Yvette Bahena

CTL 277
Reflection #2

1. How do you define sin? What for you is a good example of sin? Why is it
important to understand not only that we are called to love, but that we
sin? Do you think people are willing to see that they are sinners? Do
you think we should just see ourselves as good? Why or why not? (p. 65)
Sin too many is the simple action of doing something that goes against the rules in a religious
society. To me, sin is more than disobeying the law, it is not being true to who we are and acting
in ways we know are consciously wrong; sin is also both the actions we take or not decide to do.
Our sin is usually not in what did, not in what we could not avoid, not in what we tried not to
do. Our sin is usually where you and I are comfortable, where we do not feel the need to bother
(56). For example one cannot simply just say we will not participate in things in order to
prevent us from sinning, The failure to act and to not challenge what we believe because we are
afraid of being judge is not only a sin we cause to ourselves but also our society. I believe there
are also levels of sinning depending on the reason behind the motive.
Sin is not a black and white thing to me it involves more of the reason why we have
committed the sin. An example of sin that we are easily swayed into is the act of judging. I
personally admit my fault, as I know I was a quick one to judge based on the simple first
impressions I would get or based on the comments I would hear about that person. It hasnt been
till recently that I have learned to truly get to know someone before making them fit into a
category of acquaintances. Judging may not be seen by some as one of the worst sins compared
to rape or something at that magnitude. But it does not matter how small it may seem, we need to
acknowledge it has repercussions on people and how it can affect people deeply. Keenan brought
up a very strong point when analyzing the perspective we see ourselves in when we sin. To me

personally the idea of being strong while sinning is something new but I can see why Keenan
says we can be strong when we sin for we also need to measure the force we are wanting to sin;
for the consequences in most cases are very important. We think when we sin we are weak, and
we deliberately underestimate what we could have done (55). This is why I believe that as a
society we play an important role in helping each other see our faults. For I was only able to do
this thanks to the help of my friends, who made me see my own faults. That is why I agree with
Keenan when he states that sin is not just something that affects the individual as well as it
should not be left only for the person to commit the sin to figure out they are doing something
wrong. We are a community at least that is the relationship we should stand for and hold to,
therefore the community has also the duty to come to the individual and make suggestions/
remarks if the individual is doing something wrong.
Therefore, in the process of recognizing our sins we also need to keep in mind that we are
called to sin. Although we do need to note the difference and not assume that we should sin
because we want to or because it is something that will naturally happen. We need to be morally
conscience of our actions and try to prevent it. The reason though why we need to understand
that it is ok to sin is in order to not beat ourselves down and think we are less, especially in the
eyes of God. We need to see sin as a way to learn the path to a good life. Life is a trial and error
kind of, we do things that may appear right to us but are actually wrong and the only way we can
sometimes understand is when we try. Im a way sin is a way of living. I hate to say this but if
we dont sin then we probably have never lived. Although let me clarify and state that I am
talking here about minor sins like being risk takers/ dare devils but nothing like killing or raping.
Sometimes through the experiences, we may go through emotions that are not pleasant and we
try to find a comfort or someone who we can go to who we know their forgiveness and love will

always be there, unconditionally. Sin is the reason why we need Jesus and how we can
understand the suffering he went through for us. Because of sin, we need Christ. Without that
knowledge, we fail to recognize that need. (65) Our minds would simply be unable to
understand the relationship God is seeking to get from us, and the reason of why He sent his only
begotten son to this world, a world full of sinners.
I personally believe we are not willing to see we are sinners, because that will mean that we
would need to accept our faults and errors something that as humans we do not like to admit.
Some people would like to think of themselves as always having the correct reason behind their
actions. Others simply do not acknowledge what they are doing and things become a natural
habit. Such as Keenan describes it using Thomas ideas Thomas recognized that just as we
become what we do, conversely, if we only plan to act, but never realize that action, then we
never realize what we can become(143). Consequently, I believe we need to be able to realize
that we are not always good people. We need to recognize that in our moments of both strength
and weakness we can easily sin. Because if we are not able to accept our errors/ sins we are
never going to be able to acknowledge what we do nor the impact it might have on others. If we
do not confess our sinfulness, we never recognize our sinfulness (59). In the mist of recognizing
our sinfulness we also need to recognize ourselves as good people. I am a believer that if God
still keeps us in His mind and sent His only son for the sake of our salvation it is because there
must be some good in us. It is true that we may be our hardest critics and only see the bad side of
us, but that cannot always be the case, we need to see the goodness in us in order to have an
optimistic perspective in life. Keenan put a very powerful quote form Gustafson stating We
may not be the massa damnata, but we are evidently not the massa bona either. We are sinful
masses, saved. In a word, we are sinners, but loved (49). The most important thing we need to

remember always is that God loves us and as humans we are called to sin but we shall always
remember we are good and to keep looking forward especially when we have done something
wrong for a new tomorrow will come and new hope and opportunities to do something better
will arise. Sin teaches us never to look back complacently but always to look forward in love
and in hope. It teaches is that indeed we are strong and capable of much and that much of our
history is filled with how we could have loved but did not bother to love ( 65).
3. How do you define hope? What, in your mind, makes for a good leader? Give the
description of a real person whom you think is a leader. (p, 165)
Hope to me is the optimistic point of view where we think our issues are going to be resolved
and everything is going to be okay. In a way my idea of hope is relatively close to the Christian
perspective of what hope means. As Christians, we believe that hope is the coming of the
kingdom of God where we will finally be able to rest and enter into it. At the end both
perspectives seek for the improvement of our current state of being, we yearn for something
better. Christian hope rejects utopianism and any other pipe dream. Christian hope is, rather, the
virtue for a very real journey. It allows us to see where we are and where we need to go (156).
In the process of achieving that better state of being we are lead to interactions that may fulfill
that emptiness we are seeking to fill up. For Christians this would be coming to the ones faith. As
Aristotle mentioned it in his writings, hope is the virtue that makes possible the journey from
faith to love (156 Keenan).
In order to be a good leader one must be able to see the opportunities that there can be not
only in the present but also in the future. The leader must be hopeful for a better outcome always
on how things will come out. The leader must also have a disinterested motive and always seek
for the good of its community. But real leadership is found in those persons who in hope labor

to move us forward (160). A person from my community that I would consider a leader would
be my church choir instructor, Alma. She was the one who started the choir as she saw there
lacked a choir with a young hearts and passion. She helped it become into one of the best known
choirs in our area, before she stepped down and gave the responsibilities to someone else. The
motive of why she gave the power to someone else was because she saw she no longer had the
time nor the strength the choir required. I admire her in this sense particularly because she acted
out of disinterested love to the choir as she saw she could no longer bring the choir to its fullest
potential. Although she was not part of the weekly rehearsals she would stop by and give us her
support and encouragement to continue on. After a few years passed and things finally opened up
for her, she came back not as the leader but as a member. This is also an important quality in her
because she knew her role in the choir and did not demand the power that she could have asked
for. In the contrary she used her expertise to teach the new members how to play the mandolin
and the guitars. She was the backbone that kept the choir together for those years. After some
events occurring she saw that she needed to come back and take control to raise the choir back
up again. Now Alma is not only in charge of the one mass the choir has been part of since the
beginning but she has taken us to another mass. The choir is now responsible for singing in two
masses on Sundays. She clearly does not get paid but she says she does it not only because she
enjoys what she does, but also for her community. Alma has shown me that there are times and
places where a leader needs to stand up and lead and there are others where a leader can also just
let others be able to take control. A leader is not possessive rather he or she is wise and hopeful
for the best possible outcome.