Every Sin has its Consequences.

Homily for Saturday 16^th February 2019

_“I heard the sound of thee in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself… Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” *(Genesis 3:10-11)*_ 

A sin is a deliberate act of the will whether by omission or commission in thoughts, words or deeds that outrightly contravenes the laws of God. Sin is an offence against God because it is always a rebellion against God and his laws.

Sin is also an offence against the self because it prevents us from enjoying the fullness of life God ordained for us from the very beginning. Furthermore, sin is an offence against society, against the community and the environment in which we live because every evil act done by us has multiple effects.

Adam and Eve could no longer live in the Garden of Eden because they sinned or to put it more simply, by virtue of their sin, the beautiful Garden of Eden became corrupt and all its perfection suddenly vanished. Adam would now have to work and sweat hard to provide food and Eve would have to bear pains especially during childbirth.

The message for us today is that sin has its consequences. Think twice before you sin. Think twice before you give in to temptation. What you hope to gain from sin is nothing compared to what you lose. The forbidden fruit was a delight to eyes, but as we can see, it is not all that glitters that is gold.

The pain of avoiding sin is real but the pain of guilt is greater. Before sin, satan makes us think we are lacking something, he makes us believe we would not find satisfaction unless we sin but the moment we give in to sin, we soon realise that satan is a liar; that we were even in a better position than we were earlier on.

When God said that by eating of the tree, Adam and Eve would die, God meant it. The only reward for sin is death. Each time we sin, something dies inside of us. This is the simple reason why Adam felt ashamed and hid when he heard the voice of God, something had died in Adam; he now preferred darkness to light.

Sin pulls us away from God, it dampens our desire to be with God and makes us love darkness. Satan is happy when we sin because he knows the more we sin, the more we keep ourselves away from God and by creating such a distance from God, we become weaker and weaker in our resistance to further sin. It is a vicious cycle.

Hunger and suffering in our world today is a direct consequence of sin at the beginning. Nonetheless, in Jesus Christ, we come to realize that all hope is not yet lost. People came to spend time with Jesus and he could see they were hungry physically and he decided to feed them miraculously with just seven loaves and few fishes. Through the act of sharing, over four thousand able-bodied men not counting women and children were fed.

There is more joy in serving God with a clean heart than in compromising his decrees and commandments. Charity is a magical act, it not only multiplies the little you have, but it also covers a multitude of sin.

Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, I believe in you, heal me of my sickness be it physical or spiritual. Amen.

Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Saturday of the 5^th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Genesis 3:9-24, Psalm 90, and Mark 8:1-10).