Mexico City, Mexico, Jun 16, 2010 / 12:59 pm
This week Archbishop of Mexico City, Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, warned that it would be an error to remove the word “sin” from the human “dictionary” and believe that nothing is evil.
During his homily at Mass on Sunday, the cardinal lamented the “profound transformation” of the moral and religious understanding in many Christians. “For many today, nothing is evil, nothing is immoral and it seems like we’ve even erased the word sin from our dictionaries.”
“Without a guilty conscience, how will we feel the need for God’s forgiveness? How can we appreciate the salvation of Christ if we don’t think we need it?” he asked.
“Injustices, kidnappings, violence, infidelity, stealing, human rights violations and the scorn for life” are sins, he said. “We are in trouble, and so is society, when we block out that red light, losing the sense of guilt ... and sometimes even using defense mechanisms to portray us as progressive or open-minded,” the cardinal said.
God’s forgiveness is a great gift which Christians must hold fast to in order to achieve reconciliation, repentance and conversion, “which are necessary to keep us from making mistakes again.”