One sunny day in September 1972, a plainly dressed man stood on a street corner in downtown Chicago. As pedestrians hurried by, he would solemnly lift his right arm, point to a passing stranger nearby, and loudly repeat one single word: GUILTY! Then he stood quietly for a minute. Then again, he raised his arm, pointed to another stranger, and again pronounced the one word: GUILTY!
People stared at him, hesitated, looked away, looked at each other, and then hurried on their ways. One man turned to another and said, “How did he know?’
That’s the opening paragraph of the book Whatever Became of Sin. But people are still enslaved to sin, even if they won’t admit it. Menninger said that if he could convince his patients in psychiatric hospitals that their sins were forgiven, 75 percent could walk out the next day!
Mark Twin, in Tales of the Mississippi, introduces us to a hustler who lies through his teeth. He is trying to cheat innocent people by pulling the wool over their eyes. In one story he introduces us to a young man he claims is the dauphin of France, the crown prince of France and his three companions, Shadrack, Meshack and Tobedwego. With humor he forgets the essence of the story of Daniel and the three young men in the furnace. Their courage and steadfast faith remind us of the true freedom that accompanies authentic holiness. Remaining constant in the love of God and the truth of who He is and who we are leads to our complete freedom to be and act in Christ.
“Love will not betray you, dismay or enslave you,” sings the band Mumford & Sons. “It will set you free. Be more like the man you were meant to be.”
There is a certain fear that holiness and love will make us boring. In contrast, Saint John Paul II teaches, “Be holy…because the lack of holiness is what makes the world sad!” Love and holiness free us. They make us the men and women God wants us to be.
By loving and pursuing holiness, we chase after great things. We stretch our souls, broaden our horizon of life, and discover joys we never thought possible. Our Lord teaches us that sin is slavery. We were not made to be slaves. We were made for so much more. Let us cast off sin, then, and choose instead the liberation of love and holiness.
If you want to experience true freedom, spend a few days with the children of a family who are loved and disciplined in equal measure.
