DAILY HOMILIES #sin

The prodigal son, now suffering from an inferiority complex due to sinfulness, wanted to be employed as a hired hand in his father’s house. He never imagined he could be forgiven. However, the father did something humans would rarely do; he forgave the son and restored his former dignity. The father saw him as one who had returned from the dead. This is how God treats us when we repent.

No matter what your past has been, as Micah says today, God will forgive your sin (Cf. Micah 7:18-20). The only time God will not forgive is when we refuse to ask for forgiveness. This is known as despair (the belief that God cannot forgive).

If asking has to do with praying, seeking involves making efforts. Yes, God is interested in the efforts you are making. The man who planted the fig tree did not see any fruits for three years, so he asked the vinedresser to cut it down. The vinedresser pleaded for more time to INCREASE HIS EFFORTS; that is, to dig around it, apply manure and water it more. What efforts are you making? Before you conclude that you cannot live above sin, why not increase your efforts? Why not dig around your heart and apply the manure of the word of God? The worst thing that can ever happen to you is to trivialise sin, painting it as “normal”. Every sin is a disaster.

Just as every sin begins with a temptation, the struggle against sin starts with knowing how to deal with temptations. Hence, on this first Sunday of Lent, our Gospel passage narrates how Jesus overcame temptations in the wilderness. In the three temptations of Jesus Christ, we find the three categories of sins which are: “…the lust of the flesh (turning stones to bread), the lust of the eyes (bowing to Satan to gain the riches of the world) and the pride of life (jumping from the pinnacle of the temple to gain the praise and admiration of all)” (1 John 2:16).

Jesus wants us to look inwards. To avoid judging and condemning others, we must look at ourselves. Jesus tells us today: “How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck in your eye.’ You hypocrite, first take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck in your brother's eye.” (Luke 6:42)

Be a master of your emotions. Do not be pushed into action by your feelings; think of the consequences. You will always regret any decision made in anger. Instead of listening to God, Cain chose evil. After killing his brother, Cain wished he could turn back the hands of time. When God asked about his brother, Cain tried to dodge the question by asking if he was his brother’s keeper. In the end, Cain could not escape his punishment for murder. There is nothing to be gained from sin.

Every sin carries a mark of rebellion and mistrust in God as the one on whom our life depends. That is why there is a direct and immediate punishment for every sin for direct offenders and those who aid and abet the sin. This is the message behind our First Reading

In every temptation, Satan tries to disprove what God has said; he makes us doubt God, and then he goes further to make us believe that there is something we stand to gain by disobeying God’s instructions, such as the pleasure we hope to get, the excitement of it all, the fun it promises, the hope of becoming richer, more beautiful, more powerful, and connected, and so on. When we listen to the devil, we start seeing God’s commandments as restrictions rather than as keys to our happiness and fulfilment.

The great catch of fish was a turning point in Peter’s life. He immediately recognised God's presence and confessed his sins. Isaiah had a similar experience in today’s First Reading. Meanwhile, in today’s second reading, St. Paul confesses how he previously persecuted the Church, yet God made him an apostle. Is it the case that God prefers working with individuals with a sinful past? What do we learn from these readings?

The Letter to the Hebrews mentions certain sins we could regret forever: unkindness to strangers, indifference to prisoners, defiling the marriage bed, love of money, and lack of contentment. As the book of Hebrews tells us, only when we avoid sin can we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid; what can man do to me?”

Avoid indulging the flesh with its cravings all the time. The Letter to the Hebrews says: “Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart. 4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (Hebrews 12:3-4). Even Jesus was hostile to himself. Do not be that international footballer who always plays the ball off-course when he has a chance of scoring. Even if avoiding sin requires shedding your blood, it is better to crucify the flesh and its desires than to lose consciousness of sin.

Yes, friends walk away from your life, and even your closest allies fail you, but the family remains to the very end. Even when others betray and deny you, somehow you feel at peace because you know your family has your back. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus says: “Whoever does the will of God is my brother, sister, and mother.” (Mark 3:35). Considering what Dolly Patton says about family, Jesus’ statement cannot be taken for granted.