Sin always remains a mystery, and the Church also admits that we cannot fully understand the transmission of original sin.[1] But one thing for sure is that we are now able to approach the Holy One because He came down to us first through the life of Jesus, bestowing us the power of the Holy Spirit to resist sinful temptation and bear fruit in the path of holiness.[2] The reality of sin and grace is very complicated, but what Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well could always open our minds to a new perspective: If you knew the gift of God (Jn 4:10). This reflection does not aim to give a theological answer to the “question of sin” nor systematically portray how grace works in our daily life; instead, it attempts to put them together in the relationship with our Lord, especially under the light of the Paschal Mystery as we are celebrating this event of great love and victory.
To have a basic understanding of sin, we need to look at the “first sin” narrated in the book of Genesis (Gen 3:1-24), which would probably explain better the reality and process of every person rather than the downfall of Adam and Eve. Tempted by the devil, Adam and Eve abused their freedom and disobeyed God’s command; thus, they committed the first sin of the human race. It is noteworthy that the sin committed by man was out of freedom. God and man trusted each other in their intimate relationship as God appointed man to take care of everything on the earth and gave them a choice to say “yes” and “no.” Men totally depended on God’s love instead of the words of others and pride in themselves. It was evident that God did not act like a policeman because He told them what to do and had great confidence in them. For instance, God did not tell Adam and Eve what animal would attempt them or at what time the attempter would come. Human enjoyed their freedom and had to face the consequence of their choices. It was really hard to trace one origin of sin because human desires in themselves were neutral. Yet, the root of evil is the dark misuse of the created gift of freedom, the unraveling of what God had made.
The arrival of Christ did not destroy the reality of sin, at least not in the sense of removal, because we are still waiting for the “fulfillment of the kingdom” in which everything will be subject to God alone (1 Cor 15:28). Nevertheless, the grace of Christ has broken the bondage of sin and slavery of death, providing us the direction to the communion with God (Jn 14:6). All the Gospels were written according to the reflective faith of the authors and their communities, explaining and making sense of the events of Christ. The disciples, it the beginning, were amazed by what the women saw and spoke of (Lk 24:22) because they did not understand and never expected that someone would be “resurrected.” The resurrection of Jesus, disturbing at the first sight, has indeed become our Christian hope, indicating that sin does not have the last word, so its consequence, the death of human existence.
The grace of God is so powerful because it could transform sin into salvation and death into life. We usually think that Jesus’ life and mission were to restore the dignity of humanity and bring us “back” to the glorious time of Eden Garden as if God was repairing a mistake of his own. Not so! God created everything good, and he continues to maintain the goodness in creation even when it has been wounded by sin. Another approach to the reality of sin is that God allowed “Adam and Eve” and each of us to freely choose to love and depend on Him; consequently, sin, rejection of God, becomes a part of our practice in the process towards “full maturity.” Yes, there is a risk of bestowing freedom to us humans, but only by doing so can we genuinely go to God. If God did not reveal himself to humankind and Jesus did not come, we would be desperately struggling towards eternity without an exact direction. The redemption of the Son did not just restore our dignity and free us from the bondage of sin but also elevated us as God’s adopted children through himself. O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam, which gained for us so great a Redeemer![3]
We have often heard that God is love manifested through Jesus, but this beautiful expression is also very demanding. I love the story of Jesus forgiving the adulterous woman (Jn 8:1-11), for it perfectly expresses the love of Christ. A possible conversion, according to the Biblical narrative, never comes from a systematic plan but an encounter in which one is moved by Jesus; astonishingly, God’s forgiveness comes before her repentance. What the Paschal mystery can tell us, in my perspective, is once again the victory of God’s unconditional and unexpected love. It seems that we manage to obtain salvation by ourselves alone as if it was an achievement of effort. But do we have to please God by doing all kinds of penances and prayers for forgiveness and grace? The experience of Jesus challenges us to believe and accept the way of God, contrary to our daily experience and expectation. God’s grace is freely given and deserves an appropriate reception.
Before the conclusion of this reflection, I want to sum up the points I have discussed. The reality of sin reveals God’s confidence in us and our gift of freedom. Although sin is pitiful because it breaks our relationship with God and people, we continue to struggle as children have to grow through successes and failures. To resist and avoid sin is essential, but the central part of Christian life must be fixed on the love of God, which surpasses our sins and death. Lastly, our calling for conversion, I hope, never comes from a human plan. The Risen Lord manifests that when the kingdom of God broke in, everything changed.[4] What we can do is trust and believe in God’s patient love. Let us believe and follow the lead of Jesus because:
The helpless woman at the well with a water jug,
in his eyes, becomes a messenger of the Gospel.
The woman who broke the bottle of perfume and revealed tears,
in his eyes, is full of love and forgiveness.
Weak-minded Peter, who denied the Lord three times,
in his eyes, is the rock of the holy Church.
The short stature Zacchaeus, despised by everyone,
in his eyes, will become a partaker of salvation.
A tiny mustard seed sown in the field,
in his eyes, will grow into a large tree.
The lilies in the field that do not toil or spin,
in his eyes, show the care of the Father.
A group of ordinary workers,
but in his eyes, they are fishers of men.
People who live a lonely life with severe poverty
but in his eyes, he says it’s himself.
If Lord Jesus lives in you, you will never despair
If Lord Jesus lives in you, you will always live.[5]
[1] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 404.
[2] Pope Francis, Gaudete Et Exsultate, 15.
[3] Exsultet from The Roman Missal.
[4] Fabio Ciardi, Koinonia: spirituality and theology of the growth of religious community, (Claretian Publications, 1999), 25. The book was originally in Italian.
[5] The poem is originally based on a Chinese song named 生活就是耶稣 (life is Jesus), composed by高征财and连监尧.
