What Became of Sin?

by Joseph Stoutzenberger

Vatican Council II did not address the question of sin, at least not directly. Nonetheless, Catholic discussion about sin changed dramatically after the Council. Prior to the Council, sin and sins were a major part of the Catholic message heard at church and in schools. A major focus of Catholic life was on not doing those actions deemed sinful, such as missing Mass on Sunday or eating meat on Friday. I recall during my freshman year at a Catholic co-ed high school when the boys were taken to a separate classroom to meet with a priest while the girls remained behind with the sister who taught religion. We knew that this week was going to be “sex talk” time. We were not told that our sexuality was a wonderful gift from God that needed to be treated thoughtfully and lovingly. Instead, we were told about all the sins associated with sex. I heard that “French kissing” was a mortal sin. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew it must be very pleasurable if it qualified as mortal sin. I heard that touching a girl’s private parts was a mortal sin and that touching her simi-private parts out of sexual desire or lust was a venial sin. I had a pretty good idea of what private parts were, but I wasn’t sure about what was semi-private—a knee? the neck? Allowing a girl to sit on your lap was a “near occasion of sin” to be avoided. Overall, the message that week was that sex was all about sin. Be aware of the snares of the devil; and a good rule of thumb the priest left us with was, “Don’t do anything you wouldn’t do in front of your mother.”

In a recent interview with a group of Spanish-speaking young people, Pope Francis said that church teaching on sex is “still in diapers.” That may be true, but since the Council there have been many steps taken to separate sex from sin. The same is true of other areas of Catholic life. The central message about the use of speech had been, “Do not lie, slander, or bear false witness.” Even during the Council that emphasis changed. The focus became: we should use our powers of communication to speak up for justice and peace. “Thou shall not steal” is still a commandment, but more equitable distribution of the goods of the earth is now a message more regularly emanating from the Vatican and the US conference of bishops about possessions. Discussions are more likely to be about how to combat excessive materialism and preserving the environment than about not coveting your neighbor’s goods.

If Catholic teaching on sex is still in diapers, it’s fair to say that its teaching on sin in general is still in diapers. It is hard for Catholics to move beyond a simplistic “thou shalt not” mentality about sin. Perhaps that is why so few go to confession. How do we confess that we haven’t done as much as we could to welcome strangers in need to our community or help raise up people lacking adequate food and shelter? What does “sin” mean in light of Jesus’s message to “do more” than the law requires? Sin is still more closely associated with breaking a law than with making a positive difference in our families, our communities, and our world. Vatican Council II spent no time parsing the meaning of sin. It was more interested in how Catholics and the church can be a positive force in the modern world beset with so many challenges and so many opportunities. Before the Council, American Catholics were told to take note of how they could sin through their thoughts, words, deeds, or omissions. Catholics today are urged to gather together to figure out how they can make a difference through their thinking, speaking, actions, and resistance.

At the beginning of Mass, Catholics are still asked to call to mind their sins. What might most Catholics be thinking about during that brief pause? I’m guessing it is mostly about their overall shortcomings, the times they have not been all that they would like to be for their family or coworkers. They want to lay before the altar all their faults and misdeeds so that they can recite together, “Lord, have mercy,” before partaking of the shared meal with the one who takes away all the sins of the world. Participation in the Mass is no longer fulfilling an obligation done to avoid mortal sin but reassurance that God is with them as they seek to lead a good life and to make a difference through the life they live.