Wisdom 2:12, 17-20. Psalm 54:3-4,6,8. James 3:16-4:3. Mark 9:30-37.
“Am I a bad person” Nike Olympic commercial, 2024.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is our best defense against the wickedness within us and the wickedness of the world.
Wickedness comes upon us and from us in seductive and cunning ways. Wisdom and the virtue of confession redeem us and fights for us. The sacrament of confession is one of the ways that God takes care of us in the face of attacks by the wicked. The Sacrament of reconciliation keeps us from being a bad person.
1. In the Old Testament:
Wickedness is to freely and willfully disregard justice, righteousness, truth, honor and virtue. It is evil in thought and life. Depravity, sinfulness, criminality are the poisoned fruit of wickedness. Pride and vanity often lead to wickedness.
In the New Testament
Jesus said: "From within people from their hearts, evil thoughts proceed .... wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, murder, blasphemy, arrogance, stupidity, malice, greed, envy, fraud, unchastity, greed, rivalry, and envy .... all these evil things proceed from within, and make of one, a bad person" (Mark 7:21-23)
This election cycle more than others, has revealed the wickedness of our politics. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is our best defense against the wickedness within us and the wickedness within the Systems of the World.
“Wickedness” is opposed to “righteousness”. The basic work of “wickedness” or “evil” is to corrupt what is good; to make what is beautiful, pornographic; what is the True, a lie and to dis- connect from life, love, hope and faith, those who by the crucifixion of Jesus, are connected.
The wicked oppose God, oppose Jesus the Messiah, and oppose the Gospel of Jesus. The Gospel of Jesus gives us the sacrament of Reconciliation, by which we are re-connected to each other, to God and to our God created very good, very beautiful, true selves.
The wicked bully and mock saying, “let us condemn the just person to a shameful death, for according to his own words, God will take care of him.” Jesus the just, was condemned and died a shameful death; and by his death, God takes care of you and me. In the sacrament of reconciliation Jesus rises from the dead and we with him, victorious over all that wickedness could do!
Wisdom from above. During this election cycle, engage with God in the sacrament of reconciliation -pure, peaceable, gentle, full of mercy and spiritual fruit. Cultivate peace and connections. Ask rightly that you may hear, and receive in your hands like a child, Jesus, and the One who sent Him saying, “well done my good and faithful servant, enter into my joy.”
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