Is any sin unforgivable?

Is there a sin -- murder, false witness, adultery -- so reprehensible that it is unforgivable?

"No," asserts Rev. Richard Shaw, a chaplain at the Coxsackie and Greene correctional facilities. "No sin is unforgivable, but we can fall into a reality where we refuse to forgive."

God always offers forgiveness to the repentant, no matter what the crime, Father Shaw said, adding that it's human beings who choose to seal themselves off from God's forgiveness by refusing to believe that all sins can be forgiven.

Closed off

That view is echoed in the Gospel quotation about the one "unforgivable" sin; in Mark 3:29, Jesus characterizes "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit" as the one "eternal sin."

By shutting oneself off to forgiveness, said Father Shaw, "we are sealing ourselves off from the font of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is not so much talking about sin as an entity, as He is [speaking about] this posture against the Holy Spirit."

Characterizing sins as unforgivable puts Catholics in that posture, he said.

Among sinners

In his ministry as a prison chaplain, Father Shaw has seen many instances in which victims and perpetrators work to open themselves to the idea of forgiveness.

"In every page of the Gospel, even when Jesus is talking to His enemies, even when He's yelling at people, He makes it very clear that He is always open to accepting them totally," said Father Shaw.

"People who have been victimized in horrible ways, as they begin to deal with this in the Lord, will reach out in a true attitude of reconciliation toward the perpetrators and will seek to have real closure. It's being so open to the working of the Spirit within us that we can say with Jesus, 'Father, forgive them.'"

Confession

Father Shaw believes that one of the best ways to beat the idea of the "unforgivable sin" is the Sacrament of Reconciliation. As a chaplain, he has seen this as a positive experience for Catholics who cannot forgive others -- or themselves.

"The reason the Church, from its very beginnings, has celebrated an outward Sacrament of Penance is to remind the person who refused to forgive himself, and the community as well, that that person is forgiven," explained Father Shaw. "It's that 'out-loudness,' hearing it, through the decades that has me convinced that the Sacrament of Penance is the most psychologically advanced thing the Catholic Church has."

Restoration

Rev. Peter Young, pastor of Blessed Sacrament parish in Bolton Landing, has spent much of his ministry in the rehabilitation of men and women who are addicted to alcohol and drugs. He agrees that no sin should be classified as unforgivable.

"I'm a person of restorative justice," he said. "I know that many people have committed horrendous things. We find out if they have a desire to stop using alcohol and drugs. We try to make sure they return and are positive people in the community."

For Father Young, restitution is a big part of forgiveness and may also help impart a sense that forgiveness has been granted, either by God or by the victim. He said that this idea of restitution is part of the process of "dignity and restoration and reconciliation. It's a definite reconciliation with society."

Example

Father Shaw likes to talk about the example of Assunta Goretti, the mother of St. Maria Goretti, who was sexually assaulted at the age of 12 and died of her injuries.

"Before sentencing [the killer], the judge asked [Assunta] if she wanted to say something. She said, 'Yes, I forgive Alessandro.' She turned to the crowd, and said, 'Suppose, in turn, that Jesus Christ does not forgive us?'

"Everything centers in the love of Jesus Christ. We are belittling the Gospel reality if we think otherwise. It's all about forgiveness."

(2/24/05)