Lk 12,8-12
I tell you, if anyone openly declares himself for me in the presence of human beings, the Son of man will declare himself for him in the presence of God’s angels. But anyone who disowns me in the presence of human beings will be disowned in the presence of God’s angels. Everyone who says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven, but no one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will be forgiven.
‘When they take you before synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how to defend yourselves or what to say, because when the time comes, the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say.’
The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit – it is a difficult subject!
Some very scrupulous souls are afraid that they have committed sin against the Holy Spirit, which according to the Scriptures cannot be forgiven.
The sin against the Holy Spirit, however, happens only if one has full knowledge of the truth, but acts differently and does not correct it. The result is that one remains culpably in growing blindness. We cannot judge other people whether they have done so because we do not know what is happening between them and God in the hour of death and what the state of their knowledge about God is and other circumstances.
What is certain, however, is that Satan has done so, for sin cannot be forgiven him, nor does he ask for it. There is no repentance and longing for God in him, but the perpetual perseverance in sin and no true knowledge of God’s love. May God preserve every human being to die in the sin against the Holy Spirit.
A denial of the Lord- as bad as it is – can be forgiven! We know this situation with Saint Peter, who three times denied, repented and was forgiven by Jesus (cf. Mk 14,66-72). Jesus did not even take away from him his mission and yet made him the head of the Holy Church, for this denial came from the fear of death or other existential fears and was not a consequence of a rebellion against God, as it is the case with sin against the Holy Spirit!
It is not uncommon for us in the Church to have seen people who, out of weakness, deny the Lord in the face of great dangers. Not all people have the strength to suffer martyrdom, but some may have denied the Lord for their advantage, which would then be judged differently.
The key to resist in great danger is the Holy Spirit. In the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, we speak specifically of the spirit of strength. This gift gives us the strength to go beyond our human weakness and confess the Lord. Only if we fully adhere to It and do not fall back into the weakness of our human nature will it be possible to make the good confession in great danger. Our own strength is not enough, as we saw with Saint Peter, who was so strengthened by the Holy Spirit after Pentecost that he now fearlessly proclaimed the Gospel (cf. Acts 2,14-36) and was later able to suffer martyrdom.
That is why it is so important to live in intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit so that all the gifts of the Spirit may unfold in us. Often the relationship to the Holy Spirit is not yet properly understood and lived, who is our inner master and teacher.
The intervention of the Holy Spirit is also necessary for the situation referred to in the text afterwards. The Holy Spirit is the one who will enter into what we have to say in the hour of our defense. That is so certain and we can rely so much on the fact that we do not need to prepare our defence humanely.
In this way, we can also overcome all personal difficulties, the growing threats in the world, and some confusion in our Church in trusting in the Holy Spirit. He will teach us the right answer in all situations and strengthen us. However, we must ensure that, through an authentic following of Christ, we are in the right disposition to receive his help!