If the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed,
if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.
None of the crimes he committed shall be remembered against him;
he shall live because of the virtue he has practiced.
I mentioned to a friend a very funny story that Bill Cosby told on one of his LP records in the 1960's. Those of a certain age will remember his narrative of Noah and the Ark, and the account of his tonsillectomy. My friend did not laugh at the story; he recalled the misdeeds for which the comedian was accused and convicted. In the public mind, and apparently in my friend's opinion, the entertainer's life is irrevocably and forever tainted. Nothing he did of merit or virtue counts in his favor. Not even his humor is funny.
This attitude, so typically American and so alien to our Catholic spirituality, is called Manichaeism. Though that religion disappeared a long time ago, it's fundamental belief -- that good and evil are entirely separate and eternally at war -- remains. Our practice of penance -- especially with the confession of sins and receiving absolution from a priest -- is supposed to inoculate Catholics against that heresy. We are sinners. If we have tried to live sinless lives we have failed. If we expected to live sinless lives we are disappointed.
As I often remind our Veterans, "If you live to be forty years old and haven't screwed up Big Time yet, you ain't even trying." You're certainly pathetically ignorant of the trail of grief you have left behind you!
The good news for the sinner is, "Grace will free you from your sins if you will only accept it." The bad news for the saint: "You are cursed with freedom. You might yet turn away from God's mercy. Nothing you say or do can lock in your salvation."
If I appreciate the blessings of grace and freedom, I am less willing to condemn the wicked, even Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein. They might yet repent and take their place among the saints and angels.
If I appreciate the threat of sin I am less willing to trust any human being who is not God with my salvation. No Great Man is worthy of my absolute confidence. Any priest or bishop may betray my trust; any friend or lover might break my heart.
If I believe in Jesus, it's because I have studied his life, accepted the teachings of the Church about him, and experienced his healing, reassuring, and reviving Spirit in my heart. I believe this man alone is worthy of my absolute trust because he has willingly gone to Jerusalem to be crucified. And because his Father has raised him up in glory.
In today's first reading, the Prophet Ezekiel goes on to say,
Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked?Lent is a joyous season for us as grace reveals our sins to us, and we turn once again to the Lord. I too have joined the chorus of condemnation against the Cosbys and Weinsteins of this world, and the Lord in his mercy has rebuked me.
says the Lord GOD.
Do I not rather rejoice when he turns from his evil way
that he may live?
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.