Original Innocence- The otherside to original sin

In the movie Brother Sun, Sister Moon (the life story of Saint Francis of Assisi) there is one scene where after Francis is radically born again in the Spirit, leaves his riches, family, friends and community to go rebuild a broken down and abandoned church deep out in a rural community, and to live out and preach the Gospel with the peoples of the area, people from his old community attack and destroy his work at the church (because of jealousy and persecutions), and even kill one of the people involved in the rebuild project. Francis is so deeply grieved that this tragic event happened because of a sin in his life, or an error in his doctrine, that he set out to speak with the Pope himself.

Many profound side stories develop at this fantastic storyline develops, yet one of the more profound scenes of the movie is after Francis gains an audience with the Pope. Francis asks him "Your holiness, has this tragedy back at my church happened because of my sin in my life, or an error in my thinking or doctrine?" The Pope reassures young Francis of Assisi that his life is perfectly in step with the Spirit of God, and he is actually is so moved my Francis' life, that the Pope himself bows and kisses Francis' feet! (sending the religious people of that church into an uproar- those that say they can see, oftentimes cannot :-(

The Pope's answer was clear and sure "Young Francis, to often we become preoccupied with original sin, when we should be focused on ours and others original innocence.

I often meditate on what happened in Francis' mind and heart to turn him from a crusader warrior to one of the most profound men of God since the first century apostles?

The Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

Reflection of our Sins.

The existence of a human being is a wonderful gift which values the so called LIFE. Life that enables us to determine in this world how we live naturally in our FAITH for His great creation, as HE offered it to us. Genesis 1:27-28 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

God designed us as an extremely significant creation from His own image and likeness. He gives us the power over those creatures he had molded on this globe. But, the essence of God’s creation acquired Him a total disappointment because of the restlessness of every being and that means us. These caused the barrier of the relation between Man and God to wither. The cause why every generation would not be satisfied enough of what they have, though they often boast about it, because of PRIDE and DISCONTENT.

Genesis 3:4-5 “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye earth thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” The sins that made us to depart from this wonderful Garden of Love. Genesis 3:23-25 “ Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground form which he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Now, we propel the life after doing each desirable matter which caused us to depart from the love of God. And lead ourselves in our own dingy way of unrighteousness and conviction. The path which opens the door of insignificant choices. The choice which made Him shed a thousand tears like the pouring drops of rain of which every human being ought to not feel. His heartaches from His cavernous heart is of the least significant to us. The ocean flows of his teardrops when He feels the pain because of our obdurateness, until His wrath equipped us through the roaring thunderstorm and the heavy lightning from the mourning sky which carves death.

Look at our frenzied world! The reality which enables us to depart from His love. The love that we can't enjoy because of these hindrance which is produced by our sins. This some times makes it difficult for us to be a PERFECT HUMAN. Since, we were sinners; Romans 2:12, 3:10 "For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law; and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law'; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one."

How depressing that our beloved Creator gained only nothing from his CREATION. Why are we, being special to Him, busted His great plans for us? We continue to bruise His heart which carved a mark in it- that matter mostly reflects the agony made by us.

Picture this with me, if you will?

Go with me for a moment to witness what was perhaps the foggiest night in history. The scene is very simple. A grove of twisted olive trees. Ground cluttered with large rocks. A low stone fence. A dark, dark night.

Now, look closer. Look closely through the shadowy foliage. See that person? See that solitary figure? What's he doing? Flat on the ground. Face stained with dirt and tears. Fists pounding the hard earth. Eyes wide with a stupor of fear. Hair matted with salty sweat. Is that blood on his forehead?

That's Jesus. Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Maybe you've seen the classic portrait of Christ in the garden. Kneeling beside a big rock. Snow-white robe. Hands peacefully folded in prayer. A look of serenity on his face. Halo over his head. A spotlight from heaven illuminating his golden-brown hair.

Now, I'm no artist, but I can tell you one thing. The man who painted that picture didn't use the gospel of Mark as a pattern. When Mark wrote about that painful night, he used phrases like these: "Horror and dismay came over him." "My heart is ready to break with grief." "He went a little forward and threw himself on the ground."

Does this look like the picture of a saintly Jesus resting in the palm of God? Hardly. Mark used black paint to describe this scene. We see an agonizing, straining, and struggling Jesus. We see a "man of sorrows." (Isaiah 53:3 NASB) We see a man struggling with fear, wrestling with commitments, and yearning for relief.

We see Jesus in the fog of a broken heart.

The writer of Hebrews would later pen, "During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death." (Hebrews 5:7 NIV)

My, what a portrait! Jesus is in pain. Jesus is on the stage of fear. Jesus is cloaked, not in sainthood, but in humanity.

The next time the fog finds you, you might do well to remember Jesus in the garden. The next time you think that no one understands, reread the fourteenth chapter of Mark. The next time your self-pity convinces you that no one cares, pay a visit to Gethsemane. And the next time you wonder if God really perceives the pain that prevails on this dusty planet, listen to him pleading among the twisted trees.

The next time you are called to suffer, pay attention. It may be the closest you'll ever get to God. Watch closely. It could very well be that the hand that extends itself to lead you out of the fog is a nail pierced one.