The Deadly Predicament
of Sin
“Serpens erat callidior cunctis”1
The
image above — that of a serpent — is perhaps not simply the most graphic, but probably the
most apposite depiction of the predicament of sin.
It is chilling.
Examine it carefully:
the smooth involuted teeth, tapered to infinitely fine and absolutely
unyielding points, bent in along polished surfaces that allow unwary prey to enter
smoothly, effortlessly.
Once in, escape — if at all possible — is unimaginably painful:
rending flesh, piercing, scoring, tearing; the teeth leave none unscathed
who are caught within. They scar, maim and deform for life. Even if
escape is quick, it is only at great cost and immense suffering.
Yes, the image of a Python’s skull is the most appropriate image for
the lurking danger:
“Sin”
we are warned,
“is
crouching at the door; and its desire is for you”2
We Cannot
Toy with this Demon!
We cannot deceive ourselves
that we are more clever,
stronger, and capable of eluding it.
It is far stronger than we are.
As with all serpents, its
jaws can only be held shut: once clamped down upon; the jaws
do not
possess
the strength to easily open — but once open,
they seize upon us with a ferocity
and force that betrays the innocuous flicker of the slender forked tongue
that intrigues us ... the closer it approaches.
We cannot allow it to. We
must not allow it to!
Our greatest safety lies in distance — and vigilance. It does not
suffice, and will avail us little, to simply avoid the actual sin itself
— but as Holy Mother Church teaches, we must diligently avoid “the
near occasion
of sin” — the people, places, and things that are likely to
lead us into sin.
The Trap
Perhaps that is why Satan
is depicted as a Serpent in the Garden of Eden:
Sin is
first and foremost a liar. Given that Satan is
“the father of lies and a murderer from the beginning,”
3
it is not surprising that
our first parents, Adam and Eve, were first seduced into sin by the
lies of the serpent, by the alluring deception that they could
be like God.
Sin
is Always Alluring, Attractive
Were it not — and
could we clearly see the destructive, fatal, even eternal
consequences of sin — we would instantly flee from it, knowing it to
be deadly.
Time and again we are warned that
“the wages of sin is death”
4
But let us
be candid: the reality is that we like to toy with sin — to “sin
… just a little”.
However, since its consequence
is death, the obvious question is inescapable: can we be “dead … just
a little”?
Likewise, you are either alive to God (in a state of grace) — or you
are not.
There is no middle ground.
The moral of the story? Next time you are mesmerized by something as
sinuous and intriguing as a snake — it probably is a
snake. And if something appears to be a sin, and your conscience screams at you that it
is a sin — then it unquestionably is a sin. You
can pretend otherwise, but once the venom numbs you to
further sin
If you think
that you can contend with the devil himself — giving him just your
little finger, believing that he will not rip off your entire arm
— and your immortal soul — then you are a fool.
Run!
Flee sin and
the near occasion of sin — lest it overtake you,
________________________
1 Genesis 3.1
2
Genesis 4.7
3 Saint
John 8.44
4 Romans 6.23
Editor
Boston Catholic Journal
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editor@boston-catholic-journal.com
Totally
Faithful to the Sacred Deposit of Faith entrusted
to the Holy See in Rome
“Scio
opera tua ... quia modicum habes virtutem, et servasti verbum
Meum, nec non negasti Nomen Meum”
“I
know your works ... that you have but little power, and
yet you have kept My word, and have not denied My Name.”
(Apocalypse 3.8)
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