sin of eating the fruit from the tree.  Eve then blames the trickster – the serpent – who had her convince Adam to disobey God.   The snake and Eve as a co-conspirator caused humanity’s downfall.    Quite the story with Eve – the woman – being the cause of the fall!   This myth has caused tremendous suffering of women over the many centuries – women being scapegoated for the evil acts of men, for example.

Contrasted to Eve we have Mary – born without sin (free from original sin), her immaculate conception.  She is full of grace; she found favor with God.   Jesus was her son.
Every Catholic loves Mary, and she is hailed.  Consider the Rosary as one example of our dedication and reliance on her.  But poor Eve.   Who looks to her?

Well, I do to be sure.  My little granddaughter is named Eve.   So, I’m reminded that she – like most women – will face many challenges such as temptations offered by selfish men – the snakes (my apologies men).  I will encourage her never to be tricked, but to think for herself and rely on God as a constant companion found in her heart and in close, caring friends.

I’ll remind her of her namesake who was called by Adam, the “mother of all living things.”  That’s quite a responsibility she can fulfill by championing good causes such as protection of our environment and its creatures, yes, including the snakes.  As she gets older and is confronted with the dramatic effects of climate change and human destruction of Mother Earth, that role will have even more importance.

Deacon David Pierce