MEDITATION TIPS (Episode 292
First Sunday of Lent
February 22, 2026

“The serpent said to the woman, ‘You certainly will not die! God knows well that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, who know good and evil.’” (Genesis 3:4)

　The story of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit and being expelled from the Garden of Eden is well known even to non-Christians. But why did the two of them eat the forbidden fruit? It wasn’t because they wanted to eat it; it was precisely because it was forbidden that they wanted it even more. The more they were told not to eat it, the more the tree appeared “good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom” (3:6). “When something is forbidden, you want it even more.” This is human nature. Even children repeat mischief because they are scolded with “Stop it!”

　Furthermore, while disobeying God is considered the beginning of human sin, I believe the root of sin lies not only in simply disobeying God, but elsewhere as well. Later in today's Genesis passage, when God asked Adam, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat?” (3:11), Adam did not apologize to God. Instead, he shifted the blame onto Eve: “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it” (3:12). Then, when God asked Eve, “What have you done?” she too did not apologize but blamed the serpent, saying, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (3:13).

　Had Adam apologized to God, saying, “I was wrong. Please do not punish Eve,” and had Eve also said, “No, I was the one who was wrong. It was not Adam's fault,” and both had acknowledged their mistakes to God while covering for each other, God would surely have forgiven them and not expelled them from the Garden. I believe this attitude of “blaming others” is the true root of sin. It’s a symptom that causes rifts whenever problems arise, whether in families or churches. Criticizing others and blaming them when something goes wrong solves nothing. Instead, we must ask ourselves: How should I be? What can I do? Unless we shift the focus entirely to ourselves and consider these questions, nothing will be resolved.

　At this year's Winter Olympics, Japan’s athletes brought us many moving moments. However, every Olympics has moments where judging decisions raise questions. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, judoka Shinichi Shinohara lost in the final. His coach, Yasuhiro Yamashita, protested, suggesting it might have been a misjudgment. I watched the live broadcast too; it was a clear misjudgment, and many Japanese, myself included, felt strong dissatisfaction. Yet Shinohara himself stated, “I lost because I was weak,” and “I have no complaints about the referees.” Rather than blaming others, he deeply examined himself, asking what he should have done differently. In light of this, Coach Yamashita remarked that, while Shinohara might appear unrefined or blunt at first glance, he realized that something truly important as a human being was alive within him.

 　　　　　(Contributed by Father Yutaka Akabae)