Sin and Repentance

Unfortunately, sin is an inescapable characteristic of being human.  The amazing and generous gift of God, that of free will, allows us to freely choose Him.  We may choose to love, to serve, and to live in eternity with Him.  However, by the simple nature of this gift man also has the power to choose the other.  We can choose to surrender ourselves to the desires of the body, be they food, sex, drugs, television, and on and on, and when we do this we are choosing ourselves in selfishness over the higher good.

Sin, by definition, is not these things that we call ‘bad’ or ‘evil’.  Rather, it is the failure to love God and neighbor because of our attachment to something else.  The more important understanding is not what sin is, but the consequences of it.  First is the “domino’ effect of sin.  The commission of sin inclines man to continue sinning.  The conscience is clouded and judgment is corrupted.  In short, being in a state of sin, especially grave sin, makes it difficult to avoid sin in the future.  Secondly, and more importantly, sin is a turning away from truth, goodness, and justice.  In committing sin man rejects, at least in part, the salvation offered to him.  There are similarities between the sin man commits today and the sin of Adam and Eve.  Man, like Adam and Eve, seeks to be like God by rejecting dependence upon Him and taking life into his own hands.  Man seeks to determine what is good, what is right, and what is evil.

The mercy of God is so great, that in the face of human sinfulness He shows a path to reconciliation and salvation.  Jesus Christ, the Word-Made-Flesh, has come to earth as man and sacrificed Himself for our sins so that we may be saved.  The gifts of this act are unending and invaluable.  Jesus has opened the gates of heaven, has given us the Eucharist, the “blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins”, and God has sent the Holy Spirit who guides us and graces us with the many gifts and virtues which allow us to serve.

The work, however, cannot be for God alone.  We, too, must take some part in our salvation.  This time of Lent is a perfect time to begin, renew, or invigorate our work for the salvation of souls.  Through fasting we can learn to resist the desires of our body and live for what is above.  Through almsgiving we serve Christ’s poor in fraternal charity as commanded by the Gospel.  Through prayer we deepen our faith and strengthen our relationship with Christ.  This work on the part of humanity is an acceptance of God’s gift of eternal life and the journey on the path that leads there.  I pray that this Lenten season we all make an extra effort to repent, turn from sin, and be faithful to the Gospel. 

Let's get penitential...

"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  He fasted for forty days and forty nights..." (Matthew 4:1-2, JB)

Beginning tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, Christians all over the world will begin the season of Lent in which we commemorate the the fasting and trials of our Lord after his baptism, as well as the 40 years of wandering by the Hebrews.  On this first day, many will be marked with the burnt ashes of blessed palms as a sign of penance, mourning, and faith.

It may be a difficult notion, that one should fast, give alms, and pray in preparation for such a great feast (the Resurrection, but you knew that).  However, we should call to mind that this first quarter of the liturgical year is perfectly modeled off of the historical life of Jesus.  Recall that He was transfigured, and then made His way to the Cross.  We must see that it is through our self-denial, contrition, love, and prayer that we come to share in the glory of Christ's defeat of death.

How you may ask?  Conversion.  Through these self-giving actions we come to emulate Christ and His life on earth.  It was He that fasted, ministered, prayed, and finally gave His life for our salvation.  Let us be holy as He is holy (cf. 1 Peter 1:15), and strive to live our lives based on the perfect example of Jesus, all the while knowing that it is only through His grace and mercy that we can come to be as He is.

"...through the personal encounter with our Redeemer and through fasting, almsgiving and prayer, the journey of conversion towards Easter leads us to rediscover our Baptism. This Lent, let us renew our acceptance of the Grace that God bestowed upon us at that moment, so that it may illuminate and guide all of our actions. What the Sacrament signifies and realizes, we are called to experience every day by following Christ in an ever more generous and authentic manner. In this our itinerary, let us entrust ourselves to the Virgin Mary, who generated the Word of God in faith and in the flesh, so that we may immerse ourselves – just as she did – in the death and resurrection of her Son Jesus, and possess eternal life."
The Message of His Holiness for Lent 2011

1 Corinthians 3:16-23

On February 20th, I preached at Jesuit Hall's St. Dominic Chapel on 1 Cor 3: 16-23.  Here is the video.



"Didn't you realize that you were God's temple and that the Spirit of God was living among you?  If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy him, because the temple of God is sacred; and you are that temple.

Make no mistake about it: if any one of you thinks of himself as wise, in the ordinary sense of the word, then he must learn to be a fool before he really can be wise.  Why?  Because the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God.  As Scripture says:

The Lord knows wise men's thoughts: he knows how useless they are

or again:

God is not convinced by the arguments of the wise

So there is nothing to boast about in anything human: Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life and death, the present and the future, are all your servants; but you belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God." (JB)