Quinquagesima Sunday 3.3.19
Chains of Sin
In Charles Dickens’ story of Scrooge, Mr Marley, a deceased
business partner of Scrooge appears bound down with a long chain. He explains
that all his sins in life meant an extra link to that chain. He warned Scrooge
that he also had a long chain.
The collect of today’s Mass prays that we be loosed from the
chains of our sins. If sin is a chain there are two ways in which it can bind
us.
One is the guilt of sin committed, which must be set straight.
God will forgive one who is sincerely contrite. We can be
sincere in our sorrow even if we commit the same sin more than once. Each time there
has to be some intent to do something about it.
Being forgiven is one thing. There is another chain-like
effect in that sin tends to be habitual, and therefore takes on a binding
quality. Or it can even enslave us.
We can know something to be wrong, but still do it. This is
the intellect. It helps to know the difference between right and wrong, but we
need extra help.
There is also the will, whereby we decide what we are going
to do. The will is harder to control than the intellect.
Sometimes the will is overpowered by temptation. That apple
looks awfully good to eat, the basis of all sin.
The will determines what we want and how much we want it.
Ideally we should want the same things as God does. His will is perfect; and
ours can be made perfect.
This is breaking the chain that our previous sins have
forged for us.
It is hard to break free from habits of sin, but anything is
possible by God's grace.
Sin always involves a deception, a distortion. We can break
free by seeing the real truth and taking the straight road.
Prayer will help. So will Sacraments, good works, voluntary
penance. All these will help to re-train the will. We are then more able to
resist sins when they come into our path – even if we have usually succumbed to
the same temptation before.
This is a glorious freedom to discover, and it could be anyone’s.
The chains have fallen from us; we can walk free.
Ultimately we reach a point where we not only refrain from
sin but we do not even want to commit the sin. The will is perfectly healed. We
now totally agree with God, and His holy will.
And there is one thing still more. If we agree with God and
obey Him, it is not because we have to, as if compelled by force or duty; but
as children of a loving Father we want to obey. If the commandments were
abolished we would still keep them!
It is love which motivates. The epistle speaks of the
perfections of Love, the gift of Charity at work.
We become more patient, forgiving, generous, and the like.
We develop these virtues which replace the vices.
This is how it is in Heaven, and it is also how we get to
Heaven.
We cannot enter Heaven if we are still brooding with sin.
With Lent approaching we are eager to gain any insight that
we can; a combination of clearer knowledge and stronger will.
For those of us who do not commit obvious sins like robbing
banks, what have we to fear? Our sins are more subtle, like resentment,
jealousy, self-pity, unforgiveness.
We really have to work on these chains.
Every sin has its opposite, and that is what we discover. We
are no longer angry with everyone because we are at peace with God.
We are not jealous because we realize we have enough.
We are no longer lustful because we have discovered the
balance of true love.
Believe it can be done; believe it should be done.
The season of Lent is not so popular. But see it in terms of
a captive breaking free, and that suddenly is very appealing.
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