The Unforgiveable Sin ~ reflex on Mark 3:22-30

The scribes need to find an alternative explanation for Jesus’ ability to cast out demons without effort, healing people, and forgiving of sins because they cannot bear that he is proclaiming truth. He must be possessed. They refuse to accept that Jesus really came from God and is the Son of God; they refuse to let go of their own status and position and ideas. It seems much easier to turn people away from him by saying he is working with the devil.

But Jesus calmly points out that their suggestion is absurd: he is rather consistently turning the demons away, upsetting their plans, and demonstrating that he is more powerful than demons.

Jesus then turns toward offering the opportunity for salvation to those who spoke ill of him. He reminds them everything will be forgiven except one thing: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The prospect of an unforgiveable sin has been the subject of much debate and even a little fear. What IS this sin against the Holy Spirit that can never be forgiven? The Catechism of the Catholic Church addresses this in paragraph 1864, saying it is the “deliberate refusal” to accept God’s mercy and forgiveness. Briefly, six ways to do this have been identified over time: (1) Despair; (2) Presumption; (3) Impenitence or a firm determination not to repent; (4) Obstinacy; (5) Resisting divine truth known to be such; and (6) Envy of another’s spiritual welfare.

Pope St. John Paul II says it consists “in the refusal to accept the salvation which God offers to man through the Holy Spirit, working through the power of the Cross…this 'non-forgiveness' is linked…to 'non-repentance', in other words to the radical refusal to be converted… Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, then, is the sin committed by the person who claims to have a 'right' to persist in evil—in any sin at all…” (Dominum et Vivificantem, 46-47).

So the “unforgiveable sin” is the radical rejection of God’s goodness, the absolute refusal to accept salvation, and the obstinate determination to repent. It is unforgiveable only because a person refuses to ask for forgiveness! God’s love and mercy are offered generously to everyone, even in the last moments of this life! But let’s not wait until our last moments to ask forgiveness and receive God’s mercy and love. Let’s begin today to offer ourselves wholly to Him in every moment, for our good and His glory.