8. CAIN AND ABEL (The destructive power of jealousy)

The life of Adam and Eve outside Paradise was very difficult and harsh, as God had told them. With much pain and effort they were cultivating the land, to have everything they needed for their survival.

Eve gave birth to a boy and named him Cain and after a little while she gave birth to a second son and named him Abel. The two children were helping their parents in the cultivation of the land and the care of the animals.

When the boys grew up, Cain became a farmer and was working in the fields, while Abel became a shepherd and was looking after the sheep.

Adam and Eve had the good habit of offering the best animals they had as sacrifices to God or the best fruits of the trees and plants they were cultivating.

In this way, on the one hand, they were showing to God their Father and Creator their love and respect, and on the other hand, they were thanking Him for all that He had given them.

The sacrifice was made as follows: They were building an altar with stones, they were lighting a fire, and then they were burning their sacrifice on the altar.

This good habit was taught by Adam and Eve to their two boys so that they would never forget their God, but also to have deep in their hearts the great virtue of "gratitude" that makes God rejoice and bless His children.

One day, when the two children were out in the fields, they each decided to offer a separate sacrifice to God. Cain would offer wheat from his harvest and Abel lambs from his flock.

God was very pleased with Abel's sacrifice. Abel was harmless, kind-hearted, had pure faith, and his sacrifice was offered with great love, gratitude, and joy, so the sacrificial smoke rose straight up into the sky.

But Cain's sacrifice was not accepted by God, because He saw that his heart was full of malice and cunning, and that he did not want to offer his best grains to God, but the ones of poor quality. So, the smoke from the sacrifice, instead of rising up into the sky, wafted around the altar of sacrifice. That made Cain very angry.

"Why are You against me?" Cain said to God.

"If you make your sacrifice correctly and offer it to Me your God willingly, your offer will be accepted, but if your mind is full of bad thoughts, then evil will govern you", God replied to him.

Then Cain did not only feel anger, but also great jealousy towards his brother Abel. So, when both of them were again in the fields, he approached him sneakily and killed him.

Soon, however, he heard God asking him:

"Cain, where is your brother?"

"I do not know, am I my brother's keeper?" Cain replied.

"Cain, what have you done? Why did you kill your brother? Your deed is cursed. And you are now under a curse to walk around the earth, despised by people and far from God."

"The punishment is heavy, more than I can bear!" Cain shouted anxiously and left to live far away from that place.

With this punishment, God wanted to teach all people, that each man's life belongs only to God, so no one has the right to take away the life of his fellow man, carried away by the weaknesses of his passions.