Daily Reflections- July 2, 2012

Whatever Happened to Sin?

 

Satan called for a meeting in hell to check on the accomplishments of his devils. He wanted to know who accomplished the most in terms of leading people astray. The first devil reported, “Master, I induced people to the sin of the flesh, and many succumbed to it.” The second devil said, “Master, I planted in people’s hearts the sin of pride. Many also succumbed to it.” Then the third devil reported, “Master, I have led people to believe that there is no such thing as sin.”

At this, Satan roared with delight and said, “Well done. That would be the devil’s greatest achievement — to let people think that there is no such thing as sin.”

In today’s First Reading, the Lord through Amos condemns iniquity of different kinds: selling the just man for silver, taking advantage of the poor, patronizing prostitutes, sacrilege and more. The Responsorial Psalm is a flat warning to the unrepentant sinner: “Remember this, you who never think of God.” Sadly, this call falls on deaf ears when people do not even feel the need to be converted.

Nowadays, we see symptoms of this malady. We rarely hear the words, “I was wrong.” More often we hear, “It’s his fault.” If we step on somebody’s toes, we blame the other for extending his feet. If we commit an act of impurity, we blame the other for being so “seductive.”

But much worse than pointing the blame on others is the rational sugar-coating of our misdeeds to free ourselves from the guilt of moral responsibility. We sugar-coat sin and call it by another name. We commit adultery and call it a diversion. We commit infidelity and call it an affair. We push for abortion and call it the right to reproductive health care.

Today, we ask the Lord for three things. First, we ask pardon for the times when we sugarcoat our misdeeds and make them look innocent. Second, we ask for the courage and honesty to face our mistakes. And then lastly, we ask the Lord for the humility to accept and own them. Fr. Joel Jason

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: When was the last time you visited the confessional? It’s either you are a saint or you are in denial.

 

Lord Jesus, sin offends You, but repentance pleases You. Help me realize that when sin abounds, grace abounds all the more. Let me not waste that grace. Amen.