As priest, in black suit and white collar,
I often get collared by someone with
a question. They spot me at a wedding
or a parish picnic. They approach.
They ask, “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure,” I answer. “What’s on your mind?”
They say, “I have often wondered. Is there
such a thing as an unforgivable sin?”
I have been asked that at least a dozen times.
And believe it or not, I have an answer.”
My answer: “With God no. With us, yes.”
With that, they wrinkle their face
till it’s in the shape of a question mark.
Sometimes I add. “Oh, I know - it’s in
the Bible - that there is such a thing as
an unforgivable sin.”
Sometimes I even add, “Do you want
to know the Bible text? It's Matthew 12:32;
Mark 3: 29; and Luke 12:10.
If I say that much, I add, “Everyone,
Matthew, Mark, Luke, - Martha, Mary
and the woman at the well - along with
Peter and Judas - everyone…. Everyone wonders if
something they said or did
in their life will be forgiven. Good news:
it can be forgiven - 70 times 7 times."
I might continue: "Forgiveness by God,
not the problem. Forgiveness by ourselves
or worries whether others will forgive us -
now that can be a hidden problem."
And I add: "Tell that to the heresy court if I’m
turned in for what seems to be the opposite
of what’s in the scriptures. And don’t forget
to add in my favor: Psalm 130: 8, 'For with
the Lord there is kindness and with him
there is fullness of redemption and he will redeem Israel from all their sins.'”
© Andy Costello, Reflections 2018
Painting, "At Eternity's Gate"
[1890] by Vincent Van Gogh
