An Ocala priest recently reflected on the symbolism of the snake in the story of Adam and Eve.

The Rev. Patrick O'Doherty, pastor of Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Ocala, posed several questions from the well-known Biblical story, including asking who Satan is and why there wasn't something protecting the Garden of Eden from the snake, or Satan. Although he didn't want to talk about snakes or apples— since he didn't quite understand why all the devil had to do was give Eve an apple— he did want to to talk about how Satan came to be. 

O'Doherty wrote about the one-time "Bearer of Light"-turned-destroyer of good, otherwise known as the devil, in his weekly column published in the Oct. 4 church bulletin. He noted that ever since Satan existed he had been in the presence of God. 

God made Satan, and Satan "became evil by choice" and now hates followers of Christ, he said in the bulletin.

O'Doherty explained in the bulletin how Satan came to be evil: It all started on the day God created man and woman. It was that day Satan, or Lucifer, turned against God's image for mankind and refused to serve him. Satan wanted to be like God and believed it was he who was God's "image and likeness." O'Doherty noted it was then that when war started in heaven where Michael and the angels attacked the dragon, Satan, and victoriously forced him out of heaven.

"The great dragon, the primeval serpent, known as the devil or Satan, who had deceived all the world, was hurled down to the earth and his angels were hurled down with him," he said.

At that, the heavens rejoiced over God's victory over evil, Fr. O'Doherty said. However, that's when trouble headed to earth because the devil was sent there angry.