Readings: Genesis 3:9-15; Psalm 130:1-8; 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1; Mark 3:20-35
Grace and peace to you dear friends in Christ. The readings of today give us so much to think about it. In today’s Gospel, we see the reaction to the miracle of exorcism by Jesus. Some people crowded around Him so that He couldn’t eat and His family thought he was besides himself. The religious leaders accused Him of being in partnership with Beelzebul. Jesus used the opportunity to teach us about unity, about the danger of sin against the Holy Spirit and ended with a teaching on spiritual family.
I would like to quickly point out here that reference to the brothers of Jesus doesn’t imply Mary had other children apart from Jesus; they were relatives of Jesus. For instance, Mark 6:3 mentioned names like James and Joses as brothers of Jesus, but in Mark 15:40 and
Matthew 27:56, the Bible mentioned that these were children of another Mary, though related to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Having said that, today, let’s just reflect on the very strong statement of Jesus telling us that sins or blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven in this world or the next.
This statement raises a lot of questions?
A. God is infinitely merciful, why won’t He forgive a particular sin?
B. What is/are the sins against the Holy Spirit?
Is this saying something about God? Is it idolatry, adultery, murder, sacrilege, or disobedience? This is not likely, because the Bible is replete with examples of people of whom God forgave these sins.
This is what the Catechism says about this text.
1864: There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit. Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal
loss.
In this text, Saint John Paul II said: “According to such an exegesis, ‘blasphemy’ does not properly consist in offending against the Holy Spirit in words; it consists rather in the refusal to accept the salvation which God offers to man through the Holy Spirit, working through the
power of the Cross” (Dominum et Vivificantem, Encyclical Letter on the Holy Spirit, no. 46).
The Catechism of the Church identifies these sins as:
I. Presumption: This is to give ourselves false hope and misguided reliance on the mercy of God. It is a vain thought that God is so merciful, He will find a way of saving me, that He will not allow me to perish in my sin and so I have nothing to worry about, I can go on
sinning, I can obtain salvation without conversion (CCC 2092). Check Sirach 5:5-7.
II. Obstinacy in sin or final impenitence: This is when we continue to persist in sin, ignoring God’s call. Like Adam and Eve, God comes to look for us. He calls, “Where are you?” He comes to us to forgive and clothe us again, even in our shame.
When we refuse to repent, and accept His forgiveness, we are obstinate in sin. This can lead to final impenitence, which is to die without repenting of our sinfulness, despite all warnings and opportunities of mercy (Luke 13:3).
This is a sin against the Holy Spirit because it is the Holy Spirit who convicts us of our sins and prompts us to repentance.
This was the sin of the scribes from Jerusalem who, despite all that Christ did to call them to repentance, refused to listen, repent and change. Instead they resorted to slander.
III. Despair: This is to lose hope of being saved and so disregard every means of mercy. This is also the sin of those who believe that they are not redeemable, that they are not forgivable and that they can never live righteously. This was the sin of Judas. No one is beyond redemption, and to lose hope is to downplay the power of Christ’s sacrifice for us.
Other sins include resisting the known truth and envy of the spiritual graces of others, which is a rebellion again divine charity and will.
Dear friends, let us know that the mercy of God covers our past, present and future sins. No matter the weight and gravity, no sin is greater than God’s mercy. The only one who cannot be pardoned is the one who has refused to accept God’s offer of mercy, forgiveness,
and salvation.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on June 9, 2024.