Your Question: Why does what we consider sin seem to change? What is a sin, and how does it affect where our soul spends eternity?
Many people have experienced the Church’s way of teaching change over their lifetime. One such way is in the way that we are taught about sin. Often the rules change or seem to change! This is because the Church is not an unchanging, lifeless institution. Rather, the Church is a living Body of Christ that both maintains Tradition, and has to live out that Tradition in a changing world. So, there is both constancy and change in the Church. Just as I have been the same person my whole life, I have (hopefully!) changed tremendously throughout my life. But, at my center, I have remained the same.
We first have to recognize that the Church is both sinful and holy. It is holy because the Holy Spirit works in the Church, leading it to all truth, as Christ promised. But the Church is also sinful—because it is made up of sinners! Often, then, the beauty of the teachings of the Church have been distorted by the sin and limitations of its members, and particularly its teachers.
That being said, in the past some people experienced Catholic teaching that put a focus on fear as a motivation for living a good life. Live a good life, or go to Hell, seemed to be the message given to the people in the pews. (This is, of course, a generalization, but there are many people who remember such things!).
This had an impact on how people understood redemption. Some of those who grew up in the fifties and sixties remember a church that emphasized redemption as something that was given if you lived the good life and followed all the rules. To break the rules and not repent through the Sacrament of Confession, meant you went to Hell. What many teachers of the faith seemed to forget, however, was that our life of sin and redemption is not about following a system of rules and avoiding certain traps in order to win eternal life.
Redemption and salvation is first of all about a relationship with Christ—a God who saves us, and is literally dying to know us and purify our lives. This relationship with Christ transforms us, freeing us from sin and bringing us to live lives of self-giving love!
What is sin? Sin is an offense against God, and “an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is a failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as ‘an utterance, deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law’” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1849).
In other words, sin is something that separates us from God, our neighbors, and ourselves. We injure our relationship with God, others, and ourselves when we commit sin.
The particular actions that we consider to be sin are typically gleaned from Scripture and Tradition. Violations of the Ten Commandments, as well as Jesus’ command to love one another as he has loved us, often provide the material for us to discern the ways in which we have injured our relationship with God by doing, saying (or not saying), or thinking certain things.
The sin we commit harms not only our relationship with God and the people whom we’ve sinned against, but it also has an effect on our spiritual life and wellbeing. If we kill someone, it’s going to have an effect on us. When we habitually lie, it becomes harder to tell the truth, and so on. This is what we mean when we talk about being enslaved to sin—we are habitual creatures, and the evil we do grows on us!
Tradition and Scripture have always recognized that there are different kinds of sin, with different seriousness attached to them. The Church recognizes that some sin is more serious because it has a greater impact on our relationship with others, and our own spiritual wellbeing. Grave sin (typically called mortal sin), is more serious because it seriously harms our own wellbeing and our relationships with others. Certain acts are said to always be drastically harmful, no matter who commits them. It is, of course, more serious to murder someone or somehow impair their wellbeing, than to maybe just yell at someone or something. It is not only logical that this would be the case, but also supported in our Tradition of the Church.
So what about the particulars? What actions are considered sin, and why has this sometimes seemed to change? We get our understanding of what sinful actions are from Scripture and the teachings of the Church. You can find what we call an “examination of conscience” based on the Ten Commandments, or the words of Jesus. The point of these exercises is to uncover the places in our lives where we choose ourselves over God.
In some cases, the particulars seem to change. Sometimes it’s because of flawed teaching and teaching that was centered about using fear to get people to do something, and which left out a teaching on the mercy of God, and God’s great power. It’s also because times do change, and the Church reads the signs of the times to help us discern what kinds of behavior best express love for God and neighbor. Yes, there are some things such as murder, theft, adultery, fornication and the like that have always and will always be considered sin.
There are other things, however, that have to do with how we worship and live out our faith that change a bit more with the times. For example, the rules for fasting were different in the early church—no meat at all during Lent, and no dairy products either in some regions. To intentionally and consciously not obey the rules of fast is a sin because the Church has determined that in that time, observing those practices is the way we should all make sacrifices to God together. The times change, however, and now the rules are apparently much more relaxed. We have to keep in mind, however, that these rules are not mindless expressions of control over us. Rather, they are part of the guidance of the Church to give us concrete actions we can do out of obedience, to all come closer to the Lord as a whole community together. One of the Church documents from the Second Vatican Council puts it this way, “At all times and in every nation, anyone who fears God and does what is right has been acceptable to him (see Acts 10:35). He has, however, willed to make women and men holy and to save them, not as individuals without any bond between them, but rather to make them into a people who might acknowledge him and serve him in holiness.” Part of becoming a people who is gathered to God not simply as individuals, but as a whole church community, means that we do things together. Christ promised that his Spirit would continue to be with the Church throughout the ages, and that the primary mission of the Church was to go forth and make disciples of all nations (See Matthew 28:19-20). The Church teaches what it does in order to gather us all to Christ, not simply as independent units, but as a whole people. So, this means that we have certain standards the Church sets out so that we can, in fact, be together! When we freely choose to intentionally not observe something like a fasting or abstinence rule (assuming that we aren’t sick or advanced in years or under some circumstance where we would cause disunity and scandal by doing so), we are removing ourselves from the community. We set ourselves apart. In short, we sin.
Does this mean we go to Hell? I don‘t know! We really just have to recognize our fault and ask God for His bountiful mercy! Of course we do things to hurt our relationships. Of course we turn away from God. But that doesn’t have to be the end of the story. When we turn back to God, seeking his mercy, we are strengthened by God’s power. Our human relationships are made much stronger when we seek forgiveness from one another—sometimes we even see our worst enemies become the most devoted friends and loves of our lives. So it is with God. He strengthens us even through our sin and redeems us. As we go to Him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, for example, we receive strength to walk more closely with God and not turn away. Redemption means not only that we don’t have to be condemned, but also that we become holier people in this life! It becomes easier for us to know and do good, and we are actually less tempted to do sinful things. Have you ever known someone who quit smoking and then later said that he or she can’t stand the smell of cigarette smoke? Our spiritual lives can be the same. Oftentimes the vices that were so attractive at one time become repulsive to us.
So, what about eternity? There is a difference between what we consider sin, and the judgment we receive for it. We have to remember that we don’t know all the ways of God. God can do so much more than we can imagine. Additionally, each person is a mystery in some way, and we cannot claim to know exactly who has chosen to turn away from God and refuse to repent and send himself to Hell. Ever notice that the Church will never say who is in Hell for sure? Ultimately, God knows the depths of our hearts. We are indeed all finite and flawed. But God knows our efforts and love for him.
Additionally, the Church says that we can’t be held completely responsible for the wrong we do that we don’t recognize as wrong. You can’t accidentally commit grave sin. This doesn’t mean, however, that we can just live in ignorant bliss! The point of our Christian lives is to know God and to know the truth, and truth sets us free. So, we should seek to know God and love Him, and spend eternity with Him. Unintentional ignorance is, well, not really something we can be held responsible for! The government doesn’t expect children to be able to responsible for their own wellbeing, right? Likewise, God recognizes when we are children. However, to intentionally not learn the truth is something we can be held responsible for. Intentionally staying ignorant is like shooting ourselves in the foot. We are simply choosing to live in the darkness.
So, let us all ask God to bring us into the light! We hear Jesus say, “Be not afraid!”. God mercy is so much more than we can imagine, and he longs for us to come to him. The truth about God and about ourselves will truly set us free.
For more on this topic:
See the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1846-1876. You can view it online at http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p3s1c1a8.htm
An Example of an Examination of Conscience:
http://www.stthomasirondequoit.com/id272.htm
We first have to recognize that the Church is both sinful and holy. It is holy because the Holy Spirit works in the Church, leading it to all truth, as Christ promised. But the Church is also sinful—because it is made up of sinners! Often, then, the beauty of the teachings of the Church have been distorted by the sin and limitations of its members, and particularly its teachers.
That being said, in the past some people experienced Catholic teaching that put a focus on fear as a motivation for living a good life. Live a good life, or go to Hell, seemed to be the message given to the people in the pews. (This is, of course, a generalization, but there are many people who remember such things!).
This had an impact on how people understood redemption. Some of those who grew up in the fifties and sixties remember a church that emphasized redemption as something that was given if you lived the good life and followed all the rules. To break the rules and not repent through the Sacrament of Confession, meant you went to Hell. What many teachers of the faith seemed to forget, however, was that our life of sin and redemption is not about following a system of rules and avoiding certain traps in order to win eternal life.
Redemption and salvation is first of all about a relationship with Christ—a God who saves us, and is literally dying to know us and purify our lives. This relationship with Christ transforms us, freeing us from sin and bringing us to live lives of self-giving love!
What is sin? Sin is an offense against God, and “an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is a failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as ‘an utterance, deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law’” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1849).
In other words, sin is something that separates us from God, our neighbors, and ourselves. We injure our relationship with God, others, and ourselves when we commit sin.
The particular actions that we consider to be sin are typically gleaned from Scripture and Tradition. Violations of the Ten Commandments, as well as Jesus’ command to love one another as he has loved us, often provide the material for us to discern the ways in which we have injured our relationship with God by doing, saying (or not saying), or thinking certain things.
The sin we commit harms not only our relationship with God and the people whom we’ve sinned against, but it also has an effect on our spiritual life and wellbeing. If we kill someone, it’s going to have an effect on us. When we habitually lie, it becomes harder to tell the truth, and so on. This is what we mean when we talk about being enslaved to sin—we are habitual creatures, and the evil we do grows on us!
Tradition and Scripture have always recognized that there are different kinds of sin, with different seriousness attached to them. The Church recognizes that some sin is more serious because it has a greater impact on our relationship with others, and our own spiritual wellbeing. Grave sin (typically called mortal sin), is more serious because it seriously harms our own wellbeing and our relationships with others. Certain acts are said to always be drastically harmful, no matter who commits them. It is, of course, more serious to murder someone or somehow impair their wellbeing, than to maybe just yell at someone or something. It is not only logical that this would be the case, but also supported in our Tradition of the Church.
So what about the particulars? What actions are considered sin, and why has this sometimes seemed to change? We get our understanding of what sinful actions are from Scripture and the teachings of the Church. You can find what we call an “examination of conscience” based on the Ten Commandments, or the words of Jesus. The point of these exercises is to uncover the places in our lives where we choose ourselves over God.
In some cases, the particulars seem to change. Sometimes it’s because of flawed teaching and teaching that was centered about using fear to get people to do something, and which left out a teaching on the mercy of God, and God’s great power. It’s also because times do change, and the Church reads the signs of the times to help us discern what kinds of behavior best express love for God and neighbor. Yes, there are some things such as murder, theft, adultery, fornication and the like that have always and will always be considered sin.
There are other things, however, that have to do with how we worship and live out our faith that change a bit more with the times. For example, the rules for fasting were different in the early church—no meat at all during Lent, and no dairy products either in some regions. To intentionally and consciously not obey the rules of fast is a sin because the Church has determined that in that time, observing those practices is the way we should all make sacrifices to God together. The times change, however, and now the rules are apparently much more relaxed. We have to keep in mind, however, that these rules are not mindless expressions of control over us. Rather, they are part of the guidance of the Church to give us concrete actions we can do out of obedience, to all come closer to the Lord as a whole community together. One of the Church documents from the Second Vatican Council puts it this way, “At all times and in every nation, anyone who fears God and does what is right has been acceptable to him (see Acts 10:35). He has, however, willed to make women and men holy and to save them, not as individuals without any bond between them, but rather to make them into a people who might acknowledge him and serve him in holiness.” Part of becoming a people who is gathered to God not simply as individuals, but as a whole church community, means that we do things together. Christ promised that his Spirit would continue to be with the Church throughout the ages, and that the primary mission of the Church was to go forth and make disciples of all nations (See Matthew 28:19-20). The Church teaches what it does in order to gather us all to Christ, not simply as independent units, but as a whole people. So, this means that we have certain standards the Church sets out so that we can, in fact, be together! When we freely choose to intentionally not observe something like a fasting or abstinence rule (assuming that we aren’t sick or advanced in years or under some circumstance where we would cause disunity and scandal by doing so), we are removing ourselves from the community. We set ourselves apart. In short, we sin.
Does this mean we go to Hell? I don‘t know! We really just have to recognize our fault and ask God for His bountiful mercy! Of course we do things to hurt our relationships. Of course we turn away from God. But that doesn’t have to be the end of the story. When we turn back to God, seeking his mercy, we are strengthened by God’s power. Our human relationships are made much stronger when we seek forgiveness from one another—sometimes we even see our worst enemies become the most devoted friends and loves of our lives. So it is with God. He strengthens us even through our sin and redeems us. As we go to Him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, for example, we receive strength to walk more closely with God and not turn away. Redemption means not only that we don’t have to be condemned, but also that we become holier people in this life! It becomes easier for us to know and do good, and we are actually less tempted to do sinful things. Have you ever known someone who quit smoking and then later said that he or she can’t stand the smell of cigarette smoke? Our spiritual lives can be the same. Oftentimes the vices that were so attractive at one time become repulsive to us.
So, what about eternity? There is a difference between what we consider sin, and the judgment we receive for it. We have to remember that we don’t know all the ways of God. God can do so much more than we can imagine. Additionally, each person is a mystery in some way, and we cannot claim to know exactly who has chosen to turn away from God and refuse to repent and send himself to Hell. Ever notice that the Church will never say who is in Hell for sure? Ultimately, God knows the depths of our hearts. We are indeed all finite and flawed. But God knows our efforts and love for him.
Additionally, the Church says that we can’t be held completely responsible for the wrong we do that we don’t recognize as wrong. You can’t accidentally commit grave sin. This doesn’t mean, however, that we can just live in ignorant bliss! The point of our Christian lives is to know God and to know the truth, and truth sets us free. So, we should seek to know God and love Him, and spend eternity with Him. Unintentional ignorance is, well, not really something we can be held responsible for! The government doesn’t expect children to be able to responsible for their own wellbeing, right? Likewise, God recognizes when we are children. However, to intentionally not learn the truth is something we can be held responsible for. Intentionally staying ignorant is like shooting ourselves in the foot. We are simply choosing to live in the darkness.
So, let us all ask God to bring us into the light! We hear Jesus say, “Be not afraid!”. God mercy is so much more than we can imagine, and he longs for us to come to him. The truth about God and about ourselves will truly set us free.
For more on this topic:
See the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1846-1876. You can view it online at http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p3s1c1a8.htm
An Example of an Examination of Conscience:
http://www.stthomasirondequoit.com/id272.htm
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