The Ulitmate Evil

Sometimes we take for granted words and concepts we've known and grown accustomed to.

We hear the words, but they no longer have meaning for us.

One such word for me is "sin."

Blessed John Henry Newman set me straight, though. I found his thoughts on sin in a meditation in the prayer publication Magnificat and was jolted back to reality.

The saint noted all the evils he saw in the world: war, famine, sickness, death. They bring about immense, indescribable suffering, yet they are nothing compared with sin, he said. They are mere fruits of sin, he wrote, effects of sin, "shadows of it, but nothing more."

Sin itself is far worse. "All these dreadful pains of body and soul are the fruits of sin, but they are nothing to its punishment in the world to come," the saint wrote. "The keenest and fiercest of bodily pains is nothing to the fire of hell; the most dire horror or anxiety is nothing to the never-dying worm of conscience; the greatest bereavement, loss of substance, desertion of friends, and forlorn desolation is nothing compared to the loss of God's countenance. Eternal punishment is the only true measure of the guilt of sin."

The famous preacher helped me realize the horror that Jesus saved us from, perhaps why He had to suffer so much on our behalf and why we should hate sin and be moved to tears by it.

Sin is real, the ultimate evil. But another Magnificat reading reminded me of our victory over sin in Christ. God "is more powerful even than that most terrifying of enemies, death, which prowls the world seeking to devour all the living. Life, not death, has the last word."

We have an opportunity to receive God's life-giving forgiveness and grace tonight at a 7 p.m. reconciliation service, part of the parish's mission week.

Let's pray with Blessed John Henry Newman, asking God to teach us what sin is. "And, not only teach me about it, but in Your mercy and by Your grace, remove it."

Inspired by the Year of Faith, Susan Szalewski began writing weekly columns for us. Although that year is over, we liked them so well that we asked her to keep writing. Thankfully, she said yes. So watch for these on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.