  One of the things I come up against in conversations about Church teachings is the refusal of a many people to admit that sin exists or has any application to modern life. If they don't believe in sin, it follows that they absolutely refuse to accept the concept that sin has consequences in their lives regardless of their belief. It isn't a matter of condemnation although a lot of people think that is what I am doing. It is a matter of seeing reality clearly so one can make the proper choices. Whether or not someone believes in the law of gravity, they will still plummet to the bottom of the cliff if they step off. I certainly was gratified to see the Holy Father talking about having to deal personally with that very same problem. This passage in Crossing the Threshold of Hope by Pope John Paul II perfectly summarizes the whole conflict of modern thought with the reality of sin.
It emphasizes what is seen repeatedly in Jesus' and, consequently, the Church's teachings. We must accept the reality of sin. However, the reason for that acceptance is not for condemnation but so that we can fully accept God's redemptive love. The italics are the Pope's emphasis. This is another point that is absolutely unacceptable to post-Enlightenment thought.
It refuses to accept the reality of sin and, in particular, it refuses to accept original sin. When during my last visit to Poland, I chose the Decalogue and the commandment of love as a theme for the homilies, all the Polish followers of the "enlightened agenda" were upset. For such people, the Pope becomes persona non grata when he tries to convince the world of human sin...What else can the Church do? Nevertheless, convincing the world of the existence of sin is not the same as condemning it for sinning. "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
" Convincing the world of sin means creating the conditions for its salvation. Awareness of our own sinfulness, including that which is inherited, is the first condition for salvation; the next is the confession of this sin before God, who desires only to receive this confession so that He can save man. To save means to embrace and life up with redemptive love, with love that is always greater than any sin. 
