Hymn No 34 The Tree of Life

THE TREE OF LIFE

Adam and Eve, the root of humanity
God created them as man and woman
God planted the tree of life in the middle of the garden of Eden
The tree of knowledge of good and evil

Satan tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit
From the tree of life and death
She conceived sin, the death of souls
She gave the fruit to her husband Adam

Adam ate the fruit as well.
And disobedience led them to sin
They heard the voice of God
They hid themselves from God

They felt, they were naked
They realised they had lost the heaven on earth
They felt the pain of separation from God
But sadly they could not repent of their sins

The Virgin Mary obeyed the Words of God
She accepted the fruit of Everlasting Life, Jesus
She conceived the fruit of life in her womb
God brought His only begotten Son into this world

To abolish the sins of the world
God himself came into this world
He Received his flesh from the sinless woman,
Mary the Immaculate to become the Son of God

Jesus came into this world to destroy the work of Evil
He is the incarnation of the Heavenly Father
He brought him into this world for the salvation of the world
God allowed him to carry the Cross

Jesus, our Lord is blameless , spotless and a real victim
Like a sapling he grew up before God
He had no form or charm to attract us,
No beauty to win our hearts; he was despised,

The lowest of men, a man of sorrows,
So familiar with suffering, one from whom, as it were,
We averted our gaze, despised, for whom we had no regard
Yet ours were the sufferings he was bearing,

Ours the sorrows he was carrying,
While we thought of him as someone being punished and
He was struck with affliction by God;
He was being wounded for our rebellions,

He was crushed because of our guilt;
The punishment reconciling us fell on him,
We have been healed by his bruises
He took all the shame, our sins, our weaknesses, our pain

Through Mary's obedience God has forgiven the sin of Eve
Mary crushed the fruit of sin by her humility
Through Jesus God crushed the head of Satan
The love of Jesus conquered all the world

Jesus chose death by himself
But he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,
Becoming as human beings are; in every way like a human being,
He was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross.

The flesh of his body was torn into pieces
His hands were pierced by nails
His legs were also pierced by nails
The nails are pieced through his flesh and bones

What sin has he done to die on the Cross?
He embraced the cross to make it the Tree of Life
The disobedience of Adam and Eve could not accept the will of God
The obedience of Mary and Jesus returned Tree of Life into Heaven

The blood of Jesus oozed out from the Cross
The lance of the Roman soldier pierced his side
Even at death blood and water came out from his side
The Holy Blood of Jesus was poured on the bones of Adam and abolished death

Mohny P I, Community of Grace