The Voice of God

A Reflection on the First Reading for Sunday, June 9th, 2024:
Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Genesis
​3.8-15​

After the woman and the man had eaten from the tree, they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.”

Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.”

The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

The First Reading takes me back a few years before I turned my life to God. It describes the lack of trust and meaning and the unforgiving heart I had.

Genesis recounts how Adam and Eve sinned against God, who forbade them to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We see the consequences of their sin and the shame and guilt that separates them from God. Their sin broke their intimate relationship with Him. 

I too have experienced this, but I didn’t realize how deeply until renewing my relationship with God. I had become so far away from him that, like Adam and Eve, I was hiding – hiding from everything He offered me. I remember preparing for my first confession after almost 20 years. I felt shame, guilt, and sadness. As I walked into the church for confession, what I really wanted to do was hide from all the thingsI knew I needed God to forgive me for. 

As I reflect on that time of my life, I know without a doubt that I missed out on so many joyful moments with our Creator. Sin always separates us from God, and I carried that weight of that separation for many years. Since then, I have learned that I can call on Him any time of the night or day for forgiveness and for help in forgiving others. He will search for me and separate me from the serpent, and He will bring me by His side.


Shelly Fillmore

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