Sin And Mercy Analysis

Although humans are all flawed and sinful in nature, God always provides mercy to those who seek it through repentance. This is a central theme that is prevalent throughout the entire Bible. Bishop Robert Barron explained clearly in his book Vibrant Paradoxes: The Both/ And of Catholicism the relationship between sin and mercy. God became flesh through the incarnation and bore the sins of all humans so that we could all receive forgiveness, even though we don’t deserve it. The main point of the chapter titled Sin and Mercy was to emphasize and explain in further detail the relationship between sin and mercy. Although sin abounds in the fallen world and we are all subjected to it, Jesus died so that we don’t have to be bound to it for eternity …show more content…
Bishop Barron described the expected high moral standards of the Catholic Church with regards to sexuality and just war and how difficult it would be to live up to these standards. But, Bishop Barron followed up the rigorous rules of the Catholic Church by describing the extreme forgiveness and mercy the Catholic church offers when he wrote, “Yet the Church also mediates the infinite mercy of God to those who fail to live up to that ideal (practically everyone). This is why it’s forgiveness is so generous and so absolute (Barron pg. 7). Although the Catholic Church and the Bible call great attention to moral standards that no human can live up to, Jesus died so that we could receive forgiveness for the sins that we commit. The Catholic Church embraces this forgiveness of sins that is demonstrated in the Bible. The Catholic Church has a tradition where the priest sits in a booth and listens to members of the congregation confess their sins. After the sins are confessed, they can receive forgiveness. I believe that is important to approach someone who is new to Christianity with the message of Jesus’s mercy and forgiveness, so that they aren’t intimidated by the moral standards. If you first present the standards, it might turn someone away from Christianity out of fear and unwillingness to follow such standards. Catholics emphasize the moral guidelines outlined in the Bible, but …show more content…
Jesus always had an inclusive, loving, and humble attitude toward sinners. We should strive to project this same attitude that Jesus did. The Catholic Church strictly follows the moral guidelines outlined in the Bible, specifically regarding sexuality and just war. Although these guidelines prove to be extremely difficult for humans to follow, we should never feel inferior and unworthy because mercy and forgiveness are always available to anyone who confesses their sins and asks for forgiveness. The chapter in the book Sin and Mercy gave me many ideas on how to improve my own spiritual journey such as giving more, having a forgiving attitude, and an inclusive attitude to