The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1922-10-14
"The Fall of Man." was the subject
of the fifteenth sermon of series
on the Apostles Greed. This SER
mon was prepared by the Rev. M. j.
HaIligan of Browning, Mont.

ot U1S HtISSU1H SCTHiOu VI q SS''~S
on the Apostles Greed. This SER
mon was prepared by the Rev. M. j.
HaIligan of Browning, Mont.
God having created Adam and Eve
to His Gown image and likeness" be-
slowed on them, with liberal hand,
every grace and gift, supernatural as
well as natural, that could render
them perfect in this world. Their
bodies were beautifully formed, the
head, eyes and every lineament of
the eountenance exquisitely moulded
and fashioned. All the most beauti-
full traits of man and woman were to
be found in them. Created as they
were in the state of mature age, and
exempt from the weaknesses of child
hood, they enjoyed vigorous consti-
tuition and perfect health. They were
not subject either to heat or to cold,
to disease or to death; For God
created man incorruptible" Owls. II,
2S), And their souls were even more
perfect than their bodies, on account
of the rare gifts by which God en-
dowed them-an enlightened under
standing, will free from all weak
ness, and the possession of sanctify-
ing grace. They were intelligent, and
adorned with every sort of knowledge
that man is capable of; no dangerous
ignorance or defective judgment or
reason sullied the beauties of their
minds; no passion troubled the sereni-
ty of their souls or the peace of their
hearts; all their desires were upright
and good; their wills had no inclina-
ton to evil. In everything they fol-
lowed the dictates of right reason;
their bodies were subject to their soul,
their senses to their reason, and their
reason to God. 1t is for this reason
that the scriptures tell us, that they
were. both naked and not ashamed"
Perfect Happiness Reisned.
Created in a state of innocence and
Justice, Adam and Eve were happy.
They were placed by God in the gar
den of Paradise, delightful abode
which, says holy scripture, God Him.
self had planted with His own hands"
(Gen. ii, 81. Here they were in need
of no other clothing but their inno-
cence, of no other shelter but the
shadow Of the forest. Fruits of all
kinds provided abundantly for their
nourishment, whilst the song of the
birds, the perfume of the flowers, and
enchanted all their senses. Would
that our first parents had known how
to profit by their happiness. After
having passed on earth the time
which God had destined for them, they
would be put in possession of delights
still more exquisite, of pleasures per-
manent and immortal, without being
obliged to pass through the horrors of
death.
The Tree of knowledge.
But alas, it was not to be thus.
OF the different trees which grew in
the earthly paradise, there were two
in particular which God planted in
the middle of it. One was called the
tree of life, because the fruit of it
was to preserve the life of all who
should eat of it. The other was call
ed the tree of knowledge of good and
evil, because mans happiness or mis-
cry was in some sort bound up with
the fruit of this tree 1t was the
fruit of the latter that God had for
hidden them to eat under pain of
death. This was a just command, an
order that our first parents could not
find fault with, for it was very easy
thing to comply with.
God, in laying this commandment
on them, wished to show them that
He was their master; and, in order
that, by their obedience, they should
merit the eternal happiness for which
He had created them, but which He
wished to give them only after they
had merited it.
"And the Woman Did Eat"
But man did not remain faithful
The devil, .envious of the happiness
of our first parents, resolved to ruin
them, and blast their prospects and
the prospects Of all mankind. The
more effectually to succeed in his
fiendish work, he took the form of
serpent, for Of all animals, the SER.
pent is the most subtle, and address
ing the woman as the weaker and
more easy to seduce, he said to her:
why hath God commanded you that
you should not eat of every tree of
paradise?" Eve allowed herself to be
drawn into conversation with the SER
pent and answered him, saying: "Of
the fruit of the. trees that are in
paradise we do eat; but Of the fruit
of the tree which is in the midst of
paradise God hath commanded us that
we should not eat; and that we
should not touch it, lest perhaps we
die" (Gen. II) mo, you shall not
die" answered the serpent, "for God
doth know that in what day soeyer
you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall
be opened, and you shall be as God,
knowing good and evil" (Gen. I'll,
4-5,) Eve believed the serpent, and,
making light of Gods command, she
n. n. 4. L. -