The scripture readings this week, the 12th Week in Ordinary Time, are challenging. They confront an immediate and ever-present danger: sin. Each reading highlights that we are surrounded by sin, or sinful people, and that our human tendency is to yield to temptation. That human weakness is a direct result of the Original Sin which we all inherit from Adam and Eve, theologically known as “concupiscence.” This is an age-old problem; Saint Paul wrote (Romans 7:14), “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate."
As Christian men and woman, we do want to do good; however, when temptation wins, we often do what we wish we could resist. There are many reasons for this human weakness: misguided standards of success; peer pressure; political correctness; jealousy, etc. While the Sacrament of Baptism removes original sin from our souls, it does not fully heal the wound left by that sin, so the inclination remains throughout our lives. So, what are we to do, give up? Give in? Let the Evil One win? Of course not; we fight back!
I have shared with many of you in the Sacrament of Reconciliation my idea of the “Theology of Replacement,” where I explain that especially when a sin becomes a habit, we must do something to break that habit … to replace the broken action with a positive action. Our Church has taught about “capital vices” since they were originally written about by Pope Gregory the Great; they are not sins by themselves, but when we yield to the desires. What is important to know is that for each of these vices we find a corresponding virtue which combats the vice. In our Gospel this week, Jesus confronts sin in a positive voice; He tells us that in the face of evil and danger, if we remain faithful, God is with us, and God will always, always prevail.
Take time this week to consider this list; pride, listed first among the vices, I believe is the root of all sin. It is, in fact, the original sin of Adam. Consider your own particular weaknesses … examine your conscience, and ask, what habits that are positive might I choose to replace the old habits which I wish I could hide. The positive virtues are already gifts of God, given to each of us. We have only to open them up, and celebrate that our God is an awesome God, a loving Gift-Giver. Let’s place humility, chastity, patience and all virtues before our eyes each day, to be the best disciples Jesus believes we can be!
