Saturday in the 28th Week of Ordinary Time, October 15, 2022

Luke 12:8-12

Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.  Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.”

Because of his unfamiliar manner of speaking, it seems to us that the Lord Jesus leaves us in suspense as to what the sin against the Holy Spirit consists of.  Those hearing hearing him speak, who were of his culture, however, would have followed his thinking.  The Lord begins this teaching by stating that, “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God.”  He makes a momentous claim concerning his divinity here.  He is saying that everyone who acknowledges him to be the Son of man — who makes a public avowal that he believes in Jesus as the Son of man — will be saved, for the Son of man will acknowledge them before the angels in heaven.  The Greek word translated here as “acknowledge” can also mean “to profess” or “to confess”.  Jesus says to us that belief in him as the Son of God will bring us to heaven.  However, “whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.”  This public acknowledgment of Jesus as the Son of God takes two forms: through word and deed.  Through word: receiving baptism and confirmation, which are performed in public, and through defending the Faith when necessary; through deed: through carrying out the commandments and counsels of Jesus Christ.  The public denial of Jesus as the Son of God likewise takes these forms.  Through words, when a person publicly denounces the Lord, his Church, or his commandments; through deeds, by persecuting Christians and attacking churches.  

This leads us to, “Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”  To speak against the Son of man is to make a personal attack against Jesus, which he will forgive if the perpetrator seeks forgiveness.  But the one who acts against the faith bestowed by the Holy Spirit, through say, apostasy, will not be forgiven because the perpetrator has denied that there is forgiveness.  Upon further consideration we can see that sins such as final despair and presumption also come under the sin against the Holy Spirit for these also deny the possibility or the need for forgiveness.  These are sins against grace.

“When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.”  The Lord speaks here about the importance of the Holy Spirit and the necessity we have of imploring his assistance.  It is through him that we are able to say, “Jesus is Lord” (cf. 1 Corinthians 12, 3).  Therefore, it is the Holy Spirit who will defend us when we are persecuted for saying so.  The action of the Holy Spirit is not magic, however.  He uses what is before him.  We bear the responsibility of knowing the Scriptures and studying doctrine so that we will present the Holy Spirit with good tools for our defense.  If we properly dispose ourselves, he will make good use of us, both for our salvation and for the conversion of our persecutors.