Sunday Gospel Warm-Up

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

Mark 3:2-35

Some really harsh sounding words are spoken by Jesus this Sunday, ‘blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the unforgiveable sin.’ This begs the question, when does this happen. Obviously, calling Jesus the servant of the devil fits the bill, but I think it can be said it happens whenever we label the essential good or Grace an evil. For instance, when a group of people are labeled inferior or even evil as when Hitler named the Jewish people vermin or when the Hutsi leadership named the Tutsis in Rwanda cockroaches or nowadays calling immigrants vermin.

All these instances are naming people, God’s beloved and His living presence, an evil and not deserving any rights as human beings. It is the ultimate offense against God. It is or has the potential to become a great evil and must be resisted at all costs.