“One man’s offence brought condemnation on all humanity; and one man’s good act has brought justification and life to all humanity.” Romans 5:18
Entwined together, today’s Mass Readings present the entire history of mankind. They weave a tale of life and death, a tale as old as time.
In the first reading from Genesis we see how God created man and gave him life by giving him His own breath. He breathed His own spirit into him. “Yahweh God shaped man from the soil of the ground and blew the breath of life into his nostrils, and man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7)
Continuing in the reading from Genesis we see, from that same soil, God grew a beautiful garden into which He placed the man and the woman he had created. Enticed to eat from the tree of wisdom the woman in turn gave the fruit to the man. At once they were aware of their nakedness before God and each other. And, because of this sin, we are all born into this life branded by death. Each soul is marked with the Original Sin.
In today’s Responsorial Psalm we listen to David, “Remember, I was born guilty, a sinner from the moment of conception.” (Psalm 51:5) In his state of sin, David turns to the One who can heal him, the One who can save him. “But you delight in sincerity of heart, and in secret you teach me wisdom…Give me back the joy of your salvation, sustain in me a generous spirit.” (Psalm 51:6, 12) Through David’s prayer we can also hear His trust in God.
David’s trust in God is ultimately rewarded, for in today’s Gospel the entire story of man comes to its climax. “It was by one man’s offence that death came to reign over all, but how much greater the reign in life of those who receive the fullness of grace and the gift of saving justice, through the one man, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:17)
The tale of man, the tale of life and death, ultimately ends in Life. We are born branded by death, then through baptism in Him and through His own death and resurrection, Jesus restores us to Life. It is a tale as old as time. If we believe, if we have faith in Jesus, if we live for Him and in Him, we know how it ends. It ends in Life Eternal.
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