Jesus Sighed from the Depth of His Spirit February 12

Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

By Beth De Cristofaro

Sin is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master. (Gen 4:7)

Why do you recite my statutes, and profess my covenant with your mouth. You sit speaking against your brother; I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes. (Ps 50:16-17, 21)

Piety

Dear God, I come before you humbled and hopeful, knowing that you forgive me for choices I make that turn me from you. May I respect, not resist, your grace. May your grace help me to not wander away from you. Bring me back, settled into your will and mercy. I place my request for your love and compassion onto the altar. Let me share your mercy with others.

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/021207.shtml

Cain’s sacrifice is not accepted by God because of his internal motivations rather than the correctness of his external actions. The psalmist warns: I will correct you by drawing (your transgressions) up before your eyes (Ps 50:21) Like Cain, each of us struggles with warring desires, impulses, and temptations. Gods’ grace gives us strength to resist and turn back to God.

In Genesis, God is appalled with the actions of His creation Cain: What have you done! Listen: your brother’s blood cries out to me from the soil! (Gen 4:10) Jesus is deeply grieved over the continued challenges, the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Jesus will not play their game. He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said,…Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” (Mk 8:12) Selfishly motivated, blind demands will not be responded to by God.

Yet, even after this horrific, hateful murder, Cain is not completely rejected by God. There is room for forgiveness. Cain cries out that in his exile from God - anyone may kill me at sight. Gen 4:14) God hears him and steps in to protect: So the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest anyone should kill him at sight. (Gen 4:15) God gave Cain another chance in a loving action to one who had failed miserably. We are not told if Cain repented and turned back to God’s grace. What we do know is that God gives us another chance if we seek forgiveness through the gift of His grace.

Action

The Holy See, in a statement last week, labeled the practice of capital punishment "an affront to human dignity." The statement was issued last week during the world congress on the death penalty…"The Holy See takes this opportunity to welcome and affirm once more its support for all initiatives that aim to defend the inherent value and inviolability of all human life, from conception to natural end. … (the use of the death penalty is) a clear offense against the inviolability of human life ... and, for Christians, an affront to the evangelical teaching of forgiveness.” (Quoted by zenit.org )

Communicate to your representatives in Richmond to explore other avenues of punishment and rehabilitation than the death penalty.