Sin makes you hurt

In today’s first reading (Genesis 3:9-24) we hear the familiar account of the punishments that followed from the first sin. Chief among these punishments is the association of pain with basic human activities.

I will intensify the pangs of your childbearing;
in pain shall you bring forth children....

Cursed be the ground because of you!
In toil shall you eat its yield
all the days of your life.
Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you,
as you eat of the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your face
shall you get bread to eat,
Until you return to the ground,
from which you were taken;
For you are dirt,
and to dirt you shall return.

This reminds us that the most fundamental cause of pain is separation from God: a separation caused by sin, a pain that manifests itself in so many ways, most especially emotional pain.

Too many people today seek relief from emotional pain through drugs, alcohol, medication, endless psychoanalysis, or hedonism, but the pain never really goes away.

If we really want to find healing from our emotional pain,
we need to find healing from our separation from God:
seeking his grace,
his forgiveness,
and his love.