Sin and Separation

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to examine our attitude to the vices and temptations that may lead us away from acting as disciples of Jesus in service of the “anawim” we encounter on our journey.

The Two Ways

The reading from the Book of Sirach presents some precepts for everyday living.

* [5:1–8] The vices of the rich are pride and independence (vv. 1–2), presumption (v. 3), false security (vv. 4–6), and impenitence (v. 7), which cannot escape the divine wrath (vv. 7–8). Cf. Prv 18:23; 19:1; 28:6. (Sirach, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 1 outlines The Two Ways

* [Psalm 1] A preface to the whole Book of Psalms, contrasting with striking similes the destiny of the good and the wicked. The Psalm views life as activity, as choosing either the good or the bad. Each “way” brings its inevitable consequences. The wise through their good actions will experience rootedness and life, and the wicked, rootlessness and death. (Psalms, PSALM 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Mark instructs on the Temptations to Sin.

* [9:43, 45, 47] Gehenna: see note on Mt 5:22.

* [9:44, 46] These verses, lacking in some important early manuscripts, are here omitted as scribal additions. They simply repeat Mk 9:48 itself a modified citation of Is 66:24.

* [9:49] Everyone will be salted with fire: so the better manuscripts. Some add “every sacrifice will be salted with salt.” The purifying and preservative use of salt in food (Lv 2:13) and the refinement effected through fire refer here to comparable effects in the spiritual life of the disciples of Jesus. (Mark, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB, n.d.)

Joan Blandin Howard comments that along with the cautions and consequences of sin – losing life, Jesus time and time again offers words of loving encouragement.

“Be not afraid”, “I will never abandon you”, “I loved you first”, “you belong to me”. And many others.  “I will be with you through it all.”  Jesus is telling us, I am and always will be at your side – celebrating joys, confronting disease and death, civil and global chaos.

In addition, remember we are temples of the Spirit. Pentecost celebrates this union, this eternal relationship.  We quote Jesus, “I will be with you through it all.”  Dare we add, I will be in you through it all.  I will be with you, I will be in you.  I celebrate with you, I celebrate in you, I weep with you, I weep in you.

Sit with this.
…I am in you through it all. (Howard, 2025)

Don Schwager quotes “Why not skip over such passages,” by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD).

"This is no trivial subject of inquiry that we propose, but rather it concerns things most urgent, and about which many inquire: namely, whether hell fire has any end. For that it has no end Christ indeed declared when he said, 'Their fire shall not be quenched, and their worm shall not die' (Isaiah 66:24). Yes, I know a chill comes over you on hearing these things. But what am I to do? For this is God's own command... Ordained as we have been to the ministry of the word, we must cause our hearers discomfort when it is necessary for them to hear. We do this not arbitrarily but under command." (excerpt from the HOMILIES ON FIRST CORINTHIANS 9.1) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Sirach 5:1-8 comments that the problem with both types of presumption—which the Catechism calls “sins against hope” (2092)— are that they diminish the power of the cross in our lives. If we think we can save ourselves, then we didn’t need Jesus to die for us. And if we presume that he will forgive us even when we willfully sin again and again, then we cheapen the cost of his sacrifice. We take too lightly the depths of his suffering in the shedding of his blood.

The remedy for slipping into such attitudes is to recall the lengths to which God went to save us. Recall that Jesus came to earth and died for you. He came so that you could be reconciled with his Father. He rose from the dead and poured out his Spirit so that you could have all the grace you need to follow him.

Today, gaze at a crucifix and tell the Lord—out loud if possible—how thankful you are that he suffered and died so that you might live. The cost of his sacrifice was so great. May we never take it for granted!

“Lord, help me always remember what you have done for me!” (Meditation on Sirach 5:1-8, 2025)

Friar Jude Winkler notes the warning in Sirach against relying on things without permanence and forgetting the consequences of sin. The wisdom sayings in Mark focus on our responsibility to do good especially in care of the anawim and avoid giving scandal. Friar Jude reminds us that the response of Origen to temptation overlooks the use of Jewish exaggeration in the text from Mark.

James Finley introduces Jesuit scholar Harvey Egan who writes about the Dutch mystic John Ruusbroec. We invite you to use Finley’s instructions to sit with this passage from Ruusbroec’s famous text The Divine Espousals, in which he describes intimate union with God “without difference”.

In this storm of love two spirits struggle—the Spirit of God and our spirit. God, by means of the Holy Spirit, inclines [Godself] toward us, and we are thereby touched in love; our spirit, by means of God’s activity and the amorous power, impels and inclines itself toward God, and thereby God is touched. From these two movements there arises the struggle of love, for in this most profound meeting, in this most intimate and ardent encounter, each spirit is wounded by love. These two spirits, that is, our spirit and God’s Spirit, cast a radiant light upon one another and each reveals to the other its countenance. This makes the two spirits incessantly strive after one another in love. Each demands of the other what it is, and each offers to the other and invites it to accept what it is. This makes these loving spirits lose themselves in one another. God’s touch and his giving of himself, together with our striving in love and our giving of ourselves in return—this is what sets love on a firm foundation. [3] (Finley, n.d.)

We ponder the reality of sin in our environment and seek the guidance of the Spirit to address the damage it does especially to “children” of all ages.

References

Finley, J. (n.d.). John Ruusbroec: The Struggle for Love. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 27, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/ 

Howard, J. B. (2025, February 27). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved February 27, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/022725.html 

Mark, CHAPTER 9 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 27, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/9?41 

Meditation on Sirach 5:1-8. (2025, February 27). The Word Among Us. Retrieved February 27, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/02/27/1215604/ 

Psalms, PSALM 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 27, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/1?1 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). If Your Hand or Eye Causes You to Sin. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 27, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=feb27 

Sirach, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved February 27, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/sirach/5?1 

Example and Forgiveness

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to invoke the Spirit to deepen our commitment to lead by Jesus' example in our Way of life and our willingness to forgive in situations of separation from others.

Gather to Remember

 

In the reading from the Letter to Titus in Crete, he is to appoint elders in every town.

* [1:1–4] On the epistolary form, see note on Rom 1:1–7. The apostolate is the divinely appointed mission to lead others to the true faith and through it to eternal salvation (1–3).

* [1:5–9] This instruction on the selection and appointment of presbyters, substantially identical with that in 1 Tm 3:1–7 on a bishop (see note there), was aimed at strengthening the authority of Titus by apostolic mandate; cf. Ti 2:15. In Ti 1:5, 7 and Acts 20:17, 28, the terms episkopos and presbyteros (“bishop” and “presbyter”) refer to the same persons. Deacons are not mentioned in Titus. See also note on Phil 1:1. (Titus, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 24 is a prayer for entrance into the Temple.

* [Psalm 24] The Psalm apparently accompanied a ceremony of the entry of God (invisibly enthroned upon the ark), followed by the people, into the Temple. The Temple commemorated the creation of the world (Ps 24:1–2). The people had to affirm their fidelity before being admitted into the sanctuary (Ps 24:3–6; cf. Ps 15). A choir identifies the approaching God and invites the very Temple gates to bow down in obeisance (Ps 24:7–10). (Psalms, PSALM 24 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke presents some Sayings of Jesus.

* [17:3] Be on your guard: the translation takes Lk 17:3a as the conclusion to the saying on scandal in Lk 17:1–2. It is not impossible that it should be taken as the beginning of the saying on forgiveness in Lk 17:3b–4. (Luke, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rashmi Fernando, S.J. comments that Jesus doesn’t offer an easy forgiveness; he offers a radical one. He speaks of forgiving not just once, but repeatedly—even if a person wrongs us multiple times in the same day. The instruction to forgive “seven times” signifies completeness and abundance, challenging us to forgive with a limitless heart.

This is not an act of weakness but one of immense strength and compassion. Forgiveness, as Jesus teaches, is not about keeping score or setting limits; it is about freeing ourselves, allowing reconciliation to heal both the forgiver and the forgiven, and creating space for others to grow, change, and even find their way back to us. This openness requires faith—faith in others’ potential to transform and faith in our own ability to welcome them back. (Fernando, 2024)

Don Schwager quotes “To increase faith is to strengthen it by the Holy Spirit,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD)

"They ask, 'Add faith to us.' They do not ask simply for faith, for perhaps you might imagine them to be without faith. They rather ask Christ for an addition to their faith and to be strengthened in faith. Faith partly depends on us and partly is the gift of the divine grace. The beginning of faith depends on us and our maintaining confidence and faith in God with all our power. The confirmation and strength necessary for this comes from the divine grace. For that reason, since all things are possible with God, the Lord says that all things are possible for him who believes (Mark 9:23). The power that comes to us through faith is of God. Knowing this, blessed Paul also says in the first epistle to the Corinthians, 'For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit, and to another faith in the same Spirit' (1 Corinthians 12:8). You see that he has placed faith also in the catalogue of spiritual graces. The disciples requested that they might receive this from the Savior, contributing also what was of themselves. By the descent upon them of the Holy Spirit, he granted it to them after the fulfillment of the dispensation. Before the resurrection, their faith was so feeble that they were liable even to the charge of being 'little of faith'." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILIES 113-16) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 17:1-6 comments that in the Israelite culture of his day, the number seven conveyed a sense of fullness, wholeness, or completion. So Jesus deliberately chose “seven” to convey that sense of completion and wholeness that he wants to bring to our relationships—a wholeness that comes through mercy.

But why seven times? Think about the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Imagine that you have committed the same sin after having confessed it—and that you have done this seven times! Each time you confess, God freely forgives you. But he also heals you a little more. If you keep coming to him, he will keep healing you, even to the point that this sin will have lost the power over you that it once had. That’s what can happen when we forgive time and time again. The Lord takes you and the other person another step closer to the complete (seven times) healing he longs to give you!

So take Jesus at his word and forgive—seven times if necessary! Cultivate a “lifestyle of forgiveness” that is open to the perfect, complete power of God.

“Jesus, teach me how to forgive!” (Meditation on Luke 17:1-6, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in the Pastoral Epistles the ecclesiology is too advanced for Paul’s authorship. There were many variations of the roles of presbyters, elders, bishops, priests, and deacons in the first century. Friar Jude reminds us of the teaching in Luke not to cause scandal by our example, forgive, and expect that faith will have miraculous outcomes.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, describes the pain we cause ourselves when we choose to live from a sense of separateness.

Probably no gospel story says this more clearly and forthrightly than the parable of the vine and the branches (John 15:1–10). Jesus says, “I am the vine, God is the vine grower, and you are the branches.” As long as we remain in that relationship, we are in love and in union. Whenever we do anything unloving, at that moment, we’re out of union. Even if it’s just a negative, angry, or judgmental thought, we’re doing that out of a sense of disunion—always! And Jesus is very clear. He says that state is useless. Once the branch is cut off from the vine, we might as well throw it into the fire because it will not bear any fruit. He’s not making a threat; he’s just talking practically as if he were the vineyard owner. 

That’s a pretty strong statement about us and the choices we make from that unnecessary state of separateness. We have never been separate from God except in our thoughts, but our thoughts don’t make it true! Nor are we separate from anyone else. Whatever separates us from one another—nationality, religion, ethnicity, economics, language—are all just accidentals that will all pass away. We are one in God, with Christ, and with one another. “I am the vine and you are the branches” (John 15:5). If only we could live that way every hour! (Rohr, n.d.)

We ponder the mission we have in accord with our Baptismal anointing as priest, prophet, and leader to to maintain the unity of love that comes from our example and our willingness to forgive.

References

Fernando, R. (2024, November 11). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved November 11, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/111124.html 

Luke, CHAPTER 17 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 11, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/17?1 

Meditation on Luke 17:1-6. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved November 11, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/11/11/1126721/ 

Psalms, PSALM 24 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 11, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/24?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). The Pain of Separateness. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 11, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-pain-of-separateness/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Lord Jesus Increase Our Faith. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 11, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=nov11 

Titus, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 11, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/titus/1?1