St. Paul the Apostle School

From the desk of Sister Stella

If God loves us so much, why do we sometimes take him for granted? How can we turn back and love Him and grateful heart this Lent.

From the Desk of Sister Stella Maria, Principal

Families, each week during Lent you will receive a reflection on the upcoming Sunday readings. The article is taken from “America” a magazine published weekly by the Jesuit priests. We pray that reading this article before celebrating Liturgy will give you a richer understanding of the Sunday Scripture readings.

The Word

The First and Second Adam
First Sunday of Lent (A), Feb. 10, 2008
Readings: Gn 2:7-9; 3:1-7; Ps 51:36, 12-13, 17; Rom 5:12-19; Mt 4:1-11
“But the gift is not like the transgression” (Rom 5:15)

        THE SCRIPTURE READINGS for the Sundays of Lent are extraordinarily rich. The Old Testament texts provide a sketch of the history of our salvation. The Gospel readings focus on key episodes in Jesus’ life and ministry. The epistle readings emphasize what God has done for us in and through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

             Lent is a time for self-examination, repentance and acts of self-control and self-denial—whether we are preparing for baptism, confirmation and Eucharist or are already full members of the Catholic Church. The danger is that we can make ourselves the focus of Lent. Lent is pre-eminently a time for entering into the suffering and death of Jesus. The Sunday readings can help us to place our observances and even the passion of Christ into the larger context of the history of our salvation. That history begins with Adam and Eve.

            Today’s selections from Genesis 2 and 3 tell the story of the “original sin.” The first part tells how God created Adam (meaning “the human”) and placed him in the garden of Eden (meaning “delight”). The one commandment imposed on Adam was the prohibition against eating from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and bad. The second part tells how Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent, who promised that if they transgressed that command, they would not die, but instead would become “like gods.” They succumbed to the temptation and committed the “original sin.” Their sin has consequences fur us all, and the story helps to explain what is wrong with us and why humans often do terrible things. It has been said that original sin is the easiest theological doctrine to believe

           The human condition is not entirely hopeless, of course. We are no longer forced or doomed to repeat the pattern set by Adam and Eve. On our own, by human effort alone, we could not break that pattern.

Rather, we need the example and the power of Jesus the Son of God.

           The example of Jesus the Son of Cod is illustrated in Matthew’s version of the temptation of Jesus. At three points Jesus rejects Satan’s temptations to make him stray from his vocation as the new Adam and the new Israel By his repeated appeals to Israel’s Scriptures, Jesus resists Satan’s temptations to satisfy his physical hunger, to make a public show of his powers and to grasp at political power. Instead, Jesus retains his focus on serving God alone and shows us how to resist temptations in our own lives. Whereas Adam and Eve filed in their test, Jesus emerges as the victor over sin and Satan and shows what kind of Son of God he really is. We can hope to imitate his example.

          And through Christ we have the power to do so. Today’s reading from Romans 5 shows why that hope is possible and even realistic.

It is because Jesus as the new Adam has broken the reign of sin and death, and because through his obedience, shown in his sacrificial death, Christ has reversed the consequences of Adam’s sin and made it possible for us to enjoy right relationship with God.

          According to Paul, Adam and Christ represent two aspects or dimensions of the human condition. Paul wants to emphasize that the gift (which is Christ) is not like the transgression (which is Adam and his sin). The gift has come to us through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

            The result of Jesus’ fidelity is that the reign of God’s grace and eternal life is open to all of humankind. Whereas Adam was disobedient to God’s command, Christ was obedient to his Father’s will even to the point of death on the cross. Whereas Adam sinned, Christ remained righteous and without sin. Whereas Adam brought condemnation on himself and his descendants, Christ brought acquittal from judgment and the possibility of right relationship with God (justification). And whereas Adam brought death upon us all, Christ brings to us all the possibility of eternal life with God.

          The first Adam brought disobedience, sin, condemnation and death. The new Adam has brought obedience, righteousness, justification and eternal life. Through the first Adam we became wounded and weak. Through Christ we are now God’s children more than ever and so people of hope. We can now legitimately hope for and realize what Adam and Eve thought they could obtain by succumbing to the serpent’s temptation. We can become “like gods” through the example and the power of Jesus the Son of God. And we can hope for eternal life with God in the fullness of God’s kingdom (“You certainly will not die”).

Daniel J. Harrington

DANIEL J. HARRINGTON. 5.3., is professor of
New Testament at Weston Jesuit School of
Theology in Cambridge. Mass.

Do you believe in “original sin”?
Why?
What similarities do you see between the temptations of Jesus and you own temptations?
Do you find elements of both Adam Christ in yourself? What are they?

Thank you to the few families who are moving and who sent me notification. I very much appreciate your thoughtfulness as we have a waiting list for all classes.

Mmonth of February Traffic Duty Assignment 3rd Grade Parents

PARENT TRAFFIC RESPONSIBILITIES.

Note: Please arrive by 7:20 am or 2:30 pm to complete your assignment. Should you have questions about your duty do not hesitate to contact your room parents or Liane Schirmer.

PWC NOMINATE COMMITTEE and BOARD NOMINATIONS