“And Adam called the name of his wife Eve: because she was the mother of all the living. And the Lord God made for Adam and his wife, garments of skins, and clothed them. And he said: ‘Behold Adam is become as one of us, knowing good and evil: now, therefore, lest perhaps he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.’ And the Lord God sent him out of the paradise of pleasure, to till the earth from which he was taken. And he cast out Adam; and placed before the paradise of pleasure Cherubims, and a flaming sword, turning every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”
Eve, meaning “life,” was the name given to the wife, for from her life, though broken, would proceed. God then looks upon the deep shame that Adam and Eve feel with love and compassion, for they feared the punishment of death, but He in his goodness gives them garments of skins to cover their shame. They had cast off the garments of purity, understanding, covenantal communion with God and all the benefits therein. In turn, they receive the covering of beasts, showing sin to be more akin to animals than to the dignity of human beings. Think on these things, that you were created in the image of God, made for love and innocence, and to turn from Him is to make oneself like an animal, not knowing good from bad: “And man when he was in honour did not understand; he is compared to senseless beasts, and is become like to them” (Psalm 48:13). Now, Adam and Eve were created knowing the good: “God made man right” (Ecclesiastes 7:30), and they enjoyed this same good. The tree of knowledge of good and evil, then, brought forth only knowledge of evil, and that there could be an absence of goodness in things. They came to know this evil through firsthand experience, through shame, suffering, and sins against each other. Man was not created to live in such a way. You were made for love and joy, not for sorrow and sin. An immortal life in a fallen world is a miserable life, and so man is taken from the tree of life and the return to it is guarded by the cherubim and a sword of fire. Now, Theophila, what this means for you and your soul is that Jesus has reopened paradise for you, with His Cross becoming the tree of life, for your immortal life was redeemed upon it. By His saving Passion, your soul can once again enjoy harmony with God, that you may walk with Him at all times, living your life in relationship to God. All labor becomes joyful when done with love, all of nature becomes an adornment of beauty to your love story when you realize you are in one, every encounter with another person becomes innocent when your innocence is restored. However, the path to enjoying this perpetually, both mystically in this life and perfectly in the next, is through the angelic call to praise God in your soul: “Be ye filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:18-19); “Upon it stood the seraphims… And they cried one to another, and said: Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God of hosts, all the earth is full of his glory” (Isaias 6:2-3). The flaming sword is the crucible of suffering that awaits all, but in particular those who wish to pursue the love of God: “You shall greatly rejoice, if now you must be for a little time made sorrowful in divers temptations: That the trial of your faith (much more precious than gold which is tried by fire) may be found unto praise and glory and honour at the appearing of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7). The purifying sword of trials awaits all that would approach paradise, but love will overcome it, and come to the sight of God: “And all mount Sinai was on a smoke: because the Lord was come down upon it in fire, and the smoke arose from it as out of a furnace: and all the mount was terrible. And the sound of the trumpet grew by degrees louder and louder, and was drawn out to a greater length: Moses spoke, and God answered him. And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai” (Exodus 19:18-20). Even when you must reach through thorns for the sake of love, keep the songs of love and praise in your heart, that love may reverberate through your soul always, with the love of God never leaving your lips or your heart, that love and joy may overcome all the adversities of this present life.