Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time - June 12, 2016

Ordinary Time 11

June 12, 2016

Sin Is Lame

 

            While browsing the Internet recently, I came across a website selling tee-shirts on which was written the phrase, “Porn Is Lame”. That kinda sums it up, doesn’t it? All sin is lame – it makes us miserable and unhappy. Then why do we do it?

            One word: concupiscence. You may have never heard that word before, but we’ve all experienced its effects. Take, for example, going to an all-you-can-eat buffet. If you’re like me, I would go to such a buffet and have a feast – going back six, seven times to the buffet to stuff myself silly. Then, I look up, and I notice that I haven’t visited the pie table. Now, I am faced with a choice. I know that if I get a slice of pie, I will have a stomachache later on – it will hurt, and at this point, I’m so stuffed that I might physically explode if I eat another mouthful. But at the same time, I really want it! I know it’s harmful, but I desire it anyway. That’s concupiscence – desiring things we know are harmful to us.

            And that happens all the time. We know it would hurt our friend to gossip about them, but we do it anyway because we can’t resist sharing a juicy piece of information. We know pornography makes us feel guilty and dirty, but we struggle to resist the temptation. We know we should really be more generous with our money, but there is that latest iPhone that we just have to own! St. Paul writes about his experience of concupiscence in Romans 7: “I do not understand myself! I do not do the things I want to do, and I do the things I hate!”

            So how do we get out of this cycle of sin? We can’t do it on our own. And that is why the sinful woman in today’s Gospel knew that she needed a Savior, just like each of us needs a Savior. She came to Christ, begging to be free, free from her unruly passions and sinful desires, from her addictions and chains. And Jesus saw her repentant heart, and bestowed His mercy upon her, setting her free from the guilt and the sin.

            The first thing we need to do, then, is to recognize our need for Christ and turn to Him for mercy. That involves confessing our sins sacramentally in the Sacrament of Confession, and receiving the Absolution (the prayer of forgiveness from the priest, who acts in the Person of Christ). How wonderful it is to hear those words, “I absolve you of your sins!” in the Sacrament of Confession! It is like hearing those words in today’s Gospel from the mouth of Christ Himself – “Your sins are forgiven, go in peace.”

            But then, once our sins are forgiven, how do we avoid them again in the future? The only thing stronger than sin is love. When we love God more than we love our sin, we will be free.

            Back in the 1850s a young Irish man named Matt Talbot was struggling mightily with an addiction to alcohol. He had started drinking when he was only twelve years old – at the age of 13 he was hopelessly addicted (it didn’t help that he worked in a wine merchant’s shop!). He would often steal to have enough money for drink, or sell his own clothing simply so he could tip back the bottle. For over twenty-five years his entire life revolved around booze.

            One day he had no money so he hung out outside of a bar, hoping his friends would loan him some cash for a drink. But after all of his friends passed him by and refused to give him anything, he furiously stomped off and began to take a look at his life. He swore off alcohol for good – but it wasn’t that easy! At times he had to take a different route as he walked to church, simply so that he would not pass in front of a bar. He began to attend Mass daily, and spend time in prayer. He soon grew to love God more than his sin, and was able, by God’s grace, to conquer his addiction! He’s now being considered for sainthood in the Catholic Church. His love for God enabled him to overcome his sin.

            We see this in the Gospel as well. Jesus testifies that her sins were forgiven because “she showed great love.” If we want to break free from sin, we should strive to grow in love with God – through daily prayer, spiritual reading, and frequent reception of the Sacraments.

            To sum up, in order to be free from sin, we need to recognize our sinfulness and turn to Christ for mercy in Confession; and then, to avoid sin in the future, we strive to grow in our love for God. All of us are that sinful woman in the Gospels – all of us need His mercy.