We may say that the story of Genesis about the primitive Paradise is an allegory about the plan dreamed up by God to the fullness of time. This means that it was not a reality existing in a mythical principle, but the fullness that awaits humanity.
These are the words of Saint Paul: “when completed the fullness of time God sent us his Son
born of a woman (...) so that we could be adopted as children (Gal 4, 4-6).
The Letter to the Romans says that Jesus Christ is the New Adam (Rom 5, 17). Jesus is the head of humanity reconciled with God.
This is the reason why he is the Tree of Life that gives us the fruit of eternal life, announced by the Book of Genesis (Gn 2, 9).
The Gospel of Saint John sees Jesus as the mystery of the Tree of Life: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him on the last day.
In fact, my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and me in him.
As the Father who sent me live and I live by the Father, so what eats my flesh lives by me (Jo 6, 54-57)
It is interesting to note how Saint John emphasizes that this mystery of the organic communion with the Risen Christ is not cannibalism:
“And if you see the Son of Man ascending to where it was before? It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh is useless. The words that I said are Spirit and Life (Jo 6, 62-63).
The blood of Christ in glory is the sap of the Tree of Eternal Life, that is, the Holy Spirit. The Jesus humanity is assumed in paradise and incorporated into God's family.
Thus, the Paradise announced by the Book of Genesis is finally reality through Jesus Christ.
Those who are powered by fruit of the Tree of Life, that is, the Holy Spirit, take part in eternal life, because they will be organically incorporated into the Family of God, as Saint Paul says (Gal 4, 4-7).
The Book of Revelation says that in heaven, the elect are all powered by the fruit of the Tree of Life:
“Blessed are those who wash their clothes, in order to enter the gates of the city and have access to the Tree of Life (Apc 22, 14).
The New Life in Christ is not a simple matter of a compliance of ethical standards and structured.
To live in communion with Christ means to be organically united to the risen Jesus. The animating principle of this relationship and communion with the Risen Lord is the Holy Spirit.
This is a gift of God. Let's put an example: compare the man wounded by sin to a lemon tree aged and sick due to rust disease.
Despite being a high quality the lemon tree, now, ravaged by disease bears fruit of poor quality.
The owner decided to save the lemon tree. Then he had the idea to cut a little branch which are still maintained and grafted it to a young and robust orange tree.
Despite being fed by the sap of the orange tree, the lemon tree in a short period of time begins to bear lemons of excellent quality.
The branch of lemon starts producing lemons of excellent quality. This means that the sap of orange tree optimized the fruit of the grafted lemon branch.
This is what happens to humanity trough the mystery of the Incarnation, as Jesus says to the example of the vine:
“Abide in me that I remain in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, but just staying on the vine, so it will be with you, unless you abide in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and me in him will bear much fruit for without me you can do nothing (Jo 15, 4-5).
In Communion With You
Calmeiro Matias
Calmeiro Matias
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