First, before I get started with this reflection, I would like to say to my wife thank you for putting up with me for 34 years. Today is our anniversary. Now, for full disclosure, I am currently on a motorcycle ride in the pine barrens of the southern part of New Jersey, in the US. My wife, Elise, is back home in Illinois. Yes, I know, not being with my wife on our anniversary is most likely the REAL unforgivable sin I mention in the title. I have no excuse other that to say that my wife is the most wonderful and understanding person I have ever met…..and I am praying constantly while riding that I don’t crash!!
Now, back to the issue at hand…reflecting on today’s readings. Not sure if I have mentioned it here in the past, but in my retirement from veterinary medicine I took a position as the confirmation coordinator at our church. It is really a wonderful opportunity to help prepare 7th and 8th graders to receive the Holy Spirit. Of course, in spite of that, they are still young teenagers and being in Religious Education classes on Monday and Tuesday nights does not rank real high in their list of preferred things to do. So, I need to often find ways to stimulate their thoughts.
With that in mind, a few weeks ago I decided to start the class sessions off with a brief discussion of why we believe in God. I know, not something very simple that could easily be accomplished in 10 minutes. But I was determined to take a stab at it. We talked about how the universe could not have begun from nothing unless an intelligent being outside time and space formed it. We also talked about how an ordered world could not have been formed by random occurrences (even over billions of years).
But, in respect to today’s readings, the third argument was the notion of right and wrong. How all people have a sense of what is morally right and what is morally wrong. It seems to be innate and crosses all cultures. Even if someone chooses to do wrong, they are acting in the face of what they know to be right. And where does that come from? Its presence is often used as a proof for the existence of God. How this concept of right and wrong cannot merely involve biochemical reactions in the brain.
The belief of Theists is that this sense of what is right comes from the whispering of the Holy Spirit into our thoughts. Into our very being. It is the angel on our right shoulder and the devil on our left vying over control of our actions and the very thoughts that drive those actions. Some call it our conscience. And this is in fact the real battle for our society, for our culture and our own personal eternity. It is the inner struggle we all face….do we listen to the pleadings of the Holy Spirit or do we ignore them?
Elise and I volunteer at our church in the engaged couples ministry where we work to get couples talking to each other regarding a variety of topics involving married life. One section involves faith and religion and we try to raise awareness in the couple of the importance of faith in their married and their personal lives. We will frequently focus on is the idea of conscience. Its importance, its relation to the Holy Spirit and how you form it. What we try to impress upon the couple is that it is an active and voluntary process. You must put yourself in situations that foster a positive growth of conscience. Essentially, making yourself available to listen to the influence of the Holy Spirit to fan the presence of that sense of right judgement…becoming a more righteous person…in the fight against evil.
And this is why Jesus says that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the only unforgivable sin (not withstanding a motorcycle trip on your anniversary, that is). Because if you turn away from, and shut out, the voice of the Holy Spirit, the devil wins. If you actively turn your back on the voice of God that is the Spirit…if you know what you should do but choose instead to act in direct violation of God’s precepts…then you are condemned already with no hope of achieving the glory of eternal salvation. Especially if this act of rejection occurs at the end of your life. When you know the end is imminent and you still tell God “No. Not really interested.”
And how does Abraham fit in from today’s first reading from Romans? Remember, Jesus was speaking to the Jewish leaders throughout the Gospels and these leaders let their decisions, and their decisions, hinge on the Law. What was handed down to Moses on Mt. Sinai. They also identify as children of Abraham. The model of faith. The thing is, Abraham lived over 400 years before Moses received the law. This means that Abraham’s faith was not dependent upon the Law or the Ten Commandments. It means that a person can have a relationship with God without having to know the Commandments, the Law or the Torah. They can form that faith through the workings of the Holy Spirit. Through the whisper of God. We just have to make the choice to listen.
Right now the Holy Spirit is telling me to call my wife and wish her a Happy Anniversary. Or is he saying, “you really should not have left her in the first place this weekend”?
So Abraham says to Issac, “Son, we need to upgrade the family computer to Windows 10”. Issac responds, “But Father, we do not have enough memory” to which Abraham replies, “Do not fear my son, God will provide the RAM”.
