Mark 3:28
"All sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin"
Readings for Sunday: Genisis, Second Corinthians, Mark
Reflection:
Many people have wondered what Jesus meant, in the Sunday Gospel reading, when he said: “all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.” God wants our salvation; thus he forgives our sins. The prerequisite for receiving that forgiveness, however, is repentance. Without acknowledging our sins, how can we recognize that we need God’s mercy? Once we have recognized our need, it is then the act of repentance in which we open our hearts to receive that mercy.
If we understand this, then we can understand what Jesus meant. According to Augustine, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the refusal to repent. In refusing to repent, one is not only rejecting God’s mercy, and hence will forever be stuck in sin, but also profaning God’s name by making God out to be a liar. It is effectively asserting that I am right, and God is wrong; it is effectively asserting that what he calls sin, I decide to be good (at least for me).
Reflection Questions
- Where is there still sin in your life? Are you willing to repent, or are you obstinate, justifying yourself?
- Do you engage in an examination of conscience at the end of every day, recognizing your sins in order to ask for God’s mercy and change your life the next day?
- Do you seek the illumination of the Holy Spirit to show you the areas of sin in your life that, perhaps, you do not sufficiently recognize?