Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 2024

I remember some lady, who I didn’t know, ask me, “Who made Adam eat the apple?” And I said, “I dunno. Eve?” She said “No, it was the snake.”

And she very passionately explained why it was the snake and not Eve.


It was evident that she was very concerned about gender roles: Women versus men.


But, for very non-sexist reasons, the story was written the way it was.


And, the story goes, the snake tricked Eve, Eve convinces Adam to eat the fruit, and then God visits and punishes each in the order that they sinned, punishing the snake first, then Eve, then Adam.


The story writer isn’t concerned about who’s to blame.


Because, as we can see from this scripture passage, the original intention for men and women were to be equals in dignity. That was the original plan. And we know that was the original plan because Eve’s punishment was to be subjugated to her husband. Meaning, that wasn’t the case originally.


And, then, when Jesus comes, He works to elevate women in every interaction he has with them; restoring women to their original dignity after the fall.


It’s only, again, fallen human nature that does battle with gender roles and who’s to blame for what. 


And, that’s what Adam and Eve immediately played: The blame game: Adam blamed Eve, but he also indirectly blamed God, because he said God was the one that put Eve there.


And don’t we wanna blame God for so many things? Yes, He is the creator and the giver of life, but he allows freedom in every part of reality: Nature has freedom; it is free to sustain life and free to cause disease. Human beings have freedom: We are free to respect life, and we are free to disrespect it.


…Our Blessed Mother Mary, in the gospel passage, gives us a beautiful spirituality to emulate. She says, “I am the handmade of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” And, Jesus, who likely learned from his mother’s spirituality, ends up repeating very similar words in the garden at Gethsemane when he prays to the Father, “Not my will but your will be done.”


As the scriptures show, playing the blame game is not very helpful: blaming God, blaming men, blaming women, but praying how Jesus and Mary prayed: Praying for God’s will, not ours, is far better for us all.

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