The Paradox of Healing: we despise the cure.

A bizarre statistic is the number of desert survivors that die of drowning. These people manage to persevere the inhospitable desert waste. They emerge in civilization exhausted, thirsty, and sunburned. They are the walking dead and desperate for water. Once they find water, their carnal desires consumes all the water it can, literally. These desert survivors drown because their initial drink of water is beyond that which their body can handle. Thus, they drown after leaving the desert.

This pattern appears throughout human history. The pattern of a deeply wounded person who tries to heal, but ends up being worse off in their attempt. The body loses the ability to handle water after sever thirst. The body loses the ability to handle dense food after severe starvation. The body refuses to be at peace after severe trauma. The body refuses to be silent after marinating in loud noise. The body refuses to be touch with affection after being touched by abuse.

The simple definition of sin is the privation of good. Privation means something that OUGHT to be there, but is not. For example, If a person is missing a limb, then that would be a privation. A person ought to have four limbs and anything less would suggest a privation. However, a person would never have a privation of wings. A human person ought not to have wings. Thus, the lack of wings should not be a both. (Sorry for those who want wings.)

We then find those who are affected by sin (all of creation) live in a state of privation. The affects of sin prevents people and things from being how they ought to be. We exists in a world that is suffering and yearning for peace and wholeness. Instead, people are broken and lost. Our God exists in a Trinity; a community. We humans, being made in His image, desire community as well. We who are affected by sin experience privations of friendship, respect, dignity, and health.

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.

Romans 7:14-17

Even worse, we humans rebel at getting better. How many of us are perfectly aware of how to improve. We know who we should get rid of in our lives, we know what habits are bad for us, and we know what actions are against God’s Will. Still, we persists in doing the things that we do not want to do and refuse to do the things that we want to do. If this is true for our physical needs, then it is even more true for our spiritual needs.

Since the time from Adam and Eve, our instinct after sinning is to run from God. Adam and Even hid from God. Even Saint Peter proclaim, “depart from me, for I am a sinful man.” (Luke 5:8) Why do we believe this is righteous? Why is God leaving our lives the solution? It is not. The solution is God coming closer to us. The cure is a greater encounter with God, but we balk at it.

It is indeed the height of pride to hide from God, to tell God to go away. To answer the question, we do this because we are placing ourselves as judge over our souls. We become aware of the sin at the same time we are aware of God’s Goodness and glory. We are painfully of the privation the sin has caused. As judge, we place upon ourselves the punishment of banishment from God’s presence. For we are sinful and do not merit to be in God’s presence.

But what does God say? Repent and believe in the Gospel. (Mark 1:15) Even while we were sinners Jesus Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) God could never deny us, because He could never deny Himself. (2 Timothy 2:13) He descended into Hell to spread to all the Good news. (1 Peter 3:18-19) God is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep.

Why do we run from Him? He is the cure that we need. Whenever there is sin, there must be a death to bring about new life. The old wine skins need to be discarded. The seed must die for the fruit to sprout. The vines need to be pruned. Our sins must be purified with fire. What remains is God’s love for us and our love for God. The sacrament of confession is a sacrament of healing. Take to heart when Jesus Christ speaks through His priests, “I absolve you of your sins in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Go in Peace.”