Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: June 9 (Fr. Kevin MacDonald, C.Ss.R.)

The Good Word

It is good that we get to clarify today what Jesus means when he speaks about an unforgivable sin, because misunderstanding this passage has caused people to think that their sins are so dark that even God’s forgiveness is beyond them.

In our Gospel, Jesus had just returned home to Capernaum, probably to the house of Peter and Andrew on the banks of the Sea of Galilee. When word spread through the village that Jesus was home, people brought to him all those in need of healing. Mark the Evangelist even states: “The whole town was gathered at the door” (Mk. 1:33).

Jewish scribes were among the crowds. They had arrived from Jerusalem and were commissioned to observe Jesus. Instead of rejoicing in the wondrous display of God’s power and mercy in Jesus, they attacked his healing on the Sabbath as against the Law of Moses and even went so far as to accuse him of being possessed by Beelzebub, the prince of demons. The unforgivable sin that Jesus refers to in the Gospel is a permanent refusal to accept God’s love. It is a lifetime stance, not a punishment for a moment’s unthinking comment or action like the scribes.

The Holy Spirit leads us to love and repentance. If we continually turn away from God’s action in our lives, we are not only distancing ourselves from God’s healing power, but separating ourselves from God’s love. God continually offers this gift to us and we can either accept or refuse. A refusal of God’s invitation to relationship can be reversed at any time. If our rejection becomes permanent, however, we are making our own decision to live a life without God.

Finally, if we are worried that we have committed the unforgivable sin, then we have not committed it. Those who choose to separate themselves from God would not be worried about returning to God’s grace. They have made their stance against God known. We can only commend them to God’s mercy and pray for a conversion experience before they die.

In The Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, Saint Therese tells the story of a murderer, Harry Pranzin, who refused to repent of his crime. Whenever a priest came to his cell, he refused to speak with him. St. Therese, in her contemplative Carmelite convent, prayed for his conversion. She learned that her prayers were answered when she saw a scrap of newspaper that said that as Harry Pranzin was being led to the scaffold on which the guillotine was set, he grabbed the priest’s crucifix who was walking beside him and kissed the wounds of Christ three times. St. Therese knew without a doubt that her prayers had been answered.

Harry Pranzin’s conversion on the day of his death is a lesson for anyone who thinks that their sins are unforgivable. Jesus’ heart is always available. We need only to pray to the Holy Spirit to find it.

Blessings,

Fr. Kevin MacDonald, C.Ss.R.