A Merciful Encounter

A passenger next to me on a plane flight noticed my Roman collar and soon engaged me in a conversation about religion. He remarked that he had given up his childhood faith “because,” he said, “the Bible speaks so much about the wrath of God.” He was incredulous when I told him that every such passage was qualified by the option offered to every sinner to evade such wrath by turning to God’s mercy. I observed that the Bible mentions the mercy of God directly in more that four hundred places and indirectly in hundreds of other places, from the psalm prayers to the mercy parables of Luke 15 and beyond.

When this man brought up the time-worn objection about Jesus’ referral to the “unforgivable sin,” I explained that any sin that is “unforgivable” is not so by reason of God’s refusal to forgive but by the sinner’s refusal to be forgiven. The sinner refuses forgiveness by simply refusing to apologize to God for spitting in his face by sin. The Lord patiently and lovingly urges the sinner to accept his divine forgiveness, but the recalcitrant sinner simply refuses to accept it.

I showed my fellow passenger a statement from the Catechism, a copy of which, providentially, I happened to have in my valise. I urged him to read not just the opening words of the passage but the entire paragraph. It started with the words of Jesus: “I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” The followed the commentary: “There are no limits to the mercy of God but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit. Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss” (CCC. #1864).

The third personality in God’s triple personality, the Holy Spirit, acts as grace-bestower. Thus “blasphemy against the Spirit” is simply refusal to accept God’s grace of forgiveness and salvation.

I tried explaining this by a simple kindergarten-level illustration: “If you were poor and I offered you a no-strings-attached gift of a million dollars and you refused it, could you blame me for selfishness or injustice? Your being deprived of the gift would be your choice, not mine. Counterpoint that example with the passage about the ‘unforgivable sin,’ coupled with the inspired words of Peter: “The Lord is…patient with you not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance’ (2 Peter 3:9).”

The world’s worst sinner can be forgiven in a fraction of a second by simply saying to the Lord, with true sincerity, “I’m sorry.” Refusing to do so is the only way one can end up in hell. The unrepentant sinner says, in effect, that he is prepared to accept the endless anguish of hell rather than humble himself by opening up God’s mercy with a simple apology.

I showed my fellow passenger that instead of distortedly emphasizing the wrath of God, he should emphasize the pride and stupidity of any unrepentant sinner. The wrath of God is mentioned in the Bible only in the context of the obdurate and sustained refusal of persons or nations who snub his loving mercy.

The devil knows that pride is the main roadblock to repentance and ultimately salvation. “’God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves therefore to God….Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts….Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you” (James 4:6-8, 10).

When I opened my Bible and showed the man just a few descriptions of God’s tender mercy, such as the parable about the Prodigal Son, his acrimony seemed to melt away. I invited him to say, “I’m truly sorry, Lord,” while accepting the salvation earned for him by Jesus’ death. He hastened to blurt out that commitment – almost tearfully. His parting words as the plane landed were words of gratitude and a promise to return to the practice of his Christian faith. Truly, “the hope of the righteous ends in gladness” (Proverbs 10:28).

This encounter left me with a grateful heart too, as I recalled the words of James 5:20: “[W]hoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

This excerpt is from the book The Awesome Mercy of God, by John H. Hampsch, C.M.F., originally published by Servant Books. It and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and audio/visual materials can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408.