Earlier this month, I helped my mother-in-law cut down two 18-year-old conifer trees from her garden. My weapon of choice was a machete and the determination of a brave warrior in a fierce battle. After multiple and significant strikes to the old tree trunk, the tree became top-heavy and unable to hold itself upright. It came tumbling down like a scene out of David and Goliath.
Cutting down a tree can be lots of fun and make any man feel like a little boy again, but the idea of bringing down a tree that has stood tall and healthy can be quite sad to witness. As the outer bark is stripped away and the blade lacerates the inner bark, the lifeline through which food is passed to the rest of the tree shows signs of distress, and before you know it, the tree is dead.
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| Tree stump before my final blow, 9 January 2021 |
I thought that the imagery around tree felling is an ideal way of understanding what it means to commit a mortal sin. As I prepared to bring the trees down, there were three things I needed to consider that any person contemplates when choosing to commit a sin:
- I was about to destroy a living tree (grave matter),
- I fully understood that this would result in the tree ceasing to exist (full knowledge), and
- I agreed to execute the tree felling (deliberate consent).
If any one of these conditions were not met, then a sin would be regarded as a venial sin. I recall going through most of my catechism understanding that mortal sins were more for the "bad guys," you know, those dressed in orange and confined to a prison cell. I realised many years later that I had the utterly wrong understanding. However, inside my heart, I could feel at times that my sins were wrong as if I had somehow shamed God. Big or small, any sin is an offense against God and is in disobedience to his love (CC, 392). So that is why we are all regarded as sinners irrespective of the nature or magnitude of the sin.
Sin leaves a mark on us and can even inflict harm on those around us. Still, the severity of the evil is where the distinction between venial and mortal sin becomes essential. Mortal sin destroys charity in us, deprives us of sanctifying grace, and, if unrepented, leads us to the eternal death of hell (CC, 395). Mortal sin is like internal bleeding. It slowly but surely debilitates the body. While venial sin is more like a muscle strain, it delays exercising virtues and carrying out the moral good.
I think the important thing is not whether the sin is big or small, but rather the intention behind the sin. I have always been fascinated by Our Lord's words to his disciples, "Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (Matthew 19:23-24). Consider the parable of the rich man for a moment. He asked Our Lord what he needed to have eternal life. Jesus lists the commandments one by one. You shall not kill, not commit adultery, not steal, not bear false witness, honour your parents, and love your neighbour as yourself. The rich man said that he did all these already, except he could not let go of his possessions.
Like the rich man, I thought that if I avoid mortal sin, then my venial sins are somehow a less bumpy ride to heaven. The point I am trying to get across is that sin is measured by my intention. So this completely turns upside down my categorising of sins as bad and then very bad. The purpose behind my sin is what God sees, and that evokes a separation from God within our souls. If I begin to think about the intention, then things that once seemed less severe could be regarded as a mortal sin. If it meets those three conditions, a grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent.
Think about mocking a friend, or gossiping about a colleague, maybe judging someone's intentions, or holding a grudge. What about the times I binge on television, steal time from my boss on social media, or perhaps waste my talents. Maybe I find myself lusting after models on social media, boasting about my successes, or envying a close friend's success. These very ordinary circumstances we encounter daily become an occasion for mortal sin. In the list of examples, I am committing a mortal sin when I go about doing those things I think not so severe but intending to deliberately hurt someone.
After bringing the trees down, I then chopped the trunk into smaller pieces to make it easier to throw away. As I was chopping, without realising, I saw on the edge of my blade a tiny praying mantis that had made its home in the tree. In some cultures, the praying mantis has supernatural symbols. The Khoi and San traditions considered it a god for its praying posture. The ancient Greeks believed it showed lost travelers their way home. The ancient Egyptians thought it was a minor god that led the dead to the underworld.
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| Praying mantis I discovered, 9 January 2021 |
Cutting a tree from its life support is like a mortal sin; it separates us from God. If we were to think as the ancient Greeks did, then recognising our in-born habit to sin and making an effort to not do it again could help us find our way home to heaven. In his passion, Christ fully revealed the seriousness of sin and overcame it with his mercy (CC, 392). Therefore, it is through Our Lord's compassion in the Sacrament of Confession that we are purified. If we could receive a get-out-of-jail card every time we sincerely confess our sins, then the mark of sin no longer holds me prisoner.
So yes, Christ has died for our sins, but the stain left by the first sin committed by Adam and Eve (original sin) is a part of our human nature. The difference is that for Adam and Eve, the gates of mercy, compassion, and forgiveness of their sins were still shut. But, Christ's resurrection from the dead has opened the gates for all; if only we would repent and begin again, every time we failed.
"The axe forgets; the tree remembers." (African Proverb)
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