DAILY GOSPEL COMMENTARY .
THE SINS AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT (Lk12: 8-12).
THE CALL OF MATTHEW
12:8 Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I tell you, if anyone openly declares himself for me in the presence of men, the Son of Man will declare himself for him in the presence of God’s angels. 12:9 But the man who disowns me in the presence of men will be disowned in the presence of God’s angels. 12:10 ‘Everyone who says a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 12:11 ‘When they take you before synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how to defend yourselves or what to say, 12:12 because when the time comes, the Holy Spirit will teach you what you must say.’
Gospel Commentary from the Navarre Bible, Commentary to the Gospel of St. Luke (with permission)
- 8-9 This follows logically from Christ’s previous teaching: worse than physical evils, worse even than death, are evils of the soul, that is, sin.
- Those who out of fear of temporal suffering deny our Lord and are unfaithful to the demands of the faith will fall into a greater evil still: they will be denied by Christ himself on the Day of Judgment; whereas those who are penalized in this life because of their faithfulness to Christ will receive the eternal reward of being recognized by him and will come to share his glory.
- 10 Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit consists in maliciously attributing to the devil actions which have God as their origin.
- A person who does that prevents God’s pardon from reaching him: this is why he cannot obtain forgiveness (cf. Mt 12:31; Mk 3:28-30).
- Jesus understands and excuses the weakness of a person who makes a moral mistake, but he is not similarly indulgent to someone who shuts his eyes and his heart to the wonderful things the Spirit does;
- that was the way these Pharisees acted who accused Jesus of casting out demons in the name of Beelzebul;
- it is the way unbelieving people act who refuse to see in Christ’s work a sign of the goodness of God, who reject the invitation God offers them and who thereby put themselves outside the reach of Salvation (cf. Heb 6:4-6; 10:26-31). See note on Mk 3:28-30.
The Catechism of St. Pius X lists down the sins against the Holy Spirit:
6 Q: HOW MANY ARE THE SINS AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST?
A: The sins against the Holy Ghost are six:
(1) Despairing of being saved;
(2) Presuming on being saved without merit;
(3) Opposing the known truth;
(4) Envying another’s graces;
(5) Obstinately remaining in sin;
(6) Final impenitence.
7 Q: WHY ARE THESE SINS SPECIALLY SAID TO BE AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST?
A: These sins are specially said to be against the Holy Ghost, because they are committed through pure malice, which is contrary to goodness, the special attribute of the Holy Ghost.
Dear brethren in Christ, yes, we are miserable and sinners. But as long as we are repentant and humbly have recourse to God’s mercy asking for His forgiveness in the Sacrament of Confession, we shall be forgiven and there will be no sin which cannot be pardoned by God. However, if we “blaspheme against the Holy Spirit,” that is, if we remain close within ourselves, shutting our heart, and if we reject God’s pardon, God’s mercy would not be able to reach our soul for we ourselves have obstinately chosen to remain separated from Him.
May we strive to be humble by acknowledging our sins and our indigence, and contritely run towards the Father to receive His loving Mercy.
Fr. Rolly Arjonillo
VIDEO COMMENTARY
TOPIC: Do you let the voice of the Holy Spirit guide you in your thoughts, words and actions?
In today’s gospel (Luke 12:8-12), Jesus continues to prepare His disciples for a future filled with challenges as they preach His love and salvation for the world. As they profess their faith for the conversion of many, persecution and suffering will hound them all their lives. He speaks to them amid a cacophony of deafening voices filled with lies, deceit and hypocrisy.There is only one voice they, and us, needed to follow – that of the Holy Spirit.
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