"Why is everything a sin?"

That question was submitted to me several weeks ago by a local teenager.

Why is everything a sin?

Well, of course, "everything" is NOT a sin, but I think I understand what the young person was getting at. (And, by the way, there are men and women well beyond their teenage years who have this very same perspective on reality. They also think that "everything" is evil, according to the Catholic Church.)

Now what’s interesting is to try to determine the presumptions of this teenager. You see, in phrasing his question as he did, this young person was presuming that certain things are true. Here are 3 of his primary presumptions, as I see them: presumption #1) The Church doesn’t want me to be happy and enjoy life, since I can’t possibly enjoy life without sinning—and the Church tells me not to sin!; presumption #2) Everything that’s fun is sinful; and presumption #3) Everything that gives me pleasure is good.

Take the first: The Church doesn’t want me to be happy and enjoy life, since I can’t possibly enjoy life without sinning—and the Church tells me not so sin! Here we need to consult St. Augustine, who, prior to his conversion, knew an awful lot about committing sins—especially sins of the flesh. After he changed his life, Augustine wrote, "You made us, O Lord, for yourself; and our hearts are restless until they rest in you." Augustine would tell us, "You are made for God. Only he can give you perfect happiness. No creature can do that. Sin, although it may be momentarily pleasurable, ultimately pulls you away from the Lord, the source of real happiness. The Church’s teaching—if you follow it—keeps you open to God and on the road to heaven, where you will be perfectly happy and fulfilled. The Church doesn’t want you to be happy only for a moment or two on this earth; the Church wants you to be reasonably happy now, and perfectly happy forever."

Presumption #2: Everything that’s fun is sinful. Not true, unless your definition of "fun" is limited to destructive behaviors, like drinking to excess, and vandalizing private property. (And by the way, usually people who embrace this wrong notion of "fun" have other emotional and relational issues that they need to deal with. Something’s not right with them on the inside, and so they act-out in ways which harm themselves and others—and they call it "fun.")

And finally, presumption #3: Everything that gives me pleasure is good. This is also known as "the Playboy philosophy of life." Now what absolutely amazes me is the fact that so many people still believe this after the tragic events of September 11, 2001. My brothers and sisters, if you really buy into this philosophy; if you really believe that whatever gives a person pleasure is good, then you are immediately forced into a position where you must say that the terrorist acts of September 11 were good! Because—like it or not—those evil deeds gave some people in this world great pleasure! Like Osama bin Laden! He and his friends rejoiced when they found out what happened in New York and Washington and Pennsylvania. Or how about the others in the Middle East who were dancing for joy in the streets when they got the news? We know this because we have film of it happening!

No, everything that gives us pleasure is not necessarily good.

All of this should help us to understand our Scripture readings today. Why did the Lord say to Ezekiel, "You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel; when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me"? The Lord told Ezekiel that because he loved his people and wanted to see them happy and holy. Not because he wanted to ruin their good time! God knew that their vice and sin threatened their happiness and spiritual prosperity—although his people didn’t always understand that. Which is precisely why they needed Ezekiel’s warnings!

Why does Jesus tell us in today’s Gospel text from Matthew 18 to correct a brother or a sister who falls into sin? It’s for a similar reason. Sin destroys our relationship with God and our relationships with others; consequently, it undermines our happiness as human beings. And so, if we really love someone and want that person to be happy, we will gently correct them whenever they fall into serious sin. Fraternal correction is part of the "debt" of love we owe to one another—the "debt" which St. Paul speaks about in today’s second reading from Romans 13.

I began with the question of a teenager; I’ll end with the letter of another teenager. This was written by a young woman who attended a couple of Steubenville summer youth conferences in recent years. The teen who asked, "Why is everything a sin?" needs to hear what this girl has to say. She writes:

At my second Steubenville weekend, I experienced Jesus’ deep love for me. As a result, I now have to climb over an uncomfortable wall: I need to find another healthier group of friends, and I need to share the love Jesus has shown me with my old group of friends. It would be much easier to leave them without saying a word, but it would just be a shortcoming on my part. God gave me this experience not just for myself, but to share with others. I love my friends, and I can’t just let them sin without trying to help them know the truth. Jesus is the truth, and he is the only thing that will give them eternal life and true happiness. God has changed my life little by little, and I know that I am on my way to his house in heaven."