The Anthropology of Sin and the Path to Spiritual Freedom

In the book of Revelation, St. John the Apostle, whom we attribute as the author, describes the New Jerusalem as a holy city, reminding us that the Kingdom of God confirmed by Christ the Messiah has now come to a perfect end. A description of the beatific vision unveils a holy sanctification of our relationship with God in heaven, and provides an insight into eternal glory.[1] The beautiful description of what awaits us if we humbly submit to the will of Christ and His Father provides us with a foretaste of our freedom from the evil of sin. The prospectus of what awaits us if we choose the beatific vision requires us to walk away from the thirst for sin.

St. Paul reminds us that we are supposed to work out our salvation with fear and trembling[2] but his directive will not matter if our identity as God’s child is saturated with sin, something the Devil does not mind we persistently seek. The Devil’s antidote toward seeking eternal life is an encouragement to be wary of the Cross or more specifically, wary of having to endure any form of human suffering. Even more, if the Devil can somehow convince you that a deprivation of human desires is actually a bad thing, then the prognosis of living a life of virtue and sanctity is all but forgotten.

The Old Testament reminds us that whenever God reveals himself to man, he first addresses the human senses to help man associate the physical with the Divine. This is important because from the very onset of any interaction between God and man, the Father intends to associate the human person with himself. In the proclamation of the Great Shema found in the book of Deuteronomy, we are presented with a divine prayer that professes the love for the one true God and provides the spiritual path to freedom from sin if Israel chooses to keep and follow the commandments of love.[3] The Shema stresses the need for Israel to practice a disposition of selfless love directed toward God and neighbor. This proclamation serves as an initial entryway of spiritual healing and freedom from the peril of sin.

The entire salvific sequence expressed in Deuteronomy brings to light the destructive nature of the fall of Adam and Eve. The original sin was not simply predicated in an act of disobedience. If we take the time to analyze and investigate the first denial of God’s love, Adam and Eve rejected their original human anthropology forged in love for one forged in apathy toward God or worse disdain for him. Adam and Eve chose to be adversaries of God rather than advocates. Because of the change in relationship due to sin, Adam and Eve needed to be confronted in love and mercy expressed in the proto-evangelium or the proclamation of the first Gospel.[4] God’s discourse with Adam and Eve reveals God’s infinite love for us even when we reject him. However, man was still required to confront his tendency toward pride which God the Father would make sure to address through his only-begotten Son Jesus Christ.   

The path to spiritual freedom requires a confrontation of the intellect and will to squelch the thirst for sin and redirect our thirst for Jesus Christ himself, first through a profession of faith to Christ and His Church, second through a willingness to live an active sacramental life associated with a moral life in Christ, and finally strengthen your communication with Christ in prayer. A change in our spiritual disposition proclaims a desire to be in communion with Christ by recovering our identity as his child.[5] St. Paul in his second letter to St. Timothy reminds him of the importance of becoming a soldier for Christ and enduring everything for the sake of the Gospel,

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Take your share of suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. . . Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David, as preached in my gospel, the gospel for which I am suffering and wearing chains like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore, I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which in Christ Jesus goes with eternal glory. The saying is sure: If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we endure, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we endure, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.[6]

The path to spiritual freedom requires us to reclaim our identity as children of God and therefore acknowledge that our life has value and merit because of God’s infinite love for us. Spiritual reclamation involves the desire to seek virtue and grace over sin and vice. The Catechism provides us with a very succinct and direct path by reminding us that,  

It is not easy for man, wounded by sin, to maintain moral balance. Christ’s gift of salvation offers us the grace necessary to persevere in the pursuit of the virtues. Everyone should always ask for this grace of light and strength, frequent the sacraments, cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and follow his calls to love what is good and shun evil.^[7]

Lent is not an opportunity to deny yourself simple pleasures of the world for a brief period. It is also not a time to pat yourself on the back for accomplishing these feats, only to withdraw back to your previous way of life. The way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle. Spiritual progress entails the ascesis and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of the Beatitudes.[8]

The path of spiritual freedom requires us to understand that a battle exists against the powers of evil. Our actions as disciples of Jesus Christ require us to seek what is right, denounce what is evil, desire a moral life, renounce all sin, and actively seek the grace to do so. We cannot forget, as I mentioned earlier, God did not abandon man after the fall, instead he tells him that victory over sin and death will come in the form of his son Jesus Christ.

The following spiritual exercise based on the meditation of Sacred Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church via Lectio Divina is meant to serve as an opportunity to seek spiritual freedom during Lent, and God willing, allow yourself to be embraced by Christ’s love,

LECTIO (“reading”): Select a section within Sacred Scripture or the Catechism that you would like to meditate on. Second, within the section, select a specific scripture passage or article from the Catechism that draws your attention.

Read the specific passage from Scripture or the Catechism selected three times to gain a basic grasp of the content and message.

MEDITATIO (“meditation”): Once you have selected the specific Scripture passage or Catechism article you would like to meditate on, begin to dive deeper into the passage to gain a better appreciation about the teachings of the Church.

Spend at least five minutes, preferably ten minutes, meditating on the selected Scripture passage or Catechism article. Begin to see how you can apply this Scripture passage in your daily life.

ORATIO (“prayer”): After careful meditation, the next step is to call upon the Holy Spirit for guidance in praying with Sacred Scripture or the Catechism. This involves an intentional act of prayer reflecting on the selected passage or article. This practice is similar to meditating on the “Memorare” or the “Angelus.” You recite the passage or article vocally or quietly in an act of prayer and devotion.

CONTEMPLATIO (“contemplation”): This final step asks us to respond to God’s call in how we are to live out our faith in light of the passage or article you have been meditating and praying. It is surrendering to the Word of God and the fruit of the Word of God found in the Catechism, discerning what God is asking of us.

“Believers who respond to God’s word and become members of Christ’s Body, become intimately united with him: “In that body the life of Christ is communicated to those who believe, and who, through the sacraments, are united in a hidden and real way to Christ in his Passion and glorification.”

CCC 790