Reflection - Sin(s)

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/030817.cfm
Jonah 3:1-10
Luke 11:29-32

The person responsible for making today's selection from the book of Jonah magnanimously ignored Jonah's resistance to the Lord's initial command and the prophet's consequent journey through the whale. Rather, he picked up the story after those facts and only related how Jonah finally did as he had been directed from the beginning. However, the focus of this selection is not really upon Jonah at all. It is the story of a sinful people who repent and the Lord's merciful response.

Jesus recalls the story of Jonah as he speaks to the people of Judea. He even offers Jonah's three-day experience in the whale as a sign anticipating his coming death and resurrection. But once again the focus is not really on the principal in the story. It is upon a sinful people to whom God's word has been spoken. Here, in the Gospel, Jesus says that the word of God is being ignored and a just judgment will follow upon that failure. It is not always easy to face the facts. 

Nevertheless, sin and repentance are not words that are easily ignored by Christians, particularly during this season of Lent. For me, as a cradle Catholic, that's been the case since early in my life. Still, the words have prompted questions and reflections and even study. I know the proper definitions of each. I have more than a basic understanding of how they fit into the tapestry of Christian thought. But, for reasons unknown, the definitions and explanations long seemed to be lacking. This morning's readings called to mind that troublesome knot of theological threads. 

Lent is about discovering and acknowledging the truth of my existence and subsequently modifying my life to correspond to that reality. It begins with the acceptance of a basic fact of life: Remember man, you are dust, and to dust you will return---and, for the next several weeks, the season invites us to confront some of those troublesome truths of our existence, the ones that we would just as soon ignore or forget. That's why today's Scripture selections are eminently appropriate. Sin is now and has long been a reality. Jonah called it out and the Ninevites responded with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. They acknowledged the truth of sin in their lives and worked to change their life-direction. Jesus called it out and was absurdly expected to produce evidence that he had authority to speak the truth. 

What is this 'sin' that keeps showing up in Scripture texts and theological discussions. I recall that the Baltimore Catechism defined sin as "any thought, word, action or omission contrary to the law of God." I remember too that there were seemingly endless lists to be memorized, detailing what was forbidden by each commandment. For example: "What is forbidden by the fifth commandment?"  "The fifth commandment forbids murder, suicide, fighting, anger, hatred, revenge, drunkenness and bad example." (I never could figure out how drunks got into the fifth commandment.) The list for the sixth commandment was even more confusing as it suggested things that were totally beyond my experience or understanding.

he Irish may have saved Western Civilization as some would claim, but, without doubt, one of Ireland's questionable gifts to Christianity was the development of an encyclopedic itemization of sins with an appropriate penance assigned for each. The Celtic practice of the sacrament of Penance with lists of sins and individual private confession began as early as the sixth century and was exported to the continent around the twelfth century. In time, the practice became universal, though it was not without some unfortunate consequences. Let me describe just one.

I have discovered that, in the years immediately following my first communion and first confession, I was not alone in conjuring up a confession list that largely consisted of sins that were merely "probable" or even "imaginary". An exclusively genuine list would have been remarkably devoid of content except for the business of fighting with my siblings. Ahh! But the list---having that mental list as I entered the confessional was very important. 

Even as I grew older and my list corresponded more closely to reality, I puzzled over the meaning of the list itself. Why was it so important? None of the "big" things were ever there. Were these seemingly small things even that important? The issue became even more perplexing when I read about certain saints and some apparently holy people living today. They went to confession frequently, even daily. Could a curt response to another's innocent question really be serious enough to bother recounting to a priest? Such a use of the sacrament seemed almost frivolous to me and the penitents themselves  appeared quirky in their preoccupation with minutia.  

Through the years there has been a slow, but steady shift in my understanding. It's quite possible that the change began with a discussion about a post Vatican II adjustment in the language of the Gloria at Mass.

     Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father

     who take away the sin of the world,

     have mercy on us,

     you who take away the sins of the world.

     Receive our prayer.

So, which is it? The sin of the world? Or The sins of the world? It was in an exchange over the meaning and purpose of re-wording this text that I first became aware that the Baltimore Catechism definition of sin is, at its core, a description of the symptoms of sin, in many ways similar to a description of the symptoms of any other illness. "I have itchy eyes, a stuffy nose. I'm congested. I feel tired and dopey and I have a fever." Or, in a word, "I have a cold." Are the symptoms really different from the affliction? Are they the cause or the effect or a different way of saying the same thing? So too, the question should be asked with sin. 

Truth be told, there is only one sin: we are separated from God. It's been that way since Adam and Eve; and the evidence is there in our thoughts, words, actions and omissions contrary to the law of God. Their removal from the garden was symbolic of their removal from the divine presence. All those detailed itemizations by which we describe sin are the cause of our separation and the effect of our separation and a different way of saying the same thing. 

This discussion of Lent began with the statement that Lent is about discovering and acknowledging the truth of my existence and subsequently modifying my life to correspond to that reality. In nothing is that statement more emphatically confirmed than in the way I regard sin in my life.

With my sin-list in hand, mentally or physically, I consider the harm I might have done my neighbor. Anger, gossip, indifference, backstabbing, belittling, jealous behavior, taking financial advantage and a whole host of other equally available possibilities. Along with those, I also consider how I might have offended God through swearing, failure to worship, and giving undo importance to material things. 

The sin-list of Ireland had its origin in a desire for certitude; and reflecting upon it as a measuring stick for my spiritual life can easily be mis-leading, offering a specious certitude at best. I hold up my list before me. The most serious sins are at the top; the gravity of each offense diminishes as I steadily move toward the bottom. So I discover that my offenses are somewhat minimal, being, as they are, in the lower portion of recorded possibilities. Hey! My spiritual life isn't too bad. It's sort of like stepping on the scale, noting the report and declaring with a sigh of relief: Hey! I'm not overweight after all. 

     Scripture tells us something different. Sin is singular and always against God. "Against you, you only [O Lord], have I sinned." (Psalm 51:4) My sin lies in my separation. In my thoughts, words, actions and omissions it is certainly manifested; but I am sinful because I am separated and have not chosen to do what is necessary to overcome that separation. If I abandon the list and use the Lord himself as my measure, I fearfully realize how far I am from my God. This is where discovering and acknowledging the truth of my existence shows it's power. The perusal of a list will not and cannot reveal the truth. At best it may direct us to seek the truth. Knowing the Lord, however, brings a powerful, collateral revelation. We are given an awareness of how great is the chasm of our separation. Personally knowing God in his justice, mercy, love, compassion, holiness and perfection reveals how great is our separation from our God. That's why the Father sent his Son---not just to disclose the degree of separation but to bridge that immense gap that lies between. Jesus sought to arouse an awareness in this regard when he said: "Be compassionate as your Heavenly Father is compassionate." "Be merciful even as your Heavenly Father is merciful." " Be Holy as your Heavenly Father is Holy." "Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect." 

The Lord alone is our true measure for spiritual growth, not some monastically inspired list. By the list I measure me and my failures, as if perfect observance of the prescriptions on the list will destroy my sinfulness.  It won't because it can't. Knowing God, on the other hand, necessitates that I acknowledge my separation from him, my true and persistent sinfulness. His very holiness spotlights my lack of holiness.  His perfection accentuates my lack of perfection. His compassion and mercy illuminate my failures in compassion and mercy. It is not easy to face the facts; and one of those facts is that we are directed by Jesus and inspired by his Spirit to be merciful, compassionate holy and perfect. It will not be by the light of a list but by the true light of Our Lord that our sin is made known. That's why we take time during the season of Lent to discover and acknowledge the truth of our existence.