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Gospel: Mark 3:22-30
The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus,
“He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and
“By the prince of demons he drives out demons.”
Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,
“How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided,
he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder his house.
Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies
that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin.”
For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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There is only one sin that cannot be forgiven, Jesus says in the Gospel today: blaspheming against the Holy Spirit.
We do not know exactly what that means, which is why Christians have been haunted by this passage. Although the literal meaning is unclear, we can still make an educated guess as to what it means.
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One of the primary roles of the Holy Spirit is to forgive sins. For example, in baptism the Holy Spirit washes away the stain of Original Sin.
We return to that same Spirit throughout our lives, particularly in confession. But if a person deadens their conscience to the point that they no longer know the difference between right and wrong, then they cannot be sorry – and therefore – they cannot repent.
That would be a sin against the Holy Spirit – feeling you aren’t in need of God’s forgiveness.
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Consider it another way.
If you live in darkness long enough, then you lose the ability to see.
If you remain in bed long enough, then you lose the ability to walk.
If you stop speaking a particular language, then you lose your vocabulary.
And if you stop recognizing the difference between right and wrong, then you lose the ability to repent.
That’s the sin against the Holy Spirit.
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In what ways am I in need of God’s forgiveness?
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“Ask and you shall receive,” Jesus says. “Seek and you will find.”
May all who are in need of God’s forgiveness seek it out, because the only thing that cannot be forgiven is a soul unwilling to repent.
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Image credits: (1) Pin on Bible Truth, Pinterest (2) Christianity.com (3) Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Conroe, TX