Episode 31: Year A – 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time
In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, we focus on four details that are relevant to doing apologetics. The first, which deals with the topic of original sin, comes from the second reading, taken from Romans 5:12-15. The remaining three details come from the Gospel reading, taken from Matthew 10:26-33, and deal with the topics of the General Judgment, Salvation, the Divinity of Jesus, the immortality of the soul after death, and the general resurrection.
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Hey everyone,
Welcome to The Sunday Catholic Word, a podcast where we reflect on the upcoming Sunday Mass readings and pick out the details that are relevant for explaining and defending our Catholic faith.
I’m Karlo Broussard, staff apologist and speaker for Catholic Answers, and the host for this podcast.
In this episode, we’re going to focus on four details that are relevant to doing apologetics. The first, which deals with the topic of original sin, comes from the second reading, taken from Romans 5:12-15. The remaining three details come from the Gospel reading, taken from Matthew 10:26-33, and deal with the topics of the General Judgment, Salvation, the Divinity of Jesus, the immortality of the soul after death, and the general resurrection.
Let’s start with the second reading. Paul writes,
12 Therefore, just as through one person sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all, inasmuch as all sinned— 13 for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world, though sin is not accounted when there is no law. 14 But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam, who is the type of the one who was to come. 15 But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by that one person’s transgression the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one person Jesus Christ overflow for the many.
We’ve had opportunity to reflect on this passage in a previous episode of the Sunday Catholic Word. There, we zeroed in on Paul’s teaching that “death came to all inasmuch as all sinned,” and concluded that this is a reference to original sin. I’m not going to repeat that here.
The verse that I want to briefly highlight here is verses 13-14. After Paul says that all have sinned, he writes, “for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world, though sin is not accounted when there is no law. But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam.”
Notice that Paul connects death with a sin all have that is not patterned after Adam. What kind of sin could there possibly be that is not like Adam’s sin? If Adam’s sin was a personal sin, and Paul speaks of a sin that is not like Adam’s sin, then the sin that Paul is referring to can’t be personal sin. So, what is it? The only other option is original sin.
We now turn to the Gospel reading, which, again, is taken from Matthew 10:26-33. Here’s what we read:
26 “Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.q 27 What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. 30 Even all the hairs of your head are counted. 31 So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 32 Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. 33 But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.
The first detail that I want to highlight here is Jesus’ teaching that what is said in darkness is spoken in the light. This is a reference to what will take place at the General Judgment at the end of time.
This became central to early Christian belief about the end of time. Paul, for example, writes in 1 Corinthians 4:5, writing, “5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches the same in its section on the General Judgment. In paragraph 678, it states the following:
Then will the conduct of each one and the secrets of hearts be brought to light. Then will the culpable unbelief that counted the offer of God’s grace as nothing be condemned. Our attitude about our neighbor will disclose acceptance or refusal of grace and divine love. On the last day Jesus will say: “Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” (Matt. 25:40).
Now, this detail isn’t so much an apologetical detail as it is catechetical. When faced with this teaching, many worry, “Oh man, it’s horrifying to think that everything that I’ve ever thought or said in secret will be revealed. Won’t that be a very embarrassing and shameful moment for me?”
And if we were to think apologetically here, we could ask, “How could those in Heaven now, who supposedly are forever perfectly happy, possibly continue to be happy in the face of the revelation of all the private evil thoughts and words that they had, and all the private evil deeds that they committed? Wouldn’t the shame undermine their happiness?”
These are some great questions. Here’s the key: there will be no shame. Why? Because the blessed will know and in rejoice in the fact that God has forgiven their past sins. There is no shame in God’s mercy. There is only rejoicing. Furthermore, the blessed will rejoice in God’s wisdom in how He ordered those past evil thoughts, words, and deeds to a greater good, whether a good for the individual, for another individual, or simply the good of the whole of the created order.
The damned, on the other hand, will not rejoice. They are the ones that will experience the shame with the revelation of their private evil thoughts, words, and deeds. The will experience shame in seeing the consequences of their evils that rippled throughout history.
So, Christians need not worry about this moment at the General Judgment. And apologetically speaking, this doesn’t conflict with the Church’s teaching about the definitive nature of the happiness in heaven.
The second detail that is worth highlighting is Jesus’ teaching that whoever denies him before men He will deny before the Father.
The first reason why this is significant apologetically speaking is that it gives support to the belief that it’s possible to lose our salvation. Notice Jesus is talking to his disciples, those whom we can presume are saved. He even gives them consolation of their worth: “you are worth more than sparrows.” But it’s these believers in Christ whom our Lord warns about denying Him before men. Jesus doesn’t say, “All other people who deny me.” Rather, he says, “whoever denies me before men, I will deny before my Father.” The whoever includes even his disciples are have been following Him, those who are worth more than the sparrows. Given that even Christ’s disciples are warned about denying Him and thereby being denied before the Father, we can conclude that it’s possible or a Christian to lose his salvation.
The second reason why this detail is important for apologetics is that is gives for Jesus’ belief that He was God. How can Jesus say that our salvation is dependent on whether we profess faith in or deny Him before men unless He thinks He’s God? The only one that can legitimately make such a claim is almighty God. So, we have evidence here that Jesus understood himself to be God.
Finally, the last detail for our purposes here is Jesus’ teaching that we need to fear him who can destroy both body and soul in Gehenna. St. Thomas Aquinas has some interesting things to say about this that relates to apologetics. This is from his Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew:
And one should notice that he excludes here two errors. For some said that the soul passes away once the body is dead; and he destroys this position, when he says, who can destroy both soul and body in gehenna. Hence it is clear that it remains after the body. Similarly, some held the position that there is no resurrection (1 Cor 15:12). And he excludes this, because if the body and the soul are sent into Gehenna, it follows that there will be a resurrection. And this is found, and the devil, who seduced them, was cast into the pool of fire and brimstone in the resurrection (Rev 20:9).
Keep in mind here that the destruction Jesus speaks of is not annihilation. It’s “destruction” in the sense of not living the life of heaven. This is why Aquinas sees in the teaching an affirmation of the continuation of the soul after death. Also, Gehenna here for Aquinas is not Hell in the interim state before the end of time, but the lack of fire after the general resurrection.
So, with Aquinas’s help, we see how Jesus’ teaching in this Gospel can help us with some apologetical issues.
Conclusion
Well, the readings for this upcoming 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time gives us opportunity to reflect on three topics that relate to apologetics:
- The General judgment and the happiness of the blessed,
- The possibility for Christians to lose their salvation, and
- The divinity of Jesus
- The immortality of the soul after death, and
- The general resurrection at the end of time
That does it for this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word.
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I hope you have a blessed 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time.