Sin Isn’t That Original

My mother is now 94 years old. She moved into the memory care unit of an assisted living facility four months ago, having been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease.  Visits and phone calls require careful concentration to avoid questions as simple as what she had for breakfast that morning. It’s like poking a fresh wound.  “I just don’t remember, honey.  It seems like that’s all I say anymore.” 

That pretty much sums up our collective consciousness in regard to something called sin.  Spiritual dementia.  A global pandemic of spiritual dementia.

Does anyone talk about sin anymore?  I suppose the topic will see the light of day briefly during this Lenten Season.  Catholics are inclined to go to Confession before Easter, but an examination of conscience might seem more like a fishing expedition.  When was my last confession?  Six months ago seems to be swimming around in my head.  And what constitutes a sin again?  A review of the Ten Commandments might get a hit.  I think I’ve been lying to my boss about the hours I’ve been logging.  Okay, I’ve got one!  That’s what I’ll confess.

We’ve simply forgotten that sin is so ubiquitous in our species that the Bible ascribes it to the actions of all human beings not named Jesus or Mary.  “For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3: 22b-23).”  And if you’re looking for a loophole, your search will end with 1 Jn. 1:8: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”  Or stated more bluntly, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him (God) a liar, and his word is not in us (1 Jn. 1:10).”

The Origin

It all started with the first man and woman created by God.  I guess they didn’t like their job descriptions.  A headhunter named Satan lured them away with a position entitled Final Arbiter of All Things. They liked the idea of having the power to determine right from wrong for themselves.  Unfortunately for us, they fell for it hook, line, and sinker.  We refer to it as Original Sin.  Not in the sense of a unique contribution, mind you, like an original screenplay.  Original as in the seminal one.  The one that mortally damaged the harmonious relationship with our Creator.

That original sin has been in the spiritual DNA of every human being ever since.  Like gravity, it continually tugs us to choose our will over God’s will.

Swiss theologian, Hans Urs von Balthasar describes the tug of war in terms of a theatrical play: Ego Drama versus Theo Drama.  Creating our own story based on our ego needs as opposed to the role we’ve been called to fulfill in His-story.  Paul adroitly describes the tension: – “For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want”… “For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self, but I see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind, taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members (Roman 7: 19, 22).”

The Change

When the London Times once allegedly sent out an inquiry to famous authors, asking the question, “What’s wrong with the world today?”, the 20^th century author and journalist G.K. Chesterton responded simply, “Dear Sir, I am.  Yours, G.K. Chesterton.” 

That sums it up for me.  If I want to change the world around me, I need to start with recognizing my own sin.  I got a fresh look at it last month when I listened to a podcast while driving home from a visit with my mom and her memory loss.

It was a talk on the seven capital sins by Robert Barron given exactly six years ago today(March 18) before he became a bishop in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.  Later that week, I revisited it so I could take notes.  It felt like someone opened the blinds in a dark room.  I saw things within me that had gone undetected for a long time.  Especially the sin of pride cloaked in multiple disguises.

If you’re suffering from spiritual dementia, too, I recommend that you Google “Seven Deadly Sins” and watch the video.  You might want to have a notebook ready.