The Meaning of Sin

LESSON 5 SIN IS THE GREATEST OBSTACLE TO FREEDOM
Path 13 The Meaning of Sin
Opening Prayer: Psalm 51:3-5

Have mercy on me, God, in Your goodness; In Your
abundant compassion blot out my offense. Wash away
all my guilt; from my sin cleanse me. For I know my
offense; My sin is always before me.
CONTEXT
ICON
Draw a blind man here
DRAW A MAZE HERE
Draw Jesus Here
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We discussed in our previous lesson that Christian moral living is not easy. The
reality of sin makes it difficult for us to truly follow Jesus Christ. Sin tends to blind us
and ruins our authentic self-becoming. Hence, we stumble in the process of becoming the
person we are called to be. When we commit sin, we hurt our relationship with God,
others and ourselves.
ICON –
EXPOSITION
Sacred Scripture: Genesis 3:1-24 (The Fall)

“Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then, from
the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat.”
What is sin?
Sin’s fundamental features are
dramatically described in the story of “The
Fall,” where God’s law was consciously
violated and disobeyed. The humans rebelled
against God and their rebellion brought forth
terrible consequences for themselves and lasting
damage to their relationship with God and with
each other. Adam and Eve tried to defend
themselves with rationalization (Gen 3:8-13),
but it did not save them from the disastrous
effects of their sin (Gen. 3:14-24). In wanting
“to be like gods,” they rejected God their
Creator. By doing so, they no longer recognized
God as the One on whom they and everything
else depends for their very life and existence,
thereby distorting the relationship between God
and themselves. Draw God,
Adam and Eve here
Guide questions:
1. What part in the story of “The Fall” shows that God’s precept was violated?
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2. What did Adam and Eve’s sin consist of?
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3. What was at the heart of Adam and Eve’s disobedience?
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Church Teaching: Catechism for the Filipino Catholics 762
Sin is understood as:

 Refusing to follow our own conscience’s call towards the good;
 Rejecting God, our Creator and Lord, and our own true selves and others, by
turning away from God, our true end; and
 Breaking Gods loving covenant with us, shown forth in Jesus Christ, dying and
rising for our sake.
Sin can be properly understood only in relation to our conscience, moral laws, and
God. If we turn away from what is good and refuse to follow the good which our
conscience obliges us to do, then we sin. What must be stressed is the link between
rejecting our conscience and rejecting God. Sin truly is rejecting God and our true selves.
As we put God aside and try to take His place as our own creator, we deceive and
consequently destroy ourselves. When we do wrong to someone whom we love very
much, perhaps a best friend, we experience a kind of emptiness and meaninglessness. We
realize that we have moved away from our best friend, who had been so close to us, and
from the friendship we used to enjoy. Then we begin to ask ourselves, “What have I
done? What went wrong?” We experience this feeling because in our action we were not
true to either our friend nor to ourselves. We became alienated from the truth of our
friendship. Thus, real sin truly hurts us and our loved ones. Real sin is no joke. “Contrary
to how it is often portrayed in movies, TV, paperbacks, and comic books, sin is not
glamorous at all. Just the opposite—it really destroys, injures, dishonors, perverts,
poisons, corrupts. Yet, sin often has a compulsive aspect to it. We seem to be ‘caught in
it,’ ‘addicted,’ like an illness that weakens us and keeps us in the dark, with its own kind
of pain.”
To repair what was damaged by sin, we must have that “sense of sin,” which
makes us become aware that we have sinned, we are sinners. But a sense of awareness of
our sinfulness is not enough. We must acknowledge our sins not only before ourselves,
but before God, our Creator, Lawgiver and Savior. We must admit that we are sinners
and we need Jesus Christ. Through Him, we can be liberated frm our sins. A sick person
needs a physician. Sin is a serious sickness that leads us to blindness and we feel a great
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need for Jesus, the Great Physician to heal us, and to forgive us. He instituted the
Sacrament of Penance to restore us to spiritual health.
ICON – Morals
INTEGRATION
Sin is a violation of the authentic exercise of freedom.
Sin is a failure to love God and others. It is a rejection of God’s
love for us and it hinders us from our true self-becoming, what
God wants us to be. It is a fatal free act we must avoid. We need
to battle constantly against sin. Think of sin as a cancer that you
bring upon yourself that will affect your internal organs and
cause your death. Cancer destroys the body; sin destroys the
whole person.
Doctrine
An authentic sense of sin – of its evil reality – is truly a grace,

pictured sharply as indirect contrast to the truth and goodness of
God our Creator.
As sinners, we are in great need of God, who calls each of us to
repentance and His to love.
Worship
To restore what had been damaged by sin, let us trust in God’s

merciful love. We pray for the forgiveness of our sins.
Let us pause for a while and read reflectively Psalm 51.
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Psalm 51
The Miserere
Have mercy on me, God, in Your goodness;

in Your abundant compassion blot out my offense.
Wash away all my guilt; from my sins cleanse me.
For I know my offense; my sin is always before me.
Against You alone have I sinned;
I have done such evil in Your sight
That You are just in Your sentence, blameless when You
condemn.
True, I was born guilty, a sinner, even as my mother conceived
me.
Still, You insist on sincerity of heart; in my inmost being teach
me wisdom.
Cleanse me with hyssop, that I may be pure;
Wash me, make me whiter than snow.
Let me hear sounds of joy and gladness; let the bones You have
crushed rejoice.
Turn away Your face from my sins; blot out all my guilt.
A clean heart create for me, God; renew in me a steadfast spirit.
Do not drive me from Your presence, not take from me Your
Holy Spirit.
I will teach the wicked Your ways, that sinners may return to
You.
Rescue me from death, God, my saving God,
that my tongue may praise Your healing power.
Lord, open my lips; my mouth will proclaim Your praise,
For You do not desire sacrifice; a burnt offering You would not
accept.
My sacrifice, God, is a broken spirit;
God, do not spurn a broken, humbled heart.
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SUMMARY
Think of a creative way of summarizing the story of “The Fall.”
What is sin? Personal sin is any free thought, word, or deed or a

desire contradictory to the truth and goodness of reality to oneself and the
full good to which we are directed by God. It is a deliberate act violating
the basic norm of human activity, namely, that all activity should be in
accord with creation as coming from God’s plan and will. Sin rejects God
and our true selves.
VOCABULARY
Miserere - Latin word which means “Have Mercy”

A Prayer of Repentance
88

The Meaning of Sin

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LESSON 5 SIN IS THE GREATEST OBSTACLE TO FREEDOM

Path 13 The Meaning of Sin

Opening Prayer: Psalm 51:3-5

Draw a blind man here

DRAW A MAZE HERE

Draw Jesus Here

Sacred Scripture: Genesis 3:1-24 (The Fall)

Church Teaching: Catechism for the Filipino Catholics 762

Sin is understood as:

An authentic sense of sin – of its evil reality – is truly a grace,

To restore what had been damaged by sin, let us trust in God’s

Have mercy on me, God, in Your goodness;

Think of a creative way of summarizing the story of “The Fall.”

What is sin? Personal sin is any free thought, word, or deed or a

Miserere - Latin word which means “Have Mercy”

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