In today's first reading from the prophet Micah, we are warned about the consequences of planning and living out our evil desires. In moral theology we would say this is the framework within which mortal sins are committed. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), a mortal sin is a grave offense against God's law that is committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent.
Therefore, the action must be objectively grave, meaning it violates one of the Ten Commandments or another fundamental moral norm. It must be done with full knowledge, meaning, the person must have complete awareness of the gravity of their actions and its consequences. Finally, the person must choose to commit the act freely and intentionally, with a conscious and deliberate decision.
The Catechism also specifies that a mortal sin can be committed in various ways, such as: Directly, by doing something wrong (e.g., lying, stealing, killing); Omission, by failing to do what is right (e.g., not helping someone in need); Negligence, by not taking reasonable care to prevent harm; Formal cooperation with evil, by participating in or supporting something evil.
As we know, not all sins are mortal. Venial sins are less serious offenses that can still hurt our relationship with God and others, but are not considered mortal because they do not involve a complete rejection of one of God's laws.
In today’s first reading, the prophet tells us that those who covet and seize what belongs to others will be punished, and that their destruction will be complete. The prophet warns, that the Lord is planning to chastise this race for their sins. And whenever we hear that expression in our readings, we must always keep it in context with something else that is said to us about chastisement, namely, that the “Lord chastises those he loves.” So he doesn’t hate people, he loves them, and that love sometimes calls for a punishment of some sort, so as to bring the individual back to their right senses before it’s too late. The same logic follows for the penal application of an excommunication in the Church. When someone is excommunicated, it is not to obliterate them, or cast them out of the Church permanently, but it is meant as a medicinal course of action so as to heal the wound inflicted by the sin committed. A person is made aware of the gravity of the sin, in the hopes that repentance will bring them back to good standing within the Church.
This first reading serves as a powerful reminder that our actions have consequences. When we choose to act with injustice and oppression, we can expect to face the wrath of God, a wrath as of a Father… an Eternal Father who desires the ultimate good for each of us – an eternity with him. It's a warning that should make us stop and think about our own lives and the ways in which we treat others.
In contrast, the Gospel reading from Matthew tells us about Jesus, who was opposed by the Pharisees who plotted against him to put him to death. But Jesus did not respond to their violence with violence. Instead, he withdrew from that place and continued to heal and teach those who followed him. In so doing, he embodies the qualities described in Isaiah's prophecy: he is the chosen and beloved servant in whom the Father finds all his delight.
How we wish to emulate our Lord and be people delightful to God! How we wish that we can be pleasing in his sight, that he can look upon us and smile, and be appeased by our way of conduct. Prayer does this. Faith does this. As Saint Paul once reminded us; “Without faith, it is impossible for a man to please God.” So every time we turn our hearts and minds to him, that is already something that pleases him.
When we take the time and head on over to the Church to spend time with our Lord who resides in all the tabernacles of the world, he blesses us. He heals us. He comforts us. He is there waiting for us always to go spend time with him, as a wonderful foretaste of being with him forever in the hereafter. May our dearest Mother, Mary, continue to intercede for us, so that the Lord will continue to send us his spirit, and that we may always remember that he is with us, and that he loves us. Amen.
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