God called the first man Adam. God loved him, and planted a beautiful garden for him to live in. This was the Garden of Eden, or Paradise.God called the first man Adam. God loved him, and planted a beautiful garden for him to live in. This was the Garden of Eden, or Paradise.
In Paradise God put all kinds of trees, plants, flowers and fruits. He made a clear river that flowed through it. He brought beasts and birds before Adam that he might give them names.
This, in the middle of the Garden, God planted two trees: the Tree of Life, and that Tree of Knowledge of good and evil. Calling Adam, God said to him, "You may eat of the fruit of every other tree in the Garden. But you must not eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil. If you eat of it, you shall surely die."
God in His goodness and wisdom wished to give Man the precious gift of liberty or free will. This is his freedom to choose between good and evil. If man chooses the good, he will receive an eternal reward in Heaven. But if he disobeys God and chooses evil, he will be punished in hell. God is good, but He is also just: He rewards the good and punishes the wicked.
Then God said to Himself, "It is not good for man to be alone. Let Me make a companion like unto him."
So God put Adam to sleep, and taking one of his ribs, formed out of it a woman. When Adam awoke, God gave him the woman for his companion. She was called Eve, meaning "Mother of all the living."
Adam said to Eve, "This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh."
In this way God instituted the ordinance of marriage in the Garden of Paradise. When Jesus Christ came on earth, He raised marriage to the dignity of a Sacrament. He honored it by His presence and first miracle at Cana of Gaililee.
Adam and Even were very happy in Paradise. The Tree of Life kept them free from sickness and death. They had everthing their hearts could desire. Best of all, they had the love of God: they were in God's grace.
The Tree of Life is a figure of the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, of which it is written: "He who is fed by it shall live forever."
- from My Bible History in Pictures, by Bishop Louis LaRavoire Morrow, D.D., 1934; it has the Imprimatur of Archbishop Michael J O'Doherty of Manila, Philippines