1/23/2023 (Monday) Today’s gospel reading: Mark 3:22-30
22 The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.”
23 Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, “How can Satan drive out Satan?
24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.
26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.
27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.
28 Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them.
29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.”
30 For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
1/23/2023 (Monday) Today’s gospel reflection: Mark 3:22-30
Have you ever committed sin and worried that you might not be forgiven? If so, worry no more. Just trust the mercy of God, turn to Him in humility and ask for His forgiveness. The fact that you worry means that your conscience is bothering you. It means that you are afraid of losing God forever. What the gospel above refers to unforgivable sin is the unconscionable or outright rejection of the work of the Holy Spirit in Jesus.
God is indeed merciful. He does not reject anyone who approach Him with a broken and repentant heart (Psalm 51:17). This means that He forgives every kind of sin even repeated sin or blasphemy. The only obstacle to forgiveness is rejection of His mercy.
Jesus is the ultimate manifestation of God’s mercy. His death on the cross is the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. His love for us knows no bound and nothing can ever separate us from His love (Romans 8:31-39). That is why we can be confident that, as we call upon Him to forgive us, He is actually there waiting to embrace us.