Memorial of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious
“No one who is begotten by God commits sin because God’s seed remains in him.” This sentence in John’s letter should give us pause. If we have been made to be sons and daughters of Christ in baptism, does that not mean we are begotten by God? Yes, we are, but it means we must also face the reality that we do sin. Are we doomed from the start? No. Let me offer one reflection on why.
We are indeed begotten by God in baptism and have the grace of his life, yet, as we all are too well aware, we are still sinners. First, Jesus gives the apostles and their successors the power to forgive sins. He would not have done this if there was an expectation of no sin ever. Second, Jesus regularly forgives grave sinners: adulterers, robbers, murderers, and the like.
Jesus says there is only one unforgivable sin and one classic understanding of that passage is that the only unforgivable sin is a person unwilling to receive forgiveness. If we truly live in our sonship and daughterhood, we never tire of going to God for forgiveness, and he never tires of offering it. We are truly begotten when we seek out peace.
Seek forgiveness and live.
Reflection by Fr. Etienne Huard, OSB
Posted in Articles for Christmas, Daily Reflections