The physical becomes a sin when it controls us. All addictions are physical temptations. Drug, alcohol, sexual, and food addictions are a constant source of human self-destruction. Financial greed, the unbridled love of money, is the root of all evil. Physical, sexual and emotional abuse is the weapon of bullies. We can argue that such behaviors are caused by genetic disorders, or childhood trauma, that they are diseases which render people victims, and therefore that they cannot be held responsible. It is suggested that we need treatment not condemnation. It is not a question of either-or. The Word of God holds us all accountable. We are all complicit as members of the human race. We all contribute to the problem of sin. All of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. All of us, at one time or another, experience the lust of the flesh. We see that the fruit of the tree is good for food, and we want to take some and eat it. Recognizing our weakness, and our need for divine help, is the first step on the road to rehabilitation.

The aesthetic becomes a sin when it becomes an end in itself rather than leading to the admiration of the beauty of holiness. The person who lives within the sphere of the aesthetic is concerned only with the immediate. Such a person is motivated by what will bring pleasure, comfort, and immediate gratification. The popular expression for the aesthetic is, 'one must enjoy life.' This is a life-view that teaches that health is the most precious good. Health and beauty is that around which everything revolves. Beauty is the ultimate value. The all-consuming desire is for wealth, fame and success. How can there be anything wrong with enjoying the world God has made? Surely it is pleasing to the eye? Should we not appreciate the beauty of the world? Appreciation is one thing, obsession is another. It is when we must possess it for ourselves and consume it, take it and eat it, that we get into trouble. It is when we spend more than we should on achieving and acquiring, that we get into trouble. Beauty for beauty's sake can result in covetousness, the inordinate desire for perfection. It can exist in all artistic circles. It results in elitism: the pursuit of excellence that seeks to rise above the common man. It creates a cult of sophistication and snobbery that despises simplicity, and rejects contentment. The aesthetic takes to the extreme leisure pursuits, luxury, fashion, and personal appearance. It is sybaritic. It imposes its criteria of what is good on society. It creates celebrities, honors, awards, prizes, and rewards its pundits and judges of good taste, political correctness, and acceptability. All of us, have been guilty of the lust of the eyes. We would all like at one time to have been recognized as popular, beautiful, handsome, athletic, successful and accomplished. We all like to have our egos stroked. We all see that the fruit of the tree is pleasing to the eye, and we want to take some and eat it.

The intellectual becomes a sin when it becomes an end in itself instead of leading to the wisdom of God. Search for knowledge at any cost can lead to the immoral and evil use of science and philosophy that is destructive. When the ends justify the means, cruelty is excused and human life is devalued. Knowledge that is used in the service of power to control others and eliminate the weak is demonic. Wisdom is life-affirming and humble. Intellectual arrogance dismisses the humane. It is unloving. Focus only on data, statistics and rational arguments can alienate, depersonalize and be insensitive to personal and spiritual issues. Inability to respect people who differ from you shows lack of emotional intelligence. Failure to recognize the limits of our understanding, and to think that we know everything there is to know, is to suffer from the sin of hubris - the pride of life. We see that the fruit of the tree is desirable for gaining wisdom, and since wisdom is power, we want it.

When Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. What did they see?

St. Paul distinguishes between two kinds of seeing. "I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil." (Romans 16:19) God wants us to have knowledge of the good but not have to eat the fruit of evil. Jesus said, "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness." (Matthew 6:22,23) What you focus on in life is what determines your character. Your perception of reality becomes your belief. Some people are self-deceived. Their perception is distorted.

Jesus said, "For judgment I came into the world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind....If you [some religious leaders] were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains." (John 9:39,41) When we sin, the eye of the soul is blinded, and the eye of shame is opened. We see that the purpose of creation is self-interest rather than fulfilling the purpose of God. Yet, we recognize our inadequacies, and we want to cover them up.

Adam and Eve seek cover to hide their shame. Today there is less desire to hide shame. In fact, there is little shame in doing things that in a previous generation would have been condemned. There is a brazenness in our celebrity culture about the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, that seeks to shock and justify itself as being legitimate and acceptable. "Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do those very things but also approve those who practice them." (Romans 1:32)

Jesus came to reverse this calamity. Pandora shut her box too quickly and did not let out Hope. We need the hope of the Gospel to overcome evil. Jesus came to taste death for us (Hebrews 2:9), on our behalf, so that the results of evil would be reversed. The good news is that there is another tree - the tree of life. Jesus hung on the tree of the Cross so that we might be able to eat of the fruit of the tree of life. "The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse." (Revelation 22:2,3) This is our promised hope.

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