LAWLESSNESS AND SPIRIT

The first reading today says that those who sin commit lawlessness because sin is lawlessness. Those who sin do not know Jesus.
“Everyone who commits sin commits lawlessness,for sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed to take away sins,and in him there is no sin. No one who remains in him sins;no one who sins has seen him or known him.”
I asked at first what this lawlessness in the first reading means. Looking at the dictionary I read that this noun means illegality as a consequence of unlawful acts or defiance of the law. Usually this law would mean the law of the state. However, we are very much aware that not all the laws that the state implements are moral. There are states that allow abortion, mercy killing, gay marriage, death penalty, contractualization, liberilazation and the like. The Church also has a set of guidelines which are allowable and which are not in the so called Canon Law. Every organization also has their constitution and by-laws. These things are presumably necessary to put order.
However, I would still ask if this is what John meant by lawlessness. Is sin equal to breaking the law of a state or of an organization or of even of the Church. History taught us that many revolutions started by disobedience of the law. In the Philippines alone, our forefathers’ tearing of “cedula”, the so called Cry of Pugadlawin was an act of defiance. Can we call it sinful? I will be thinking very hard if I do not know the answer. There are human laws which ironically are not really for the greater good but only for the few. This will bring us to ask what lawlessness in our reading means. Does this simply mean defiance of the law or something different?
Reading the Gospel would somehow help us understand what lawlessness means. In the Gospel, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
This phrase alone is telling us that there is really lawlessness in the world. Jesus takes away the sin of the world-takes away lawlessness. But how is this so? The following text would say He is the one of whom I said,‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of mebecause he existed before me.’I did not know him,but the reason why I came baptizing with waterwas that he might be made known to Israel.”John testified further, saying,“I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the skyand remain upon him.I did not know him,but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain,he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”
Reading the text would tell us that the sequence of events will lead us to knowing who the Son of God is. He is the one “on whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” This phrase shows us the importance of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ mission to take away the sins of the world. The Spirit did not simply come down and remain with Jesus, but Jesus will also baptize with the Holy Spirit. This is the difference between John’s baptism and Jesus’ baptism. While John was to make Jesus known, Jesus is to take away of sin in the world.
Lawlessness in this sense does not simply mean defiance of the laws of the land or of the church or of any organization. Lawlessness could mean having no Spirit. Jesus during his time said that he did not come eradicate the law but to fulfill it. It means there is the law already but many are not fulfilling it that’s why there is lawlessness. But Jesus way of following the law is obeying the Spirit of the law.
No one will be able to discern the Spirit of the law unless one has it. That’s why in the first reading, John said, that he who commits sin does not know Jesus. Jesus can be known through scriptures, experience of other people but more so through our meditation and prayer. The Spirit of Jesus has been given to us when Jesus resurrected. Our baptism simply confirms our being children of God. But our baptism is not a guarantee that we can be better Christians. We are still asked to live out the Spirit that is within us. It is only in being immersed in that Spirit of Jesus that we can live out our being children of God, or else we remain children in name only but not seen in our lives. Love one another so that they will know that you are my disciples. This is phrase is from Jesus and we can only do the loving from our hearts and not from our mind. Lawlessness therefore happens when one does not follow the Spirit. Spirit is the law. We always ask the guidance of the spirit because it is the law.
Mortification therefore is not simply looking at the Ten Commandments, and be sorry for the things we have violated. Mortification is honestly looking at ourselves whether we always consider the Spirit in our lives.
The reason of some revolution is not disobedience of the law of the land, but obedience to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We therefore, seek this awareness in our lives. People may call us activist, revolutionary, subversive, crazy, lawless, rebel and the like. But what is important is that within ourselves we know we are simply a follower of Christ. We are simply abiding the wisdom of the Spirit.
Indeed Jesus takes away the sin of the world. Just imagine what our world or our country might be when everyone is tuned in and following the Spirit. We do not need congressmen and senators… ahem.