Homily

There is an essay by James Patrick who writes that we live in a time and place where almost no one believes in original sin, that human nature is flawed from the very beginning of life, that we live a world of where everyone is a sinner, and of all these I am the first. Now I am not the best sinner, not the most evil person, not first in that way. I am the first of all sinners because when I am looking for someone who does wrong, I should always look at myself first. And if I do not, there is a problem.

Patrick writes that in the Middle Ages and for some time after that, people certainly believed they were sinners and they believed in an actual judgment, where Christ would separate the sheep from the goats, those bound for heaven and those bound for hell. That's why the scene of the Last Judgment is so often found over the doors of Europe's cathedrals and in our own tradition the icon of the Judgment is typically on the back wall of the church so that you are reminded of it when you leave the church. People understood they were sinners, they accepted that as truth. But they also knew they need not be doomed because they had a Savior. That Savior promised pardon to all who sincerely asked, and not only did He pardon but He also provided grace to help the sinner grow in virtue, growing closer to his or her God-given potential.

Things are different today. People do not believe in original sin, but rather, what Patrick calls original innocence. We are all born good, not as people in need of divine assistance. People are born innocent, but evil forces in the world corrupt them, as laws, traditions, customs, and governments do their damage to societies and individuals. Because I am basically a good person the wrongs I see in the world are caused by other people. Governments do bad stuff, rich people and corporations do bad stuff. Pollution, unhealthy food products, the high cost of education and cable tv—these are the evils that innocent people like me have to fight against. Yes, it's true maybe sometimes I may do wrong, but really there is a good explanation for why it happened. I may have been guilty but not that guilty. Look at those people over there!

Patrick writes, “At worst, the evil and pain that impinge upon every life are caused by lack of education; knowledge will set you free, a doctrine that was originally promoted by the serpent in the garden and ever since propagated by Gnostics, Anabaptists, Illuminati, philosophers, rationalists, Horace Mann, The National Education Association, the Humanist Association and its allies, the ACLU, the National Librarians Association, the sex education industry, and National Public Radio.” We just need more education. But how does one explain university graduates in Europe who leave everything behind to join ISIS and become murderous monsters? They just need more education. If only Vladimir Putin would go back to school.

The doctrine of original innocence has people constantly looking to people and institutions out there as responsible for all the ills of the world. And certainly, there are people and institutions out there who do evil. Without a doubt. But if I see my primary solution to troubles in life as trying to find ways to fix all the trouble out there, or at least blaming all the evil on people and things out there, then I am poorly focused. With that viewpoint there is no real need for a Savior, and certainly not one Who can pardon me for my own sins and offer to me forgiveness and grace. If I am not a sinner who regularly seeks pardon from Christ for my own sins, but rather a good person who has little or nothing to confess, then Christianity is optional, because Jesus did not come to save me from my goodness. Jesus might be helpful sometimes but He's not absolutely necessary.

Mr. Patrick writes: “The four last things then are not death, judgment, heaven, or hell, but rather a good obituary, a sufficient estate, successful children, and a happy sendoff to the woozy white terrain of the nice God, in Whom we may have only had a conventional interest, while, in the church below, our associates describe our excellent qualities in ways that would embarrass St. Augustine or St. Thomas.”

Here's another source of embarrassment: looking at our own sins. It's humbling to see our weaknesses, to recognize our failings, to examine our self-centered thoughts and actions, to admit that we have done wrong, not once, but many times and often in the same ways over and over again. It's no wonder people want to ignore this reality and pretend they are all good, in no need of repentance. But it is only when we do face up to reality and ask pardon from Him Who alone is all-good, that we can be forgiven. And that forgiveness leads us to be grateful to Him Who alone has the power to save us. And that gratitude not only elevates my own life, but it also brings the grace of God into this world through my life. The truth about me should always lead me to seek Christ and in my sinfulness call out for His goodness. The goodness He grants to me does indeed make a difference in this world, even without a university degree.

I think the women who went to the tomb went out of their love for Christ. But I do think they also understood they were sinners and they wanted to have contact, one more time, with the greatest good they had ever known. Like them, let us also contact the Lord, not in our innocence, but rather in our repentance, for that is where we find Him so clearly as the One Who can save us. It is there that we also find the greatest goodness that can come into our own lives, for He is the source of everlasting mercy.