Click here to read the daily readings from the USCCB website.

I'm currently in the middle of reading  East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I get  reaaaally into books and if it's a good one I'll start seeing everything through the lens of that book. I won't give any spoilers and I won't pretend to be an expert about the themes and symbolism about this book, but I do know that it's based on the story of Cain and Abel and is ultimately about the human struggle of good versus evil.

So far, true Christianity isn't really a major factor in the book or in the character development. The good characters aren't good because they follow Jesus and the bad characters aren't bad because they don't. Really, the good characters are good because, well, they're good... and the bad ones bad because, you guessed it, they're bad.

I thought of the main characters of this book as I read the first reading today. Paul draws a comparison between good and bad. He calls Titus to remind the faithful to be obedient, to be kind and peacable, to be considerate and grateful. Paul then lists what is is to be "bad:" foolish, disobedient, deluded, slaves to various desires and pleasures, malicious and envious, hateful towards self and other.

I noticed that his description isn't necessarily of two different groups, of the "Cains" and the "Abels." It's a description of before and after. Paul is describing himself "BC" (before Christ) and "AD" (after dead... to the old self). 

I don't believe that you need to be a Christian to be a good person. The world was created with a natural law and good and evil can be recognized. There are any number of reasons that a person could change from "bad" to "good." But God has so much more in store for us than simply being a good person. Good people existed before Jesus took up the cross. But good people still sin. Good people still hurt themselves and others. Good people still need to be redeemed. That's another theme of the book.

And that's why Christ came. "Not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of His mercy." Jesus desired to heal and to save the good and the bad alike, but He doesn't force salvation upon us. We have the opportunity to accept the invitation. And how do we do that? Seek out a relationship with Him. Live as He invites you to live. Be obedient, be open to the good, slander no one, be peaceable, considerate, exercising all graciousness toward everyone.

I'm only halfway through  East of Eden so I don't know if Jesus is going to take up a greater role in the book. Maybe I just don't have the eyes to understand the symbolism of salvation in Steinbeck's words. But Jesus makes a difference. I think I see some Jesus in one of the characters (Samuel) breaking through another character's (Adam) despair. Jesus comes in kind and generous love, and sometimes He breaks in where we don't want Him. Sometimes He has to smack us upside the head to get our attention. We'll thank Him later. Just like Adam thanks Samuel.

Take a page from the Samaritan leper's book and recognize what Jesus had done for you. Return again and again to thank Him.