THE PARADOX OF SIN AND DWELLING IN GOD'S PRESENCE: MEDITATION ON OUR IDENTITY AS CHILDREN OF GOD (1 Letter of St John 2:29 – 3:6 and Gospel of John 1:29-34).
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An extract from today’s first reading (1 John 2:29 – 3:6) says, “No one who remains in Him commits sin; no one who sins has seen Him (God) or knows Him.” This affirmation might leave us perplexed because we all know that sin is a reality that we experience every day; we are all sinners. The Letter to the Romans 3:23 clearly affirms: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The key question here is, “What does it mean to remain in Him (God)?” “Remaining in” evokes the idea of inhabitation, a place of living, a home. Remaining in can be understood from the perspective of our personal relationship with Jesus, who is the visible face of the invisible God. It is a metaphorical way of describing a deep, intimate, and continuous relationship with God through His Son, the Unique Mediator between God and humanity (1 Timothy 2:5). A personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus implies living in a way that is consistent with God’s Will and teachings, as revea