To what shall I compare the people of this generation?

17 SEPTEMBER (Lk 7,31-35)

Man’s sin is a powerful filter that prevents the truth to come into his heart, to invade his mind, to direct his will and to determine his history. The more you sin, the more the filter becomes fierce, so fierce as to not let even the smallest glimmer of truth penetrate into the heart. Its place is outside and not inside of a man. A man without truth is condemned to eternal falsehood.

That the heart is in sin the words coming out of its mouth attest to it. Sin is the heart and sin are the words. The spirit is fool and foolish are also the phrases that are made to come out of it. The word always reveals the heart. It reveals us whether truth or darkness reigns in it. If there is Christ with his Word, or vice and transgression with its lie and darkness. Jesus proclaims this truth to the Pharisees with divine clarity. The bad person cannot say good things. The good person cannot say bad things. The word is always the fruit of the heart. Heart and word are one.

“Either declare the tree good and its fruit is good, or declare the tree rotten and its fruit is rotten, for a tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you say good things when you are evil? For from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. A good person brings forth good out of a store of goodness, but an evil person brings forth evil out of a store of evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak. By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Mt 12,33-37).

Sin creates in a man a true spiritual insensibility to truth, love, justice, mercy and compassion. It is useless to cry out that it is right that works of mercy are to be done, that we consecrate ourselves to the truth and that we deliver ourselves to true love. Man is in sin. If we want him to become sensible to charity, truth and every other virtue, it is necessary that first he is freed from sin. Now only one can free us from sin: Christ Jesus But he does not free us through one of his direct interventions, but through the work of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

John the Baptist is a hard and austere man with himself. He practices fasting and corporal penance. He feeds on locusts and wild honey. What does the man of sin say? That he is a possessed man. So austere a man cannot belong to the Lord. For the man of sin his God is open, submissive and always absolves. There is no need for any either spiritual or corporal penance. Every license will be acquitted. Every transgression forgiven. Sin is an essential part of life.

Jesus comes and participates in all to the daily life as it unfolds. He attended the homes of men. He shares with them food and beverages. However, always as a virtuous person and always temperate in all things. What does the man of sin say? That he is a glutton and a drunkard. This person cannot be a man of God. He lacks in austerity, temperance and every other virtue in the use of the things of this world. When on judges from sin, everything is covered in great evil. The evil that is in the personal heart is thrown on the person who is before us.

“Then to what shall I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance. We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.’ For John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine, and you said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

Our society today is grievously sick of sin. It has become insensitive to Lord Jesus, his Gospel, his truth and charity, to his love is rich in mercy and compassion. To the Church, the sacrament of Christ, his sign, his voice and his heart to take away the sin of the world, is left the serious responsibility of salvation, today.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints make us real in the mission.