“Then the LORD God said to the snake: Because you have done this, cursed are you among all the animals, tame or wild; On your belly you shall crawl, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.” (Genesis 3:14)
The major theme for this 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time focuses on the original sin of disobedience to God that causes so much suffering, pain, evil, destruction, and death in the world and in our lives, and invites us to follow Jesus’ good example, to be united with Him and the Church in God, to obey and fulfill God’s will in our lives to obtain our salvation, the eternal life.
The Church teaches that Sin is an offense against reason, truth, or right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as "an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law of God" (CCC #1849).
Sin is an offense against God's love for us and turns our hearts away from it. Sin is disobedience, a revolt against God through our will to become "like gods." In this proud self-exaltation, sin is diametrically opposed to the obedience of Jesus, which achieves our salvation (CCC #1850).
God does not want us holding a relationship of Transaction but Transformation. Therefore, Dynamic Christian disciples are those who (1) BELIEVE, (2) GROW, (3) SERVE, (4) LOVE and (5) LEAD others to Jesus. Today’s topic invites us to avoid committing any sin against God’s will, to reflect on our vocation of dynamic Christian discipleship to live a pure holy life to fulfill God’s will and obtain our salvation.
How can we reject sin like Jesus Christ did and cooperate with Him in the growth of God’s kingdom and rule in our hearts, fulfilling God’s will in our lives?