One thing that puzzles me is the serpent – how is it that this animal was able to speak. Were the other animals also able to speak? How did the serpent become the evil genius! ?. Why did God allow evil to co-exist with love in the Garden of Eden?

The more I read commentaries on the Book of Genesis, I am convinced that the author, who is reported to be Moses, may have been trying to explain the mind of God to the people and why evil exists in the world. He may have been trying to impress upon the people that DISOBEDIENCE always gets us into trouble. Disobedience is noted as the first sin. During my work at my church, I was responsible for preparing the children for their sacraments. Trying to make the classes interesting, I introduced a game which the kids had to practice at home. I created words on coloured cutouts, put them in a bag, the kids picked one to practice the word at home. Some of the words were Kindess, Joy, Peace, Honesty, Obedience and several other positive words. I was surprised how well the kids responded to this practice. They could tell you how they were able to be kind, bring joy to others and be peace-makers. Obedience on the other hand was difficult for some of the kids, but they really worked hard at it. One parent whose child picked Obedience, said it was not a problem for her because she was an obedient child. Not so for a little boy whose face dropped when he picked obedience. The next week when they shared their stories. This little boy pursed his lips and shook his head. His mother was really hoping that since he picked the word, he would practice it. His mother and I were amused because he really was a very loving little boy, sweet and kind. He said it was too hard! His honesty touched my heart. He and his brother are now grownup, responsible young men. I believe he learned that disobedience has consequences as he grew up, and learned to work through it.

Have a great weekend. God bless.