The deceptive perks of sin

THE story of Moses receiving complaints from his fellow

Israelites as he led them out of the bondage of Egypt (cfr. Ex

14,5-18) reminds us of the hardness of our heart to resist conversion

and return to God from our state of sin.

            Like those complaining Israelites, we prefer to continue

enjoying the perks of sin rather than go through the pain involved in

our conversion from sin. We can echo the same words of the complaining

Israelites: “Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians. For it would

have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the

wilderness.” (Ex 14,12)

            These perks can only entrap us to greater and irreversible

trouble. Yes, they can give us some convenience, comfort, pleasure,

etc. But in the end, they will only bring us down to hell, to a

complete self-separation from God even if God would still continue to

love us.

            We should be most aware of this usual condition of ours

and do something about it. We have to be wary of the intoxicating and

blinding perks of sin which can only be overcome if, letting the grace

of God to work on us, we humble ourselves to follow what Christ tells

us through the Church now.

            Let us instead always remember what the Letter to the

Hebrews said in this regard: “As the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today, if you

hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion,

during the time of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors

tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did.

            “’That is why I was angry with that generation; I said,

‘Their hearts are always going astray and they have not known my

ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my

rest.’” (3,8-11)

            Let us always remember that only with God can we find our

true joy, peace and rest. But given our wounded condition here on

earth, we have to expect some sacrifices for us to attain that real

joy. Let us not be duped by the many dangerous perks of sin. We need

to realize that we always need to have conversion of heart.

            That we are all sinners and in need of conversion should

come as no surprise to us. We just have to be realistic in handling

this lifetime predicament of ours, making use of all the means that,

thanks to God, have also been made available in abundance.

            There’s confession, for one, and the Holy Eucharist,

spiritual direction, regular examinations of conscience, indulgences,

etc.

            There’s just one interesting thing that, I believe, is

worth bringing up at this point in time. And that is that conversion

should not just be a matter of a moment, but should rather be a stable

state of mind and heart.

            St. John Paul II’s encyclical, “Dives in misericordia”

(Rich in mercy), has some relevant words about this point. “Authentic

knowledge of the God of mercy, the God of tender love,” the saintly

Pope said, “is a constant and inexhaustible source of conversion, not

only as a momentary interior act but also as a permanent attitude, as

a state of mind.”

            He continues: “Those who come to know God in this way, who

‘see’ Him in this way, can live only in a state of being continually

converted to Him. They live, therefore in ‘status conversionis;’ and

it is this state of conversion which marks out the most profound

element of the pilgrimage of every man and woman on earth in ‘status

viatoris.’” (13)

            It would be good to go slowly on these words if only to

feel at home with this wonderful truth of divine mercy as well as our

lifetime need for it. Let’s hope and pray that we can manage to

conform our attitudes and core beliefs along these lines expressed by

St. John Paul.