This is the continuation of a previous article. Read Part 1 here: Sin: Rejecting Love and True Happiness (Part 1)
Sin does this with God. It disobeys by not listening to God, aversio a Deo et conversio ad creaturas – a turning toward creatures that turns away from God (St. Thomas Aquinas). We approach God to hear his Word revealed in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, not just the Commandments. When we don’t listen or follow the Commandments it indicates that we don’t care what God says, that we don’t love him, that our relationship with him is not important.
Fulfilling the “letter of the law” isn’t enough. True love implies obedience: getting close to God to hear him. As Mary, the sister of Martha, did:
[Mary] sat at the Lord’s feet to listen to his teaching while Martha was distracted with much serving; and she went to him and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:39-42).
True obedience means listening to Christ and doing his word, as he obeyed the Father even unto “death on the cross” (Philippians 2:8). Then our relationship with God will be true and fulfilling.
Sin is… any freely chosen word, deed, or desire against God’s law and against reason, truth, and right conscience… (CCC 1849); that turns our hearts from God’s love (CCC 1860). “Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight” (Psalm 51:4).
False Excuses
Sin ruptures our relationship with Jesus Christ, the source of the freely given gift of grace and eternal beatitude. Sin is thus the principal obstacle to true happiness, as it hurts relationships key to that happiness.
Some use “science” to excuse behavior, seeking a genetic component to alcoholism, homosexuality, or even violent crime, making a person not responsible for decisions he makes that are detrimental to his family or to others. They think: How can there be any sin where biology has predetermined our fate?
Likewise, we may have a genetic predisposition to alcoholism. But that does not excuse our personal responsibility to avoid situations with alcohol if they would lead to drunkenness and physical or verbal abuse of a spouse, children, or others. We make a choice when we walk down that street with the bar on the corner although the ability to choose disappears when we walked in the door. Choices impact relationships and thus have moral implications.