REFLECTIONS ON THE WORD – 01/24/22 (Feast of St. Francis of Sales)

Mark 3:22,28-29

22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Be-el'zebul, and by the prince of demons He casts out the demons." 

28 "Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"

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Blessed Feast Day of St. Francis of Sales! What is the unforgivable sin? Some people are wondering about this question and in order to address this, we need to reflect on the gospel reading for today. The scribes were really angry with the Lord because they did not like how Jesus always corrected them in His preaching. As such, they claimed that Jesus was possessed. They also proclaimed that He was using the power of evil spirits to cast evil spirits. This is an accusation that doesn't make sense. Rather than seeing the mercy of Christ that only He can deliver them from the evil spirits as seen in His exorcism, they made false accusations about Him. Jesus immediately told them of the lies behind their statements, and He spoke about their offense. He said that some people who sinned would be forgiven, but those who blasphemed against the Holy Spirit were guilty of the unforgivable sin. The people who will not be forgiven are those who never seek the mercy of God through repentance, even at the last moment of their lives. 

God's mercy is infinite. Because of His love for us, even if we always commit sin, He offers this as a gift. However, our Lord cannot force us to accept His Mercy. As such, if some people remain in the state of grave sin and reject the mercy of God even at the last moment of their lives, their sins cannot be forgiven, and they cannot enter heaven. It's because they rejected the Merciful Love of the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, some people are using the name of God in vain and worse, others insult and curse Him, even if God has always been gracious to them. At the same time, we can commit grave sins due to pride, anger, lust, and many more. All of these sins deeply pierce the Sacred Heart of Christ. But, it is important to know that the warning of Christ is an act of mercy. Even though we offend Him, He is always waiting for us to accept His ocean of mercy through the sacrament of confession. 

We are created to glorify God in our words and deeds. Jesus gives us all the time we have to repent from our sins, and if we know we are in the state of grave sin, let's seek the sacrament of confession. He will wash away all of our sins if we humbly come to Him in this sacrament and turn away from our sins. And, if we know some people who live in sin, let us always pray for them. Our prayers please our God, and it will benefit them to be more open to the workings of the Holy Spirit. 

Amen +

 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic