Sin against the Holy Spirit

Reflection for the Celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation

Matthew 12: 22-37

Actual photo of Don Bosco hearing Confession from his students 

 

To understand what “sin against the Holy Spirit” is, the unforgiveable sin that Jesus declared, we have to understand the context upon which the statement is made.  Jesus just cast out demons from a man.  According to the theology of the Jewish people, only God has such power and the person who can use that power has to be from God.  Of all the people, the Pharisees and the scribes knew that theology well.  They taught it and they reinforced it.  However, they just could not accept the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was sent by God.  No way!  Not an ordinary poor carpenter of Nazareth, not the one who calls them out on their hypocrisy, not the one who challenges the comfortable lifestyle of the ruling class which they belong.  Out of pride or jealousy, or both, they had to lie.  All people who were present at the scene were amazed and recognized the power of God.  The Pharisees and the scribes had to lie because Jesus did not fit their narratives.  Instead of acknowledging that it was the power of God that Jesus possessed, they claimed it was the power of demons.  They lied to the people they taught, but more seriously, they lied to themselves.

It is right in that context that Jesus made the statement.  We have to understand it more a warning than a done-deal condemnation.  It would be something like this: if you don’t honestly acknowledge your problems, your brokenness, and your sins, first of all, to yourselves, then to the Lord, then to your brothers and sisters, you will not receive the grace of the Holy Spirit, the grace that forgives sins, heals wounds, and redeems sinners.  There is no sin that cannot be forgiven.  Only when we do not acknowledge it as sin can it not be forgiven.  Modern psychology would agree with Jesus as it says, “We are as sick as our secrets.”

Probably we wouldn’t flat out lie that we don’t sin.  But we do rationalize what we did wrong, or we blame someone else or something else for what we did.

I would also say that this is not only true on the personal level, but also on the communal level.  If a family, a community, or a nation continues to lie to self and others, or keeps rationalizing and blaming others for what they have done wrong, that community will continue to suffer from sickness.  There will be no moving forward.  There will be no true freedom and peace.

With that said, however, I invite you to focus more on something else.   Instead of focusing on the unforgiveable-ness, focus more on the power of the Holy Spirit when we celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Christ uses the power of the Holy Spirit to defeat the devils, the same Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sin.  You will hear that in the Absolution that the priest imparts:

“God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of His Son, has reconciled the world to Himself, and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sin.”

Upon receiving this Holy Spirit, we are forgiven, we are healed, we are redeemed and renewed.  That is what’s happening inside, and the people around us will begin to see the outward fruits as the Gospel teaches.  The good fruits will be felt by us first, then by the people close to us.

It is true that we may fall to sins again and again …, that is what we humans do.  But every time we honestly and humbly come to the Lord in this Sacrament, the Holy Spirit is given again and again. 

And the fruits of the Holy Spirit will be the peace and the joy that we feel, the compassion and the patience that others see in us.  We will receive the grace of humility and trust which is the guarantee of our salvation.

 

 

Note: My reflection is based on the commentary on this Gospel passage by Fr. Rolheiser in his classic book, "The Holy Longing."