“The gift is not like the transgression,” Saint Paul told the Romans. Grace is not like sin. Not at all. Grace is much more powerful than sin.

And sin can be pretty bad. Paul reminds the Romans that sin entered the world through one man, Adam, and through sin came death. Adam’s sin affects every human being. But let’s be honest. Everybody’s sin affects everybody else. Anytime any one of us sins, we hurt the entire human race.

Sin is powerfully bad, but grace is even more powerfully good. Paul contracts the sin of Adam with the grace of Christ. There is no comparison. Yes, sin affects every human being. Yes, sin makes us look bad. But grace also affects every human being, and grace overpowers sin, making us look better than good. Through the grace of Christ, God prepares us for eternal salvation. It is a good far beyond imagining.

The remorse we feel for the sin we commit is a healthy emotion. It deters us from sinning again. It reminds us of the hurt we cause others when we misbehave. But the joy we feel in the presence of Christ is even healthier, because it affirms the goodness by which we were made and even more the goodness by which we are redeemed.

In the spiritual life, we admit that we have sinned. But we rejoice that we are saved. The gift is not like the transgression.

Written by Paul Turner. Liturgy Training Publications
Copyright 2004, Archdiocese of Chicago