But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
James 1:14-15
The Loss of Sense of Sin: By Pope John Paul II
“It happens not infrequently in history, for more or less lengthy periods and under the influence of many different factors, that the moral conscience of many people becomes seriously clouded. ‘Have we the right idea of conscience?’ – I asked two years ago in an address to the faithful – ‘Is it not true that modern man is threatened by an eclipse of conscience? By a deformation of conscience? By a numbness or ‘deadening’ of conscience?’ Too many signs indicate that such an eclipse exists in our time. This is all the more disturbing in that conscience, defined by the council as ‘the most secret core and sanctuary of a man,’ is ‘strictly related to human freedom…For this reason conscience, to a great extent, constitutes the basis of man’s interior dignity and, at the same time, of his relationship to God.’ It is inevitable therefore that in this situation there is an obscuring also of the sense of sin, which is closely connected with the moral conscience, the search for [divine] Truth and the desire to make a responsible use of freedom. When the conscience is weakened the sense of God is also obscured, and as a result, with the loss of this decisive inner point of reference, the sense of sin is lost. This explains why my predecessor Pius XII one day declared, in words that have almost become proverbial, ‘The sin of the century is the loss of the ‘sense of sin.'”
Pope John Paul II Reconciliation and Penance December 2, 1984.
How does this article speak to you? Do you agree? Do you believe there is a loss of the ‘sense of sin’ today?
Prayer For Blessed John Paul II
God our Heavenly Father, You called John Paul II to be chief shepherd of Your people as Pope of the Holy Catholic Church. He guided us with the most loving care while he was with us in this world. He is now with You in paradise. Grant, by Your gracious will, that he be an intercessor for us who journey through life in Your Pilgrim Church. May the Blessed Mother of God, Mary Most Holy, whom John Paul was so devoted to, be our hope and our strength as she was for him. Eternal Father, John Paul II taught us the deep value of the human person as he traveled throughout the world spreading Your message of peace and eternal salvation. He showed us the value of the Cross by the way he lived. John Paul II defended life in all stages, from the womb to the elderly and preached the sanctity of life. May we come to know these truths and live them as he did with undying faith, hope and love. We make our prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
See also:
Prayer for Blessed John Paul II
Prayers for World Peace: Pope John Paul II
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