I don\u2019t have to tell you: something is seriously wrong<\/strong>. It is almost a clich\u00e9 to say that we have lost our sense of sin. But this is the new normal. Widespread\u00a0 cheating is just one example. I\u2019m sure you can think of many others.<\/p>\nThe sad fact is: morality today is relative. In our culture, call something a sin is to be labeled intolerant, or insensitive, or even to be accused of harboring some form of hate. \u00a0If you work in the public school system, you might even be called \u201cDraconian,\u201d an extremist.<\/p>\n
But in this morning\u2019s gospel, Jesus dared to mention what is now unmentionable. He dared to proclaim that there are choices that we have, and that some of those choices go against the will of God. They separate us from Him.<\/p>\n
They cause us to sin.<\/p>\n
And what Jesus told his followers still holds true: if something causes us to sin, if it separates us from God, then we need to separate ourselves from it.<\/p>\n
Cut it off.\u00a0 Pluck it out.<\/p>\n
He was using hyperbole, but Jesus did it to remind his listeners of how attached we are to the things that make us sin.<\/p>\n
Maybe today, the problem isn\u2019t a hand, a foot or an eye.<\/p>\n
Maybe it\u2019s something else\u2014but something that is just as much a part of us.<\/p>\n
Maybe it\u2019s a habit. Or a website.\u00a0 Or a TV show. Or a friend.<\/p>\n
Maybe it\u2019s our ego.<\/p>\n
Or maybe the problem is an impulse that is as old as Adam: fear.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s often said that the original sin was pride\u2014the desire to be like God. But I think the second sin was fear.<\/p>\n
How many sins do we commit because we are afraid?\u00a0<\/strong> How many high schoolers cheat because they\u2019re afraid they won\u2019t get into the school their parents have picked for them?<\/p>\nHow many women choose abortion because they\u2019re afraid they can\u2019t raise a child?<\/p>\n
How many of us act rashly, or foolishly, or imprudently because we\u2019re afraid to say no?<\/p>\n
But again and again, God offers simple words of advice, direction and hope: \u201cDo not be afraid.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0We hear that so often in scripture, usually in times of crisis and uncertainty. And I think those words help to point the way.<\/p>\n
If you want to do the right thing\u2026do not be afraid.<\/p>\n
Do not be afraid<\/strong> of doing what is just, what is honest, what draws you closer to God.<\/p>\nDo not be afraid of standing on the side of truth. Do not be afraid of following your conscience, the law of God that is written in your heart.<\/p>\n
Do not be afraid of looking at what is wrong in our lives, of doing an honest moral inventory. Do not be afraid of calling a sin a sin, and making what is wrong right. That is part of the grace of the sacrament of reconciliation: to look at our humanity, our faults, and to pray to change.<\/p>\n
One of the most poignant moments in scripture comes in Luke\u2019s gospel, after Peter first met Jesus and hauled in an incredible catch of fish. Peter fell to his knees and said to Jesus, \u201cDepart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.\u201d<\/p>\n
But \u2014and this is key\u2014Jesus didn\u2019t<\/em> depart<\/strong>.\u00a0 He stayed. And his next words changed Peter\u2019s life: \u00a0\u201cDo not be afraid.\u201d<\/p>\nIn spite of our mistakes, our misjudgments, our past, our sins\u2026do not be afraid. Because, despite what we may think, and what we may fear: God stays.<\/p>\n
But for us to stay close to God, we can\u2019t be complacent. The message of the gospel is clear: we need to separate ourselves from those things that separate us from God.<\/p>\n
As we prepare to receive the Eucharist today, we come before the Lord like Peter, as sinful people. \u201cLord I am not worthy,\u201d we pray.\u00a0 But we also pray that he will only say the word, and that our souls will be healed.<\/p>\n
Isn\u2019t that the deepest yearning for all of us?<\/p>\n
In a world that doesn\u2019t like to talk about sin, that doesn\u2019t like to condemn what we know is wrong, I think the only way we will be healed is to talk about it \u2013 in prayer,\u00a0 in trust, and in hope, asking God to help us right what is wrong.<\/p>\n
Only then can we change ourselves \u2014and, in the process, begin to change the world.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[Click here for readings] In the gospel we just heard, we encounter a word and a subject that many people these days don\u2019t want to hear, and don\u2019t want to talk about.\u00a0 It\u2019s a word that rarely leaves our lips, because it makes people uncomfortable. The word is \u201cSin.\u201d As much as we don\u2019t like […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-homilies"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a><\/p>\n