amor sui

The late Pope John Paul II wrote about St. Augustine's notion of original sin. Augustine described it like this: amor sui usque ad contemptum Dei (self-love to the point of contempt for God). It was amor sui which drove our first parents toward that initial rebellion and then gave rise to the spread of sin througout human history.

JPII says: The only way to overcome this dimension of original sin is through a corresponding amor Dei usque ad contemptum sui (love for God to the point of contempt of self).

This is done by the Holy Spirit. It is he who allows us to penetrate deeply into the mysterium Crucis and at the same time to plumb the depths of the evil perpetrated by humans. That is what the expression "convince the world about sin" means. If the Church, through the power of the Holy Spirit, can call evil by its name, it does so only in order to demonstrate that evil can be overcome if we open ourselves to amor Dei usque ad contemptum sui. This is the fruit of Divine Mercy.

In Jesus Christ, God bends down over humanity to hold out a hand to us, to raise us up, and to help us continue our journey with renewed strength. We cannot get back onto our feet unaided: we need the help of the Holy Spirit.