A Talk About Our Mother Eve – The Mistakes of Eve-Part3
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III discusses the mistakes of our mother Eve as recorded in the Book of Genesis, emphasizing from the beginning that the sin was not Eve’s responsibility alone, but that Adam also shared in it, and that both of them fell into disobedience and bore its consequences together.
His Holiness explains that Eve’s first mistake was continuing to speak with the serpent and listening to it, even though its words began to contradict God’s commandment. From this, he warns against bad companionship and listening to ideas that lead a person away from the truth.
He also explains that Eve fell into the sin of following the creature instead of obeying God, and that Adam fell into the same sin when he followed Eve’s words in opposition to the divine commandment, confirming that weakness of character and lack of steadfastness before temptation may affect any person.
He points out that doubting God’s words was the beginning of the fall, then the serpent’s temptations followed, causing Eve’s perspective to change. She lost her simplicity and inner purity before stretching out her hand to the fruit, because the fall begins first in the heart and mind.
He also emphasizes that one of Eve’s mistakes was that she did not remain alone in her fall, but led Adam to participate in the sin. Likewise, both of them hid after the fall, refused full confession of their sin, and shifted the responsibility to others.
The lecture concludes by emphasizing the importance of placing God’s commandment before oneself in every temptation and avoiding every thought or companionship that leads to sin, while reminding us that the fall of Adam and Eve did not cancel the hope of salvation, for they lived outside Paradise awaiting the coming of the Redeemer and Savior.
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