by Fr Fabian Dicom
Deuteronomy 26:4-10
Psalm 90:1-2,10-15
Romans 10:8-13
Luke 4:1-13
Imagine an archer with a bow, eyes fixed on the target. He releases the arrow but he misses. The problem isn’t the target. It is his aim. So instead of giving up, he adjusts, he learns and tries again. And this is how the ancient Jews understood SIN. The Hebrew word for SIN (Hatat) means actually to miss the mark.
SIN is not just about breaking rules. It is about losing our way, drifting from the life Jesus calls us to. And when we miss the mark, the consequences are not punishment from God. They are natural results of our own choices.
And this idea is deeply rooted in the Jewish thought – Missing the mark and the consequences of our own wrongdoing.
Now the Prophet Ezekiel reminds us if the wicked man renounces all the sins he has committed, respects my law and is law-abiding and honest, he will certainly live. He will not die. Now these words are not about fear but about freedom. Which means, our choices matter.
If we choose to love, if we choose honesty, if we choose mercy, our lives are filled with peace.
But if we let pride, if we let gossip or judgment take root, they create division, they create tension and unrest not because God is punishing us but because that is what sin does.
And we need to get that very clear. There is no cause and effect that way. It is the consequence of what we do. Yet Ezekiel’s message is one of hope. We are never stuck no matter how many times we have failed. God invites us to step back, realign and begin again.
And Jesus deepens this idea in the Gospel. The Pharisees were known about their strict observances of the law. Yet Jesus tells His disciples if your virtue goes no deeper than that of the Scribes and the Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.
Now He is not asking for more rules and regulations. He is asking for a change of heart. That is all. You have learnt he says how it was said to our ancestors:
You must not kill but I say this to you: Anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court.
Sin is not just about big obvious wrongs. It starts in the heart.
The three things I said earlier affects many, many communities and we are not spared also – gossip, pride and self-righteousness. These things may seem small and hidden but they create real harm. They are not punished by God. They, the sins, punish us by robbing us of peace, by robbing us of true connection with others.
Yet Jesus does not point out the problem. He just doesn’t say that is the problem. He gives us a way forward:
Be reconciled with your brother or sister before offering the gift at the altar.
This is not about perfection but about constantly realigning ourselves. Realigning everything.
Every moment is an opportunity to realign.
Every moment when we speak words that build rather than divide. And this is important for us. It is a serious thing. And especially as a Christian community, every word we say must build others. And if we break, then we have to start now by stopping. And that is how we realign ourselves. As we walk out the church, we tell ourselves from today I will be positive. I will say good things. I will build people.
Every moment is an opportunity to listen with understanding rather than judgment. Every moment is an opportunity to let our faith, not focused on all the externals, but let our faith transform us from within.
God does not dwell on our past mistakes. He sees not just where we have failed but where we are trying to grow. And we must be confident of that. No matter how many times we have missed the mark, when our arrows don’t hit the target, when our alignment is gone, He stands beside us, gently guiding our aim.
So today, let us take that step. Let us aim again. We pray for that grace during this Mass.
Amen.
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