Sixth Week, Ord. Time, Monday, Feb. 12, 2007

Scripture: Genesis 4:1-15,25. Psalm 50. Mark 8:11-13...

This is a tragic story--the murder of Abel by his brother Cain. It shocks
us to read in this fourth chapter of Genesis of the first act of violence
by a member of the first family. Abel has offered a worthy sacrifice while
Cain is dejected because his offering is not pleasing to God. The story is
told in the simple down to earth theological perspective of the writer
called the Yahwist since he uses the holy name of God in Hebrew in his
narrative (Yahweh which is always to be revered by pronounicing it ADONAI).
The murder of Abel is even more sad because it is fratricide. But are we
not all brothers and sisters and no matter who is killed it is a terrible
event not willed by the Creator but perpertrated by the evil inclination
within the human heart. In fact, in Hebrew thought there is the notion of
"Yetszer ha-tov and yetzer ha-ra" which is illustrated quite graphically in
the story of Cain and Abel. Adam and Eve are now realizing what it means
to have eaten of the forbidden fruit and to know what the difference is
between good and evil, honor and shame. Permit me to cite an interesting
entry in a wonderful book called "The Joys of Hebrew" by Lewis Glinert:
"Everywhere in Jewish psychology are the ideas of the yetser ha-ra
and the yetser ha-tov (the good inclination)--two ideas that are not
necessarily what they seem: The yetser-ha-ra is aggressive, impulsive
inclination, also God given, also necessary to human survival, but to be
treated with extreme watchfulness. The Talmud teaches that the word for
the "creation" of Adam,vayitser, is spelled in the Bible with an extra yod,
to emphasize that he was intended from the outset to have both a yetser
ha-tovand a yetser-ha-ra."
The same author has several quotations which illustrate the idea of
these two opposing inclinations:
"He was going to give up smoking--but his yetser ha-ra got the better
of him." And another,
"The yetser ha-ra only desires what is forbidden." The Jerusalem
Talmud, Yoma.
Still further, "Said Rav Assi: "In the beginning the yetser ha-ra is like a
spider's thread, but in the end--like wagon ropes." And finally, on
Genesis itself: "And God saw all that He had done, and behold it was very
good," this refers to the yetser ha-ra. But is the yetser ha-ra very good?
However, were it not for the yetser ha-ra, no person would build a house,
or marry, or have children, or conduct business." -- the Midrash on
Genesis. (All citations found in Linert, p.260).
Unfortunately, we all have both tendencies within us and that is what
the story is illustrating on a moral level. We all have good intentions,
but often jealousy, pride, lust, envy, distrust, etc. creep into our
behavior patterns and into our thinking. Most of these are temptations but
they often result in sinning.
We all need to combat these inclinations and live out the yetser ha-tov.
Cain did not; Abel did and offered a righteous sacrifice of his gifts to
the Lord. Thus we read about his action in the Psalm response: "Offer to
God a sacrifice of praise." In the short passage from Mark we learn of
Jesus' conflict with the common party of the people. He probably belonged
to this group called the Pharisees. He, too, wrestles with the yetser
ha-tov at times and then the yetser ha-ra at other times as is the case in
today's narrative. We Catholics can relate this thought to original sin
which seems to have meaning when we face these inclinations to good and
bad. But the solution is "Praise God with one's whole mind, one's whole
soul, and one's whole mind." Amen.