Readings: Heb. 9:15.24-28; Ps.98; Mark 3:22-30
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.
DOT NOT LET ENVEY, JEALOUSY OR PRIDE LEAD YOU
INTO SIN AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT
One of the gifts of God to us is the gift of
discernment, which enables us to know and distinguish between good and evil
spirit. This gift is very important to the office of every leader. But it is
sad and unacceptable when a leader decided to misused this gift out of
envy, jealousy and ignorance. This is
the attitudes of the scribes in our Gospel passage today.
For we
heard how Jesus had delivered a man possessed by an evil spirit. The spirit had
bound his tongue and made him mute. But when Jesus had cast out the demon from
the man and the man spoke, some scribes who watched this great miracle as it
happeed said that it was through the power of Beelzebul the prince of demons
that he was able to cast the devil out.
This is because they were adamant in their
opposition against Jesus which were propelled by envy and jealousy. That is why
they were unable to look beyond their narrow-mindedness and stubbornness in
insisting that their way was the true way while others like our Lord Jesus were
wrong. But Jesus as usual used the opportunity to correct them by pointing out
the mistakes in their argument. Thus, telling us that it does not make sense
for the demons to be fighting one another and so be divided among themselves.
Because any house that divides within itself can not stand, and as we know the
evil ones are always united in their plans to bring about destruction in human
activities.
So, it is obvious that the scribes know the
truth but were not ready to accept it rather the chose to deny the work of God,
that why Jesus conclude the Gospel by saying that: everyone who says a word
against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but he who blasphemes against the Holy
Spirit will not be forgiven. From this frightening passage, Jesus reveals to us
that sins no matter how grievous can be forgiven, but there is a particular sin
that will not be forgiven. That is, the sin against the Holy Spirit.
But what is this sin against the Holy Spirit?
And why would it not be forgiven? The sin against the Holy Spirit is rooted
from ones outright rejection of God’s grace of salvation offered to us through
the Holy Spirit‘s incessant invitations, and warnings. This happens when the
will of a person is hardened against God’s mercy and goodness. This is so
because, it is the sinner himself who rejected God’s forgiveness. And since God
respects the freedom which He has given us, for he respects a sinner’s decision
to firmly refuse to be forgiven.
Dear friends, do not let pride, envy, jealousy or ignorance lead you into sin
against the Holy Spirit. For we are called today not to be like the scribes who
out of pride and ignorance denied the power of God over spiritual realities and
so sin against the Holy Spirit. Rather we should make proper use of the gift of
discernment which the Lord has given us. We must not let envy, jealousy and
over ambition make us to deny the truth about the spiritual realities we
experience from the Lord. We must not let the devil succeed in sowing the
spirit of division among us.
We should also ask God to endow us with the
spirit of discernment and truth especially this period that we often faced with
the ugly and sad attitude of human deception all over the world. Therefore, let us pay attention to the teaching and correction
of Jesus, for we heard in our first reading that Christ brings a new covenant,
as the mediator, only so that the people who were called to an eternal
inheritance may actually receive what was promised: for his death took place to
cancel the sins that infringed the earlier covenant.
LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we struggle
everyday with the manipulation of the evils ones, give us the grace to overcome
them, may we never be misled by the devil and all of his forces, as they often
attempted to sow divisions and dissensions among us. We ask this through Christ
our Lord. Amen. Wishing you a fruitful week.
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