Memorial of Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Bishop

Lectionary: 476

Saint Anthony Mary Claret

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness.
But what profit did you get then
from the things of which you are now ashamed? 
For the end of those things is death.
But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God,
the benefit that you have leads to sanctification,
and its end is eternal life.

In conversation with Veterans who seek freedom from chemical addictions, I offer a definition of sin. It is not simply "wrong" by a set of rules; rather it is wrong by the agreements of our relationship:

1. It was wrong for our friendship. 
2. I had a choice and I did it anyway.
3. I didn't have to do it -- even if not doing it might have entailed a sacrifice. 
4. I have no excuse and will not offer one.
5. I regret it.
6. I also regret whatever profit I gained by it. 

In today's passage from Romans, Saint Paul demands of his disciples, "...what profit did you get then from the things of which you are now ashamed?" 

Nine times out of ten, when we consider the profits we gained by our sinful choices, we regret them all the more. We might be richer, more comfortable and more secure, but we are not happier. They cost too much. We lost something precious in the transaction.  

To sin is to disconnect oneself from reality. It is to enter an imaginary world where things might be better and should be better, but aren't. As a violation of "our agreement" I have severed myself from "our" friendship and stand alone outside. 

There are four essential relationships: the self to God, the self to others, the self to oneself, and the self to nature. In Genesis 3 we see how Adam's free choice caused him

1. to hide from God, 
2. to blame Eve for what he had done thus alienating her, 
3. to feel ashamed of his nakedness and 
4. to reap only thorns and thistles despite the sweat of his brow. 

An outdoor station of the rosary
at Marytown, Illinois

What profit did he gain by it? Only vague notions of right and wrong. But he will never know right from wrong with any certainty without the guiding light of God's wisdom. 

But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit that you have leads to sanctification, and its end is eternal life.

The benefits are our belonging to God and to one another in our Church, as families, neighbors and fellow Christians. These benefits are priceless by any standard.