“And Adam knew Eve his wife: who conceived and brought forth Cain, saying: ‘I have gotten a man through God.’ And again she brought forth his brother Abel. And Abel was a shepherd, and Cain a husbandman. And it came to pass after many days, that Cain offered, of the fruits of the earth, gifts to the Lord. Abel also offered of the firstlings of his flock, and of their fat: and the Lord had respect to Abel, and to his offerings. But to Cain and his offerings he had no respect: and Cain was exceedingly angry, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said to him: ‘Why art thou angry? And why is thy countenance fallen? If thou do well, shalt thou not receive? But if ill, shall not sin forthwith be present at the door? But the lust thereof shall be under thee, and thou shalt have dominion over it.’”
Adam “knew” Eve, an important term that expresses that union is something far deeper than physical, it imprints itself upon the soul. Love leaves an impress from one to the other, both in the marital act and in simple acts of love. There is a stamp that love leaves on the one loved, like a seal imprinted on wax, and the love of God is no different: “Put me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thy arm” (Song 8:6). It is important, then, to keep your soul warm with love, that the Lord may leave His impress upon you. Now this is best done through frequent reception of the sacraments and the reading of Sacred Scripture and prayer, for the Canticle says: “My soul melted when he spoke” (Song 5:6). It is by these means that He united His Sacred Heart to yours, and then talks to you as a husband to a bride. This will in turn lead to the bringing forth of spiritual children by love. All children, spiritual and biological, are gifts from God, and the dignity of having children is here extolled. This is important because these children grow into the people you get to encounter on a day-to-day basis, each one a gift handed to you by the Most High, that you may see His image in yet another treasure of His. Adam and Eve, joyful at the gift of Cain, then conceive Abel, showing that a loving gratitude for the gifts of the Lord results only in more gifts, for He delights in a grateful heart. Now, as for the sacrifices of Cain and Abel, God does not reject the offerings of fruit on the part of Cain, for grain offerings are received “as a most sweet savour to the Lord” (Leviticus 2:2). Rather, the Lord looks unfavorably on Cain and his offering, for he had no love of God in his heart: “A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit: a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 50:19). How God longs to pour out love, grace, and mercy upon each of His children, to cover them with affection as the waves cover the sand! Run to Him with a sincere heart, seeking to cover Him in kisses in return for all your imperfect love, that you may become an alive, burning offering before the altar of God: “And the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he saw that the bush was on fire and was not burnt” (Exodus 3:2); “Our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29), that will consume all that isn’t love in the roaring fire of His own love: “And I will turn my hand to thee, and I will clean purge away thy dross, and I will take away all thy tin” (Isaias 1:25). God then turns to the enraged Cain, and with love speaks to Him: “A mild answer breaketh wrath” (Proverbs 15:1). O tenderness of God! What a soft, loving Father, that sees one of His children despising Him, offering Him halfhearted praise, and comes to encourage Him to a better way: “For whom the Lord loveth, he chastiseth: and as a father in the son he pleaseth himself” (Proverbs 3:12). He seeks to lift the sadness of Cain, and show him His approval, and to this end He gives him the prompting to love well and be strong. Bad love is chastised and rebuked, with the admonition that sin can be overcome. It is good to think on this both when you stumble or fall, as well as when you are reading the Scriptures and are corrected. Rather than being overcome with guilt or frustration, think of the gentle voice of Jesus, coming from a smiling face, saying, “Get back up, keep running, sin has not mastered you.” He will give you the grace to be a saint, if you will turn to Him with love at every opportunity, ever renewing your heart to be a sweeter, ever more loving offering to God.