Published in the bulletin of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Knoxville, TN, on the 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time.
My dear Parishioners,
Peace! There are twenty-three (23) In Brief passages in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and five (5) canons in the Code of Canon Law which can help us to appreciate the Sacrament of Penance. The following is a reflection on CCC, 1488.
The eyes of faith recognize sin as the worst of evils. Sacred Scripture relates the life of grace to the ability to see and life lived in sin as blindness (cf. Matthew 13:15–16; 18:9; 20:33–34; Mark 9:47; Luke 10:23; 19:42). There are all sorts of evil things in this world, sufferings, illnesses, death, poverty and the like. Some of these are caused by sin (when I rob you, you suffer; when I beat you up, you suffer; sometimes people die following a physical attack; others contract certain ailments of body (sclerosis of the liver and lung cancer come to mind) as a consequence of the their behavior (excessive drinking and smoking), sloth and greed are often combined in cases of poverty. Sin, however is the worst of evils because sin is an offense against God, “who is all good and worthy of all our love” (Act of Contrition). Sins are acts of injustice to God, disregarding His holy will for our salvation, sanctification.
The eyes of faith recognize three who are harmed by every sin, namely the sinner, the Church, the world. How are sinners hurt by sin? Sinners are hurt by sin, especially if they die in mortal sin, because of the punishment(s) due to sin, temporal punishments in the here and now, eternal punishments for those who die without repentance. The Sacrament of Penance is a privileged moment of repentance, accompanied by the absolution, which gives blessed assurance of God’s mercy upon us.
How is the Church hurt by sin? Because the Church is the “communion of saints,” when we live wicked, sinful lives, we disfigure the pure, spotless bride of Christ which is Mother Church. The message, the preaching of the Gospel is hindered when believers are steeped in sin. Sadly, it is often said “You talk a good talk, but don’t practice what you preach…”? The remedy, of course, is God’s grace and the graced living which is the consequence. God raises up saints in every age to answer the problems of the day. We all are called to be those who let God’s grace shine, radiating through our holy lives.
How is the world hurt by sin? Recall the fire and brimstone which rained down in the time of Abraham and Lot, due to the sins of two cities (cf. —). And if the entire world is wicked, attempting to “normalize” or “mainstream” various sinful behaviors (think of wholesale no-fault divorce and remarriage, sodomistic unions parodying Marriage, abortion on demand, …) Why should the Lord stay His hand? The time for mercy is now. The only sins which can not and will not be forgiven are those which go unrepented, which go unconfessed.
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr