The Serpent and Temptation – “He Kept Coming at Her”

ju_9862802-1386x1386Perhaps the most interesting part of our session last evening, as we explored the consequences of not trusting in God (via the story of Adam and Eve) was when one young lady pointed out that the serpent “never gave up” but kept coming at Eve until she gave in.

What a great insight!

We picked up on that right away and talked about how that happens to kids with peer pressure: we might say no to someone but they keep coming at us, pressuring us to “give in.” That really resonated with them.

They also could relate to the idea of Adam and Eve trying to hide from God. We talked about how, when someone is trying to conceal the truth from you, they have trouble looking you in the eye.

Likewise, for once, they didn’t get hung up on the idea that this was “Eve’s fault” which often happens. I emphasized that, just as the serpent did not “hold a gun” to Eve’s head, neither did Eve “hold a gun” to Adam’s head. They both had free choice and chose badly. The kids approached the story much more from the angle of searching for the divine truths within it instead of getting hung up on a literal interpretation. It was very refreshing.

They especially enjoyed the video segment on the story of Adam and Eve. This video is a cartoon but it is not childish and in some parts is very dramatic, especially the portrayal of the serpent. Likewise, the video discussion questions (see page 2 of this link) were very effective for guiding our discussion. After the video, we simply went over each question out loud, reading all three choices for each, and asking for volunteers to select the right answer. Each one made for some short follow up discussion which was very fruitful (no pun intended).

About Joe Paprocki 2742 Articles
Joe Paprocki, DMin, is National Consultant for Faith Formation at Loyola Press, where, in addition to his traveling/speaking responsibilities, he works on the development team for faith formation curriculum resources including Finding God: Our Response to God’s Gifts and God’s Gift: Reconciliation and Eucharist. Joe has more than 35 years of experience in ministry and has presented keynotes, presentations, and workshops in more than 100 dioceses in North America. Joe is a frequent presenter at national conferences including the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, the Mid-Atlantic Congress, and the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership. He is the author of numerous books, including the best seller The Catechist’s Toolbox, A Church on the Move, Under the Influence of Jesus, and Called to Be Catholic—a bilingual, foundational supplemental program that helps young people know their faith and grow in their relationship with God. Joe is also the series editor for the Effective Catechetical Leader and blogs about his experiences in faith formation at www.catechistsjourney.com.

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