We were made for love. We have a drive for love.

“To love is to will the good of another.”¹ Using another for your own self-gratification or benefit is a distortion of love. God is love. 1 John 4:7-9 says, “⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹” We were made in God’s image. We were made for love and to love.

Sin breaks our relationship with God because sin distorts love. The Catechism defines sin as follows,

“Sin is an offence against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is a failure in genuine love for God and neighbour caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as ‘an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law.’²" ³

When Adam and Eve sinned, they chose to eat of the apple to be like God. They chose to ascertain the distinction of good and evil to themselves, not to God. This choice was to replace God with themselves, to choose their own pride over their relationship with God.⁴ Genesis 3:4-5 says,

“⁴ But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die ⁵ for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

This sin removed our sanctifying grace. It killed the divine life within us. On sinning, our eyes were opened to good and evil. We were no longer shielded from knowing evil. Genesis 3:22 says,

“²² Then the LORD God said, ‘See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever."

God saw that our broken relationship and knowledge of evil might lead us to eat of the Tree of Life to try and replace God. To become like God of our own volition and without God. A distortion of love. This broken relationship is the original sin, which is our fallen nature.

God sent his only begotten son into the world to repair this relationship and grant us eternal life with Him. Jesus says in John 10:10,

“¹⁰ I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.”

1 Corinthians 13:7 says,

“⁷ Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Jesus came to bear our sin in its totality. To endure us at our worst in the hope that we might choose life with Him. It is for this reason that Jesus came into the world: to reveal God to us, our call to a relationship with God and to restore our relationship with God. To redeem us. Jesus answered Pilate in John 18:37,

“³⁷ You are right when you say that I am a King. I was born for this reason. I came into the world for this reason. I came to speak about the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

The Good news is that although our relationship with God was broken, He has come to restore that relationship with us. Since God respects our free will, our choice, He does not force this relationship on us. He allows us to choose to love him. To choose love. If we choose this relationship with God then we must choose love, choose the good of another; God, neighbour and ourselves, every day and at all times.