MERCY & SIN (CCC)
1.
Mercy and Sin: At the very beginning of
the article of CCC, gives the scriptural reference from the New Testament, Jesus as
the forgiving face of God. Lk 15: “Gospel is the revelation in Jesus
Christ of God’s mercy to sinners.” Jesus is thus revealed in the scriptures as
the symbol of God’s mercy for humanity. Mt 1: 21 Angel told Joseph “you
shall call him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Later the
same is expressed in Jesus own words at the last supper that in His blood we
have salvation. Mt 26: 28 The same is true of the Eucharist, the
sacrament of redemption this is my blood of the covenant......poured out for
the forgiveness of sins. The truth of our being is that God created us without us
but He needs our response and will. Therefore St Augustine: God who
created us without us cannot save us without us, to receive his mercy, we must
admit our faults. We deceive if we deny our sins. However, Good news is that
God’s grace is ever at our disposal provided we are receptive to his grace and
mercy. St Paul Romans 5:20: “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the
more.” But to do its work grace must uncover sin so as to convert our hearts
and bestow on us righteousness to eternal life through Jesus. (Conversion
requires convincing of sin: it includes the interior judgement of conscience
and the proof of the action of the spirit of truth in our inmost being.
2. The Definition of Sin: The CCC tells us that every Sin is an
offense against reason, truth and right conscience; it is failure in
genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain
goods. It wounds the nature of human and injures human solidarity. It is defined
as “an utterance, a deed or a desire contrary to the eternal law. St Augustine.
The Psalmist says “Sin is an offense against God: Against you, you
alone, have I sinned.....and done which is evil in your sight.....” Psalm: 51:4.
Sin came due to the disobedience of Eve and Adam. Like in the first sin... (Disobedience....to
become like God.....) Augustine: Sin is love of oneself even to contempt of God[1].
3. The Different Kinds of Sins: SIN can be distinguished according
to its object or according to the virtues they oppose or according to the
commandments they violate. So, sins can be opposing God, neighbor and the
self. They can be divided into spiritual and carnal sins. (Thought, word, deed
or omission). The root of sin is in the heart of the human, in his/her free
will. (JESUS: for out the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery,
fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what really defile
wo/man. Mt 15:19-20. But in the heart also resides charity, the source of good
and pure works.
4. The Gravity of Sin: Mortal and Venial
Sin: Sins are rightly evaluated according to their gravity. The scripture
gives us the distinction between mortal and venial sin. 1 John 5: 16-17. Mortal
Sin: Destroys charity in the heart of the human by a grave violation of
God’s law; it turns us away from God by preferring an inferior good. Three
Conditions: Whose object is grave matter, committed with full knowledge
& deliberate consent. But no one is expected to be ignorant of the moral
law written in the conscience of every person. So the sin committed through
malice, free choice of evil is a grave matter. So the moral sin results in the
loss of charity and privation of sanctifying grace. This can be redeemed and by
repentance and God’s forgiveness.
Grave Matter is specified by Ten
Commandments....Jesus to the rich young man Mark 10:19 (Do not kill, steal, and
adultery and honor your parents etc) Mortal Sin, by attacking the vital
principle within us–charity. It is when the will sets itself upon
something that is of its nature incompatible with charity that orients human
toward his/her ultimate end. Thus it contradicts the love of God. Venial SIN:
Allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it. It manifests a
disordered affection for created goods; it impedes the soul’s progress in the
exercise of the virtues and the praxis of the moral goods. It merits temporal
punishment. However the venial sin does not break the covenant with God. It
does not deprive of the sanctifying grace, friendship with God, charity and
eternal happiness. St Augustine: Like the number of drops of water fills
a river; a number of grains make a heap; so to a number of repeated venial sins
lead to a grave sin.
5. The Proliferation of Sin: Just like the fruit of love is to love back
more so to the fruit of sin is to sin more. Hence Sin begets sin. Sin brings
another sin into existence. It engenders vice by repetition of the same acts.
By this way of perverse inclinations one’s conscience is bound to cloud and
corrupt the concrete judgement of good and evil. Thus sin reinforces and
reproduces itself. However it cannot destroy the moral sense. Thus sin makes us
accomplices (helping others to commit crime, sin or evil acts) of one another
and cause concupiscence, violence and injustice to reign among them. Thus sins
give rise to social situations and institutions that are contrary to the divine
goodness.
6. Conclusion:
We
are living in an age that is very much at home with sin. It reveals that the
current generation is so much engrossed in sin that this age lost even the
sense of sin. This reminds me of the words of Jesus where, he said ‘this
generation is seeking for sings to believe in the Son of God’. But now I would
like to say that, no sings, no symbols and not even miracles are sufficient to
make this generation not to sin. (Their minds are in darkness...) Such is the
state of sin.
So, sin binds us
all in the past, present and future. Therefore sin is something that we all
share in common. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us says St John (1 St John 1:8). So, sin is something a
universal reality originating as it did with Satan in the book of Genesis.
(Genesis 3:1-24). Then how to get away from our sin; well there is only one
way. That is through Jesus Christ who “……poured out his blood and gave up his
life for our sins” (Matthew 26:27-28). In sin human is brought lower state. The
Latin term, peccatum indicates a fall
or ruin. Also the Sanskrit root, ped
means to fall. In Hebrew, the most basic word used is revolt or transgression
indicating the deliberate act of defiance against God. All sin is an act of
idolatry, the attempt to replace the Creator with someone or something else.
Usually it will be one’s own self or one’s own desire, or creation (Genesis
3:1-7).
So,
sin is a fall in the moral sense. It is a failure to be what one ought to be.
It is losing the way, straying from the right road, slipping away from the
truth. When one commits sin, one falls from his/her dignity or moral
perfection; for we are all created in the image and likeness of God. So, when
we sin we disfigure the image of God in us. This is exactly what I would like
to draw our attention and mind that in sin we disfigure our image that was
created by God by our pure choices and decisions. Hence, like in the Old
Testament we know God promised our first parents that he would not abandon them
rather would send a savior. We know that it is Jesus the savior and redeemer
who can remove our guilt and sin by his own blood and life. Jesus after his
passion, death and resurrection he sent his holy spirit to guide us and he
instituted the sacraments to be with us in a very divine and sublime way. What
a love that God and Christ had for humanity.
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