Today, on the threshold of Great Lent, we are commemorating the Casting out of Adam from Paradise.

In our services for this day we have sung hymns like this: “O blessed meadow, trees and flowers planted by God, O sweetness of Paradise: let your leaves, like eyes, shed tears on my behalf, for I am naked and a stranger to God’s glory.” The service texts have a sober realism about our present condition, but they also are shot through with the theme of hope. Yes, now I am a stranger to God’s glory, but even the leaves of the trees of Paradise sorrow for my alienation from God. My present state is not the end of the story.

St Silouan wrote a wonderful hymn – Adam’s Lament – which you can find in “Wisdom From Mount Athos” or Fr Sophrony’s big book on St Silouan, pages 448 – 456. This hymn, like the texts of our services, reflects on what has been lost, but its main theme is hope. Adam is now rejoicing in the presence of Christ and yearns for us too to share that joy.

O Adam, thou dost see how I thy child, suffer here on earth. Small is the fire within me, and the flame of my love flickers low. O Adam, sing unto us the song of the Lord, that my soul may rejoice in the Lord and be moved to praise and glorify Him.

This sets the tone for Lent. The Fall and the loss of Paradise give us a way of thinking about the sad mad world in which we live and the disordered state of our own souls. In Lent we make a sober assessment of where we are: in a far country like Prodigal Son. We are in exile like the captives of Babylon.

We have to find our way home. And we begin with forgiveness. It’s commonly noted that after eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil Adam and Eve start blaming. Adam blames Eve and God(!), Eve blames the serpent. Peace is broken. Barriers come up. To find our way home we have to reverse this.

So, we begin our Lenten journey home by taking responsibility for our relationships, acknowledging our faults and asking forgiveness. In asking forgiveness we introduce truth. All is not well. We do need to change the way things are. We need help to change. In forgiving, we line ourselves up with God’s grace. Our mutual forgiveness brings together mercy AND truth. In God’s presence “mercy and truth have kissed each other”.

And now I would like to return to the theme of Adam. On our Lenten journey we are heading towards the celebration of the search and rescue of Adam. On Holy Saturday, in our lamentations we will sing: To earth hast Thou come down, O Master, to save Adam: and not finding him on earth, Thou hast descended into hell, seeking him there.

As we set out on our return from exile, Christ is coming out to find us! A truthful judge and a lovestruck bridegroom. Like the figure of Christ in the icon in the centre of the church, he is coming to take hold of us, Adam and Eve, pull us out of our hell, and restore us once again to Paradise. Let us set out to meet him with sobriety and joy!

Given by Mother Sarah