Word to the Wise
Saturday, October 16, 2021 - Saturday in the 28th Week in Ordinary Time
[Rom 4:13, 16-18 and Luke 12:8-12]"Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven." [Luke]
The "unforgivable sin" is occasionally the subject of a question directed to me. Different "commentaries" offer slightly different interpretations! My own understanding is shaped by the overall context of the Gospel According to Luke. This gospel, along with the Acts of the Apostles, has been informally called the Gospel of the Holy Spirit because it has a strongly post-Pentecostal perspective. The church for which the evangelist Luke wrote was a church that spread from Jerusalem to the end of the Roman Empire. All of this was seen as the work of the Holy Spirit, which the disciples received at Pentecost. The "Son of Man" part of the sentence refers to Jesus in his earthly ministry, but the "Holy Spirit" part refers to the entire Church which is inspired and enabled by the Holy Spirit. This would be a complete and conscious rejection of God's plan of salvation. At the end of time, such persons will be held responsible for their rejection. The Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles were written to encourage Christian missionaries who were experiencing rejection and persecution because of their preaching.
The eternal fate of any person is determined by God but we are warned in this scripture what can happen if we reject the work of the Holy Spirit acting in the church. It may seem harsh in an option-obsessed culture but God has given us the freedom to choose or not to accept the offer of salvation (in whatever way this offer may come in different circumstances). Choices have consequences. If we accept freedom to choose, we must accept the consequences of our choices. The freedom to choose and the offer of salvation are both gifts from God. With both gifts comes responsibility as human beings. AMEN