Lent and the Consequences of our Actions

Over the last several centuries, there has been a quite legalistic way of viewing sinful human actions, and indeed of understanding God.  This was in tune with the culture of those times.  In the light of the Scriptures and the longer term Catholic Tradition, we need to look at that approach again.

The Scriptures often speak of the ill which human evil actions can bring upon individuals and indeed the whole people.  And such passages can often be interpreted as punishment that God will bring upon the malefactor.  In the early parts of the Scriptures such a perspective is indeed to be found.  But to understand this, we always have to see the Scriptures as in a gradual process of development towards Christ.  We need to see his attitudes as those which are radically important.  And the gospels of Year C which we are using this year have a particular emphasis on sin and forgiveness.  Sunday 3 of Lent was about the people whose “blood Pilate mingled with that of their sacrifices” and about those whom the tower of Siloam fell.  Jesus asks if they were greater sinners than anyone else!  Sunday 4 has the gospel of the Prodigal Son and Sunday 5 that of the Adulterous Woman.

It is the evils which men and women bring upon themselves which is the real issue in speaking of the effects of sin.  This is what has often been called ‘punishment’ and it is indeed punishment.  But that punishment is the result of what people do to themselves, rather than something imposed upon them by God.

God has given us freedom as the father of the younger son in the parable of the Prodigal Son gave that son freedom.  And that son brought destitution on himself.  But the father was hanging over the gate waiting for his return and overwhelmed him with the love he had for him on his return.  The son did have the moment when he saw what he was doing to himself and decided that he would ‘go back to his father’.

By Fr Frank O’Loughlin