2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time [A]

 


SECOND SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [A] 


It’s very clear: John wants us to “BEHOLD” the Lamb of God (JN 1:29). Why should you pay any attention to this Jesus, who has been identified as the Lamb of God? Why is he so special? St. John explains that Jesus is the one who will establish a sacramental form of baptism. And furthermore, Jesus is the one who “takes away” the sins of the world. If your sins are incriminating you, take heart; the Lamb will make them disappear. This refers to the sins you have already committed, and it also refers to the sins you may end up committing in the future. As often as you go to Jesus, your sins will be absolved.


Should we assume, then, that sin is really not “a big deal?”  If it happens, it happens? You can always start over with a clean slate simply by visiting the confessional? And yet, you’ll find that sins are a “big deal” in the Bible. You will be able to see this in passage after passage (Rom. 6:23, for example).  The expectation is that you will do your best to avoid the path of sin. This needs to be your Plan “A.”  Plan “A” should be the path of righteousness. If you stumble onto the path of sin, that’s when you pursue the gift of absolution—or rather, you pursue Plan “B.”  When Plan “B” becomes your Plan “A,” consequences will be sure to follow. 


By way of illustration, a farmer wants to impress a lesson upon his son. The son has made a number of mistakes while performing his assigned tasks. Each time, the son insists that he is sorry. For his part, the father is more than ready to forgive his son. However, each mistake adds up to a nail being driven into a fencepost. When forgiveness is sought, the farmer pulls out the corresponding nail. Now, the nail is gone. Nevertheless, we have a hole where we did not previously have a hole. The farmer directs the boy’s attention to the hole, much in the same way that John directs our attention to the Lamb. In other words…BEHOLD. 


Even though the blame has been removed, we are still left with a consequence. You can read about this phenomenon in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 1472-1473. The temporal effects of sin remain in place, despite the conferring of absolution. Consider the case of Ray Milland, who played the role of a safe-cracker back in 1958. He has paid his debt to society. He is a reformed man. But he hasn’t forgotten how to crack a safe. He will continue to remember the thrill, the lucrative way of life, and, even more ominously, he will remember the associations. They likewise will remember him. It represents a real disadvantage. He has something imprinted upon his character, similar to the hole created by the farmer’s nail. 


Therefore, when the Corinthians hear that they need to “be holy,” this is Paul’s way of looking out for their best interests (1st Cor. 1:2). A sin, of course, can always be absolved or remitted. At the same time, it’s best not to go there in the first place. Yes, the nail has been pulled out. Still, now there is a hole where we would not otherwise have had a hole. The safe-cracker has not forgotten his trade. The thief remembers having nice things without ever having to pay for them. The liar knows how to get away with lying. Those who indulge will remember how easy it is to yield to, rather than to resist a set of impulses. In each instance, forgiveness is an option. The other side of the coin is that consequences will inevitably follow. Something gets imprinted when we resort to sin. That perhaps explains why the Lord has such a dislike [a hatred for] the practice of sin (Prov. 6:16-19). 

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