VATICAN - Benedict XVI at the General Audience: “Christ crucified and risen, the new Adam, opposed the filthy river of evil with a river of light. And this river is present in history.”

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – The Holy Father Benedict XVI, at his General Audience held on Wednesday, December 3, focused on the relationship between Adam, the first man, and Christ in the preaching of Saint Paul. “Paul reviews the history of salvation from Adam to the Law and from the latter to Christ,” the Pope explained. “Adam is not at the center of the scene with the consequences of sin on humanity, but Jesus Christ and grace that, through him, was poured in abundance on humanity.” The gift received in Christ surpasses the sin of Adam and its consequences on humanity “Hence, the encounter Paul traces between Adam and Christ brings to light the inferiority of the first man vis-à-vis the prevalence of the second.” “If, in the faith of the Church the awareness matured of the dogma of original sin it is because it is indissolubly connected with the other dogma, that of salvation and freedom in Christ.”
Thus, the Holy Father posed several questions: What is this original sin? What does St. Paul teach, what does the Church teach? Is this doctrine still tenable today? Many think that, in the light of the history of evolution, “there is no longer a place for the doctrine of a first sin, which then spread to the whole history of humanity. And, consequently, the question of the Resurrection and of the Redeemer would also lose its foundation.” On the existence of original sin, the Pope indicated two aspects: empirical and mystical. “Every man knows that he must do good and he profoundly wants to do so. However, at the same time, he also feels the other impulse to do the contrary, to follow the path of egoism, violence, of doing only what pleases him even while knowing that he is acting against the good, against God and against his neighbor...This interior contradiction of our being is not a theory. Each one of us experiences it every day. And above all we always see around us the prevalence of this second will...As a consequence of this power of evil in our souls, a filthy river has developed in history, which poisons the geography of human history.” This contradiction of the human soul still provokes even today, the desire for redemption, the desire that the world change, and “it is precisely this expression of the desire that there be a liberation from the contradiction we experience in ourselves.”
Demonstrating the power of evil in the human heart and in human history, the Holy Father affirmed that “in the history of thought, except for the Christian faith, there is a principal model of explanation, with several variations. This model says: being itself is contradictory, it bears within it good and evil. In ancient times this idea implied the opinion that two equally original principles existed: a good principle and an evil principle. This dualism was insurmountable.” In the evolutionist, atheist vision of the world, being itself is not simply good, “but open to good and evil. Evil is equally original as good...That which we Christians call original sin is in reality only the mixed character of being, a mixture of good and evil, according to this theory, it belonged to the very fabric of being. Deep down, it is a despairing vision: If it is so, evil is invincible.”
According to the faith, witnessed to by St. Paul, the competition between the two natures is confirmed, however “faith tells us that there are not two principles, one good and one evil, but only one principle, the creator God, and this principle is good, only good, without a shadow of evil. As well, being is not a mixture of good and evil; being as such is good...Then a mystery of darkness, of night follows. Evil does not come from the source of being itself, it is not equally original. Evil comes from a created liberty, from an abused liberty...Evil is not logical. Only God and the good are logical, are light. Evil remains mysterious.”
Referring to chapter 3 of the book of Genesis, with the vision of the two trees, the serpent, sinful man, the Holy Father explained that this great image “makes us guess, but it cannot explain how much in itself is illogical.” “Evil comes from a subordinate source. With his light, God is stronger and, because of this, evil can be overcome. Therefore, the creature, man, is curable...God has introduced healing. He entered in person into history. To the permanent source of evil he has opposed a source of pure good. Christ crucified and risen, the new Adam, opposed the filthy river of evil with a river of light. And this river is present in history: We see the saints, the great saints but also the humble saints, the simple faithful. We see that the river of light that comes from Christ is present, is strong.”
The Pope concluded his catechesis by recalling the two-fold meaning of the season of Advent that the Church is living. Advent is present as “the light is present, Christ is the new Adam, he is with us and in our midst. The light already shines and we must open the eyes of the heart to see the light and to enter the river of light. Above all to be grateful for the fact that God himself has entered history as new source of goodness. But Advent also means expectation. The dark night of evil is still strong. And that is why we pray in Advent with the ancient people of God: 'Rorate caeli desuper.' And we pray with insistence: Come Jesus; come, give force to light and goodness; come where falsehood, ignorance of God, violence and injustice dominate; come, Lord Jesus, give force to the good of the world and help us to be bearers of your light, agents of peace, witnesses of truth. Come Lord Jesus!” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 4/12/2008)