GENESIS 8: 21:  ”THE DESIRES OF THE HUMAN HEART ARE EVIL FROM THE START….”

 

The title of my homily is, Genesis 8:21: “The Desires of the Human Heart Are Evil From The Start….”

 

It’s a sentence here in the 8^th chapter of the book of Genesis 8:21.

 

The Jerusalem Bible translates the Hebrew into English this way, ”Because  his heart contrives evil from his infancy,”

 

The New Interpreter’s Bible is close to that, “The inclination of the human heart is evil from youth.”

 

Each of us ought to look at that message – and be challenged by it.

 

The Bible starts off with Creation and then Adam and Eve and all is good – but soon Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit – they hide from God – Cain kills Abel and on and on and on – evil, jealousy, lust, wars, murders, the history  of the world.

 

We can pick up the New York Post or The Daily News – turn on the evening news and get the Bible in an earlier edition.

 

We know our heart. We know our growing up years. We know the story of our sins and our crimes.

 

The Bible tells our story – chapter and verse.

 

Genesis 8:21: The Desires of the Human Heart Are Evil From The Start….”

 

That’s the message of today’s first reading from Genesis and now the Gospel message.

 

How blessed we are to have Christ arriving at our village and helping us to see we are the Blind Man.  Jesus  takes us by the hand – takes us outside the village – puts his spit on our eyes.

 

He asks us what we see.  He asks us what we see.

 

We say everyone looks like walking trees .

 

He puts his hands on us again and restores our sight.

 

Once more Jesus asks us,  “Do you see anything.

We do. He heals us. And he sends us on our way -  a healed us, a new us.