If It Bleeds

Sharing more good news than bad news

10/19/2021

Rom 5:12, 15b, 17-19, 20b-21 Brothers and sisters: Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned. If by that one person’s transgression the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many. For if, by the transgression of the one, death came to reign through that one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ. In conclusion, just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so, through one righteous act acquittal and life came to all. For just as through the disobedience of one man the many were made sinners, so, through the obedience of the one the many will be made righteous. Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through justification for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Have you noticed how bad news seems far more fascinating than good news? There is an old adage in the newspaper industry that goes: “If it bleeds, it leads.” That means the leading story will often be tragic and if possible involve bloodshed. What was the front-page headline story Monday morning here in Fort Smith? Three people died in a domestic dispute, where a Fort Smith man killed his wife, his fifteen year old son, and a police officer shot and killed the man who had attacked him with a knife. If it bleeds, it leads.

And what was the conversation at lunch yesterday at the church office? We talked about that sad story. My only contribution to the conversation was to mention that I heard that Gen. Colin Powell had died from cancer and complications from the COVID virus even though he had been vaccinated. Notice how we are far more fascinated by the bad news and seem somewhat uninterested in the good news. “If it bleeds, it leads” is a rule that applies not only in newspaper, but also in our table talk.

In the first reading today, we hear perhaps my favorite scripture passage of the whole Bible, namely, Rm 5:20. St. Paul tells the Romans, “Where sin abounds, there grace abounds all the more.” In other words, no matter how bad the bad news gets, the good news is bound to be better. St. Paul understood the human psyche and our fascination with bad news, and he knew the Romans were really into blood and battle. That is why they constructed the Colosseum and why they tortured and terrorized Christians in it. It was Roman soldiers, after all, who crucified and killed our Savior on the Cross. The Romans would raise a toast to that old adage, “If it bleeds, it leads.”

And yet, St. Paul could harness our fascination for the bad news and make it the springboard to preach about the greatness of the Good News. That is, no matter what the world throws at Jesus – and there is no sin worse the deicide, the attempted killing of God – three days later we hear the Good News of the Resurrection.

It is interesting how there are 46 books in the Old Testament, that tell the tale of how bad the bad news was. And only 27 books in the New Testament, where we hear how good the Good News of love and life is. Again, the bad news seems more savory than the good news. If it bleeds, it leads, and that is pretty much what we find in the Old Testament.

My friends, as you go throughout your day, try to pay attention to what you see more of, hear more of and share more of. Is it the bad news or the good news? Which adage dominates your discussions: “If it bleeds, it leads,” or “Where sin abounds, there grace abounds all the more”? We can even merely mull over how miserable my life is, instead of counting my blessings.

That is, when you hear the bad news – and you are likely to hear a lot more bad than good – try to inject a little grace into the mixture. One way is to pray for those involved in the bad news: we can pray for that family in Fort Smith, where three people died. We can pray for the peaceful repose of the soul of Gen. Colin Powell. That is how the Good News of grace abounds more than the bad news of sin and death.

We cannot be like those three monkeys who cover their eyes, their ears and their mouth, who try to see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. We cannot bury our heads in the sand and pretend there is not a lot of bad news in the world. Nevertheless, like St. Paul taught the Romans, we can open our eyes, ears and mouth, and know that no matter how bad the bad news gets, the Good News of grace is always greater.

Praised be Jesus Christ!