What is sin? I’m sure you’ll agree, that people really don’t know.The word “sin” is a word of Latin origin that means “without”.” An example would be the English word, sincere,which comes from the Latin word “sin” and the Latin word “cere,” which means “wax.In ancient times, when large pieces of marble that had defects or cracks were quarried and sold,. They would pour melted wax into these defects and cracks to make the marble look perfect. However, if a slab or block of marble was without defect or cracks, it was called “sin cere” or “without wax.”
Anyway, sin means we are without. Without what? A right relation with God. If we look at the first human sin, in the Garden of Eden, we see several things.First of all, the serpent, who is really Satan, tries to confuse Eve. He asks, “Did God say you couldn’t eat of any of the fruit in the garden?” Eve, on the other hand, wasn’t confused. She said, “No. God said we could eat of any of the fruit in the garden, except for the fruit in the middle of the garden. He said if we eat of the fruit in the middle of the garden, we will surely die.” Satan continued, “No! God knows full well that if you eat of the fruit in the middle of the garden you will not die. In fact, you will be like God!” Jesus said that Satan was a liar from the beginning. Some things never change. So, Eve ate of the fruit and gave some to Adam. They sinned.
Now, as far as the fruit was concerned, there wasn’t anything physically wrong with it.It was really nice, tasted good, was pleasing to the eye, etc. Nobody got hurt by them eating of the fruit, right? So, why was this a sin? It was a sin simply because God said, “No!” and they said, “Yes!” And so it is with all sin.We wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t something very pleasurable or desirable. And, it’s something God said, “No!” to (or “Yes!) and we said the opposite.
Why is this distinction important?Because obedience is a necessary part of love.When Jesus explained the two Great Commandments to the Apostles, the first was to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, and strength. He later told the Apostles, “IF you love Me, obey My commandments.” Love and obedience are integral. Love always reaches up to fulfill the desires of the beloved.For example, if a young man is courting a young woman, and she loves chocolates, he gives her chocolates, not peanuts, right? He goes out to meet her needs, rather than dragging her down to meet his.
So, anytime we break a Commandment, we are sinning.But, you should keep something in mind.No one can sin outside of his/her free will. We must chooseto disobey God.Example: I’m working to repair my rifle and, suddenly, it accidentally goes off and kills my neighbor. Did I disobey God? No. I never intended to kill anyone. It wasn’t an act of my will to kill anyone. Different example: My neighbor cut all my flowers and rose buses down with his riding mower because he hates flowers. I get mad, get my gun and put a bullet through his brain. Am I then guilty of sin? You bet! I willingly, and knowingly chose to kill another human being in that case, disobeying God’s commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.” (Actually the Hebrew word for “kill” in this Commandment is closer to the English word for “murder.”)
It is a spiritually good and healthy thing to do an examination of conscience daily, comparing one’s actions (and lack of action) with the Ten Commandments. That way, you know where you stand. If you need to go to Confession, you’ll know it and can make arrangements to do so.
For a good talk on Confession by Fr. Larry Richards, and for other good Catholic talks, go to Alabama Catholic Resources and go to the Church in the World page. This website is a good source of orthodox Catholic teaching on a wide variety of topics.
Author: Steven J. Bergeron, Cradle Catholic, 56 years old.
