Praise the Lord, Jerusalem. — Psalm 147:12

Mass readings: Deuteronomy 4:1,5-9 / Matthew 5:17-19

Sinfulness and Godliness

One of my evangelical friends takes vociferous issue with my understanding of sin. “Once we are saved,” he insists, “we no longer sin. We retain our sinful natures but we do not sin.” I couldn’t disagree more.

And I firmly believe Christ’s words in today’s Gospel highlight our need for continual self-examination in the light of the commandments. We need not be overly scrupulous. We need not grovel and continually beat our chests. However, we need to evaluate who we are in light of God’s loving image within us. We seek to grow in love of God and others. Given that sin is best described as a lapse of charity, we do well to focus on opportunities to grow in charity. With God’s help we whittle away those elements that impede the divine life within us.

Prayer: God of forgiveness and mercy, help us grow in charity.