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Can Games be a Virtue?

2/1/2014

With the fanfare of the Super-bowl comes the interesting question for us Catholics to think about. Is this virtuous or not? We shall not make a definitive judgement of the Super-bowl itself, but we shall lay out the principles for us to follow with regards to whether there is Virtue in Games. The principles espoused here shall be taken directly form St. Thomas and his Summa Theologica, namely the second section of the second part of the Summa Q 168 Article 2, found here. We shall answer it in the same way St Thomas approaches it. We shall give a few objections, answer the question in detail, then answer the objections one by one.

Whether there can be virtue in games?

Objection 1. Seems not, for St Ambrose says (De Office. 1 23) "Our Lord said: 'Woe to you who laugh, for you shall weep.' Wherefore I consider that all, and not only excessive, games should be avoided." Now something virtuous should not be avoided, therefore games are not virtuous.

Objection 2. "Virtue is that which God forms in us, without us," and Chrysostom says [Hom. vi in Matth.]: "It is not God, but the devil, that is the author of fun. Listen to what happened to those who played: 'The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.'" Therefore there can be no virtue about games.

Objection 3. Aristotle says (Ethic. x, 6) that "playful actions are not directed to something else." (the only end is the fun itself. Ed.) But it is a necessary for virtue that the person in choosing should "direct his action to something else," as the Philosopher states (Ethic. ii, 4). Therefore there can be no virtue about games.

BUT
St. Augustine says (Music. ii, 15): "I pray thee, spare thyself at times: for it becomes a wise man sometimes to relax the high pressure of his attention to work." Now this relaxation of the mind from work consists in playful words or deeds. Therefore it becomes a wise and virtuous man to have recourse to such things at times. Moreover Aristotle [Ethic. ii, 7; iv, 8] assigns to games the virtue of eutrapelia, which we may call "pleasantness."

NOW
Just as we need rest for the body, as we can not always be at work as bodies have limits, likewise our souls have limits and need rest. When our souls work they also tire our bodies, because the mind needs the body to process thoughts by using the imagination etc. The sensible things are easier for our mind because they come naturally, but when we think of things beyond them, like contemplation, the weariness is greater and wears us out more, body and soul.

A tired body is relieved by resting, the soul's rest is pleasure. So the remedy for weariness of the soul is some application of pleasure by releasing the tension of ones studying. Thus it is related of St. John the Evangelist, that when some people were scandalized on finding him playing together with his disciples, he is said to have told one of them who carried a bow to shoot an arrow. When they had shoot an arrow several times, he asked him whether he could do it indefinitely, the man answered that if he continued doing it, the bow would break. From this St. John drew the inference that likewise a man's mind would break if its tension were never relaxed.

Aristotle says (Ethic. iv, 8) that "in the intercourse of this life there is a kind of rest that is associated with games": and consequently it is sometimes necessary to make use of such things. But caution must be taken in three ways:

The pleasure sought must not be indecent or cause injury in word or deed. No discourteous, insolent or scandalous jokes.
One must not lose ones balance of mind, as St Ambrose warns, "We should beware lest, when we seek relaxation of mind, we destroy all that harmony which is the concord of good works", just as we do not allow children to enjoy absolute freedom in their games, but only that which is consistent with good behaviour, so our very fun should reflect something of an upright mind.
We must be careful to conform ourselves to persons, time, and place, and take due account of other circumstances, so that our fun "befit the hour and the man," as Tully says (De Offic. I, 29).

Therefore there can be virtue in games so long as we turn our minds well. We are said to be pleasant by being witty and giving words and actions a cheerful turn, and in as much as this virtue restrains from immoderate fun is it comprised under modesty.

Reply to objection 1
As we have just said fun should be suited to times and persons. Sacred doctrine is concerned with things of great importance, but St Ambrose does not altogether exclude fun from human speech, but from sacred doctrine, hence he begins the above quote by saying: "Although jokes are at times fitting and pleasant, nevertheless they are incompatible with the ecclesiastical rule; since how can we have recourse to things which are not to be found in Holy Writ?"

Reply to objection 2
This saying of St. Chrysostom refers to the inordinate use of fun, especially by those who make the pleasure of games their end; of whom it is written (Wis. 15:12): "They have accounted our life a pastime." Against these Tully says (De Offic. i, 29): "We are so begotten by nature that we appear to be made not for play and fun, but rather for hardships, and for occupations of greater gravity and moment."

Reply to objection 3
Playful actions themselves considered in their various kinds are not directed to an end: but the pleasure derived from such actions is directed to the recreation and rest of the soul, and if this be done with moderation, it is lawful to make use of fun. Hence Tully says (De Offic. i, 29): "It is indeed lawful to make use of play and fun, but in the same way as we have recourse to sleep and other kinds of rest, then only when we have done our duty by grave and serious matters."

[Ed. So from what St Thomas says, it is more important for those who engage their minds in the higher things to take rest and pleasure from games. So, do not be scandalized if you see Monks, Priests, Brothers, or Sisters out there playing games or kicking a ball for the fun of it. Indeed it helps to give virtuous pleasure (rest) to their minds, enabling them to attain greater works of contemplation, from their rested minds.]

Remedies against Temptations

1/24/2014

by St Alphonsus

Let us come now to the means which we have to employ in order to vanquish temptations. Spiritual masters prescribe a variety of means; but the most necessary, and the safest (of which only I will here speak), is to have immediate recourse to God with all humility and confidence, saying: Incline unto my aid, O God; O Lord, make haste to help me! This short prayer will enable us to overcome the assaults of all the devils of hell; for God is infinitely more powerful than all of them. Almighty God knows well that of ourselves we are unable to resist the temptations of the infernal powers; and on this account the most learned Cardinal Gotti remarks, “that whenever we are assailed, and in danger of being overcome, God is obliged to give us strength enough to resist as often as we call upon him for it.”

And how can we doubt of receiving help from Jesus Christ, after all the promises that he has made us in the Holy Scriptures? Come to Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you? Come to me, ye who are wearied in fighting against temptations, and I will restore your strength. Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt honor Me. When thou seest thyself troubled by thine enemies, call upon me, and I will bring thee out of the danger, and thou shalt praise me. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall hear: thou shalt cry and He shall say, Here I am. Then shalt thou call upon the Lord for help, and he will hear thee: thou shalt cry out, Quick, O Lord, help me! and he will say to thee, Behold, here I am; I am present to help thee. Who hath called upon Him, and He despised him? And who, says the prophet , has ever called upon God, and God has despised him without giving him help? David felt sure of never falling a prey to his enemies, whilst he could have recourse to prayer; he says: Praising, I will call upon the Lord: and I shall be saved from my enemies? For he well knew that God is close to all who invoke his aid: The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him? And St. Paul adds, that the Lord is by no means sparing, but lavish of graces towards all that pray to him: Rich unto all that call upon Him.

Oh, would to God that all men would have recourse to him whenever they are tempted to offend him; they would then certainly never commit sin! They unhappily fall, because, led away by the cravings of their vicious appetites, they prefer to lose God, the sovereign good, than to forego their wretched short-lived pleasures. Experience gives us manifest proofs that whoever calls on God in temptation does not fall; and whoever fails to call on him as surely falls: and this is especially true of temptations to impurity. Solomon himself said that he knew very well he could not be chaste, unless God gave him the grace to be so; and he therefore invoked him by prayer in the moment of temptation: And as I knew that I could not otherwise be continent, except God gave it, . . . I went to the Lord and besought Him. In temptations against purity (and the same holds good with regard to those against faith) we must take it as a rule never to strive to combat the temptation hand to hand; but we must endeavour immediately to get rid of it indirectly by making a good act of the love of God or of sorrow for our sins, or else by applying ourselves to some indifferent occupation calculated to distract us. At the very instant that we discover a thought of evil tendency, we must disown it immediately, and (so speak) close the door in its face, and deny it all entrance into the mind, without tarrying in the least to examine its object or errand. We must cast away these foul suggestions as quickly as we would shake off a hot spark from the fire.

If the impure temptation has already forced its way into the mind, and plainly pictures its object to the imagination, so as to stir the passions, then, according to the advice of St. Jerome, we must burst forth into these words: “O Lord, Thou art my helper.” As soon, says the saint, as we feel the sting of concupiscence, we must have recourse to God, and say: “O Lord, do Thou assist me;” we must invoke the most holy names of Jesus and Mary, which a wonderful possess efficacy in the suppression of temptations of this nature. St. Francis de Sales says, that no sooner do children spy a wolf than they instantly seek refuge in the arms of their father and mother; and there they remain out of all danger. Our conduct must be the same: we must flee without delay for succor to Jesus and Mary, by earnestly calling upon them. I repeat that we must instantly have recourse to them, without giving a moment's audience to the temptation,or disputing with it. It is related in the fourth paragraph of the Book of Sentences of the Fathers that one day St. Pacomius heard the devil boasting that he had frequently got the better of a certain monk on account of his lending ear to him, and not instantly turning to call upon God. He heard another devil, on the contrary, utter this complaint: As for me, I can do nothing with my monk, because he never fails to have recourse to God, and always defeats me.

Should the temptation, however, obstinately persist in attacking us, let us beware of becoming troubled or angry at it; for this might put in it the power of our enemy to overcome us. We must, on such occasions, make an act of humble resignation to the will of God, who thinks fit to allow us to be tormented by these abominable temptations; and we must say: O Lord, I deserve to be molested with these filthy suggestions, in punishment of my past sins; but Thou must help to free me. And as long as the temptation lasts, let us never cease calling on Jesus and Mary. It is also very profitable, in the like importunity of temptations, to renew our firm purpose to God of suffering every torment, and a thousand deaths, rather than offend him; and at the same time we must invoke his divine assistance. And even should the temptation be of such violence as to put us in imminent risk of consenting to it, we must then redouble our prayers, hasten into the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, cast ourselves at the feet of the crucifix, or of some image of our Blessed Lady, and there pray with increased fervor and cry out for help with groans and tears. God is certainly ready to hear all who pray to him; and it is from him alone, and not from our own exertions, that we must look for strength to resist; but sometimes Almighty God wills these struggles of us, and then he makes up for our weakness, and grants us the victory. It is an excellent practice also, in the moment of temptation, to make the sign of the cross on the forehead and breast. It is also of great service to discover the temptation to our spiritual director. St. Philip Neri used to say, that a temptation disclosed is half overcome.

Here it will be well to remark, what is unanimously admitted by all theologians, even of the rigorist school, that persons who have during a considerable period of time been leading a virtuous life, and live habitually in the fear of God, whenever they are in doubt, and are not certain whether they have given consent to a grievous sin, ought to be perfectly assured that they have not lost the divine grace; for it is morally impossible that the will, confirmed in its good purposes for a considerable lapse of time, should on a sudden undergo so total a change as at once to consent to a mortal sin without clearly knowing it; the reason of it is, that mortal sin is so horrible a monster that it cannot possible enter a soul by which it has long been held in abhorrence, without her being fully aware of it. We have proved this at length in our Moral Theology. St. Teresa said: No one is lost without knowing it; and no one is deceived with out the will to be deceived.

Wherefore with regard to certain souls of delicate conscience, and solidly rooted in virtue, but at the same time timid and molested with temptations (especially if they be against faith or chastity), the director will find it sometimes expedient to forbid them to discover them or make any mention of them; because, if they have to mention them they are led to consider how such thoughts got entrance into their minds, and whether they paused to dispute with them, or took any complacency in them, or gave any consent to them; and so, by this too great reflection, those evil imaginations make a still deeper impression on their minds, and disturb them the more. Whenever the confessor is morally certain that the penitent has not consented to these suggestions, the best way is to forbid him to speak any more about them. And I find that St. Jane Frances de Chantal acted precisely in this manner. She relates of herself, that she was for several years assailed by the most violent storms of temptation, but had never spoken of them in confession, since she was not conscious of ever having yielded to them; and in this she had only followed faithfully the rule received from her director. She says, “ I never had a full conviction of having consented.” These words give us to understand that the temptations did produce in her some agitation from scruples; but in spite of these, she resumed her tranquillity on the strength of the obedience imposed by her confessor, not to confess similar doubts. With this exception, it will be generally found an admirable means of quelling the violence of temptations to lay them open to our director, as we have said above.

But I repeat, the most efficacious and the most necessary of all remedies against temptations, is that remedy of all remedies, namely, to pray to God for help, and to continue praying as long as the temptation continues. Almighty God will frequently have decreed success, not to the first prayer, but to the second, third, or fourth. In short, we must be thoroughly persuaded that all our welfare depends on prayer: our amendment of life depends on prayer: our victory over temptations depends on prayer; on prayer depends our obtaining divine love, together with perfection, perseverance, and eternal salvation.

You might also like: Why God permits temptations

Scandal - The real notion and distinctions

6/26/2013

Notion of scandal
According to St. Thomas (II-II, Q. liii, a. 1) scandal is a word or action evil in itself, which occasions another's spiritual ruin. It is a word or action, that is either an external act—for an internal act can have no influence on the conduct of another—or the omission of an external act, because to omit what one should do is equivalent to doing what is forbidden; it must be evil in itself, or in appearance; this is the interpretation of the words of St. Thomas: minus rectum. It is not the physical cause of a neighbor's sin, but only the moral cause, or occasion; further, this moral causality may be understood in a strict sense, as when one orders, requests, or advises another to commit the sin (this is strictly inductive scandal, which some call co-operation in a broad sense), or in a large sense, as when a person without being directly concerned in the sin nevertheless exercises a certain influence on the sin of his neighbor, e.g. by committing such a sin in his presence (this is inductive scandal in a broad sense). For scandal to exist it is therefore essential and sufficient, with regard to the nature of the act and the circumstances under which it takes place, that it be of a nature to induce sin in another; consequently it is not necessary that the neighbour should actually fall into sin; and on the other hand, for scandal strictly so-called, it is not enough that a neighbour take occasion to do evil from a word or action which is not a subject of scandal and exercises no influence on his action; it must be a cause of spiritual ruin, that is of sin, consequently that is not scandal which merely dissuades the neighbour from a more perfect act, as for instance, prayer, the practice of the Evangelical virtues, the more frequent use of the sacraments, etc. Still less can that be considered scandal, which only arouses comment, indignation, horror etc., for instance blasphemy committed in the presence of a priest or of a religious; it is true that the act arouses indignation and in common parlance it is often called scandalous, but this way of speaking is inaccurate, and in strictly theological terminology it is not the sin of scandal. Hence scandal is in itself an evil act, at least in appearance, and as such it exercises on the will of another an influence more or less great which induces to sin. Furthermore, when the action from which another takes occasion of sin is not bad, either in itself or in appearance, it may violate charity (see below), but strictly speaking it is not the sin of scandal. However, some authorities understanding the word scandal in a wider sense include in it this case

Divisions

(1) Scandal is divided into active and passive. Active scandal is that which has been defined above; passive scandal is the sin which another commits in consequence of active scandal. Passive scandal is called scandal given (scandalum datum), when the act of the scandalizer is of a nature to occasion it; and scandal received (acceptum), when the action of the one who scandalizes is due solely to ignorance or weakness—this is scandal of the weak (infirmorum),—or to malice and evil inclinations—this is pharisaical scandal, which was that of the Pharisees with regard to the words and actions of Christ.

(2) Active scandal is direct when he who commits it has the intention of inducing another to sin; such is the sin of one who solicits another to the crime of adultery, theft etc. If one prevails upon another to commit the sin not only because of an advantage or pleasure believed to accrue therefrom but chiefly because of the sin itself, because it is an offence to God or the ruin of a neighbor's soul, direct scandal is called by the expressive name of diabolical scandal. On the other hand scandal is only indirect when without the intention to cause another to fall into sin we say a word or perform a deed which is for him an occasion of sin

Malice

(1) That active scandal is a mortal sin Christ Himself has taught (Matthew 18:6 sqq.) and reason makes evident. If charity obliges us to assist our neighbor's temporal and spiritual necessities (see ALMS; CORRECTION) it obliges us still more strongly not to be to him a cause of sin or spiritual ruin. Hence it follows that every sin of scandal is contrary to charity.
Moreover (2) direct scandal is obviously contrary to the virtue against which another is induced to sin; in fact every virtue forbids not only its violation by ourselves but also that we should desire its violation by another.
(3) Indirect scandal is also contrary to charity (see above); but is it also opposed to the virtue violated by another? St. Alphonsus answers in the affirmative; others, and this seems the true opinion, deny this. In fact no one has hitherto proved this species of malice, and those who admit it are not consistent with themselves, for they should also maintain, which no one does, that anyone who is indirectly the cause of an injustice by another is also bound to restitution; what is true of justice should hold good for the other virtues.

Cases in which the sin of scandal occurs

The question remains: When is there a sin of scandal? for it is obvious not all who an occasion of sin to others are thereby guilty.

(1) As a general rule the sin of scandal exists when one directly induces another to do a thing which he cannot do without sin, either formal or material, e.g. by soliciting a person to perjury, drunkenness, sins of the flesh, etc., even though the person induced to this act is habitually or at the time disposed to commit it. It is otherwise when the thing we ask is good or indifferent; this may be done without scandal and without sin, when there is a just cause or serious reason for asking it; even though one foresees that the other will probably sin in granting it; thus for the common weal a judge may demand an oath even from those who will probably commit perjury; one who has need of money and who cannot find anyone who will lend to him may have recourse to an usurer although he foresees that the latter will exact exorbitant and unjust interest, etc. The thing asked must be without sin either formal or material because it is not allowed to profit by the ignorance of another to induce him to commit what is forbidden, to cause a child to utter blasphemies, to induce someone who is unaware of the precept of the Church to eat flesh on a fast day and so on. In fact in all these cases the sin is to be ascribed to the person who endeavors to cause it This is the general rule, but here the question arises, may one advise another bent on committing a great crime to be satisfied instead with doing something less evil? This question is much discussed, but the opinion which considers such a course justifiable is probable and may be followed in practice. In fact the advice thus given is not properly speaking advice to do evil but to do a lesser evil or rather not to do the greater evil which a man intends to commit; therefore some writers exact that the words or circumstances must demonstrate that one advises the evil solely as the lesser evil; others, however, consider it sufficient that such be the intention, even when not made manifest, of the person who gives the advice. Nevertheless, if a man had decided to do an injury to a certain person one could not—unless in exceptional circumstances—induce him to do a lesser injury to any other person.

(2) He is guilty of the sin of scandal who without positively pledging or inducing to sin nevertheless performs an act evil in itself which will be an occasion of sin to another. The same must be said when the act is evil only in appearance, unless there be sufficient reason to act and to permit the fault of another Thus those who blaspheme before others when they foresee that their example will cause the latter to blaspheme are guilty of scandal; so also those who attack religion or morals, hold immoral conversation, sing immoral songs or (by their behaviour dress, writings etc.) offend against the laws of decency and modesty, when they foresee, as is usual, that those who see, hear, or read will be impelled to sin.

(3) To prevent another's sin one may even be bound to forego an act which is sinful neither in itself nor in appearance, but which is nevertheless the occasion of sin to another, unless there be sufficient reason to act otherwise. It has already been shown that when there is a just cause we may ask of another a thing which he can do without sin although we may foresee that he will not do it without fault. Likewise we are not bound to be disturbed by pharisaical scandal, which may follow an action we perform; but we must avoid scandalizing the weak if we can do so easily. The application of these principles depends on concrete circumstances, which vary with each case; however, the following general rules may be given:

To prevent scandalizing another we must never transgress the negative precepts of the natural law, nor its positive precepts in cases where they truly bind; thus it is not permitted to lie to prevent a mortal sin, neither can one neglect receiving baptism to avoid the blasphemies of one's parents.

It is not permitted to pass over any precept whatever in order to prevent pharisaical scandal, but we may and even should, in special cases and for one or two occasions, pass over a precept whether Divine or human, to avoid scandalizing the weak.

We should, to avoid scandal, forego good or indifferent works which are not of precept, if we can do so without great inconvenience.

Finally, to prevent the scandal of the weak we are sometimes obliged to sacrifice some temporal good of less importance, but we are not bound to do this when the goods are of greater importance.

Overcoming Self - The big hurdle!

5/24/2013

We must struggle daily to do the Will of God if we wish to attain Heaven; in this consists perfection.

Herein are presented some thoughts from the Saints and others, who sought the Will of God to a heroic degree, in order to give useful insights on how to continually strive towards our purpose in our daily life.

Humility: The virtue of humility is deemed by the saints the foundation and the safeguard of all the other virtues. St. Augustine says that humility must accompany all our actions, must be with us everywhere; for as soon as we glory in our good works they are of no further value to our advancement in virtue. There are many quotes from Our Lord and the Bible emphasizing the importance of humility. Who will be great in God's eyes? "At that hour the disciples came to Jesus saying, 'Who then is greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?' And Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in their midst, and said, 'Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Whoever, therefore, humbles himself as this little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.'" (Matt. 18:1-4). "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6). "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will exalt you." (James 4:10). "Learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart." (Matt. 11:29).

Charity: St. Margaret Mary, who received from our Divine Lord many communications relative to Charity, was shown the soul of a deceased person who had to undergo but a light chastisement, and Our Lord told her that among all the good works which this person had performed in the world, He had taken into special consideration certain humiliations to which she had submitted in the world, because she had suffered them in the spirit of charity, not only without murmuring, but even without speaking of them. Our Lord added that, as a reward, He had given her a mild and favourable judgement. "Charity covereth a multitude of sins." (1 Peter 4:8) St. Jane Frances, desiring that all actions of her daughters might proceed from a spirit of charity, had written upon the walls of the halls through which they most frequently passed the qualities which St. Paul gives to this sublime virtue: "Charity is patient, is kind; charity envieth not; dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up; is not ambitious; seeketh not her own; is not provoked to anger; thinketh no evil." If it happened that one of her spiritual daughters failed in charity, she sent her to read this sentence, which she called the mirror of the monastery.

Eternity, the Great Thought: "In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin." (Ecclus. 7:40). The honors, riches and pleasures of the world are transitory things. Nothing is truly great but that which is eternal. Even the most hardened sinners have often been converted from their wicked ways to a penitential life by the terror of these thundering truths: Death, judgement, hell, eternity. Keep in mind the eternal years. "What shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul?" (Mark 8:36). "The best way to prepare for death is to spend every day of life as though it were the last. Think of the end of worldly honor, wealth and pleasure and ask yourself: And then? And then?" (St. Philip Neri).

Devotion to Mary: One of the greatest means of salvation is devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. The saints are unanimous in saying that, "A devout client of Mary shall never perish." St. Thomas Aquinas said that "many souls are now in Heaven through the prayers of Mary who otherwise would not be there." St. Alphonsus de Liguori says that "devotion to Mary is morally necessary for our salvation." St. Louis de Montfort said, "I have no better way of knowing if a man is for God than if he likes to say the Hail Mary and the Rosary." The Church teaches us to honor Mary as the patroness of a good death by means of the last words of the Angelic Salutation: "Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death." Whoever says this prayer piously, will die as happily as he will die holily. A dying man once asked: "Whence comes the joy which beams on your face at the moment when you see you are about to expire?" "It is," he replied, "because having prayed so often during all the days of my life to the Blessed Virgin for a holy and a happy death, I cannot believe that she will refuse me a favor I have asked for so often." Let us say the Hail Mary with equal attention and fervor, and we shall have the same consolation at our last hour.

Resignation to the Will of God: Like Our Lord, we must yield ourselves as living sacrifices to God, content, as far as our will goes, to accept health or illness, wealth or poverty, interior peace or the conflict with temptation. God knows what is best, and He can and will provide the necessary means of sanctification for each of the souls that are so dear to Him, and this thought should help us to cast all our care on Him.

Prayer: "Prayer is nothing else than speaking to God; and to speak to God without concentrating our attention upon Him is a thing most odious to His Divine Majesty. Being a good servant of God does not mean always being spiritually consoled, or always feeling sweet and calm, or never feeling repugnance or aversion to what is good. If this were so, neither St. Paul nor St. Catherine of Siena could have served God well. Surely sin, and sin only should cast us down and grieve us. If we have sinned, when once our act of sorrow has been made, there ought to follow in its train joy and holy consolation." (St. Francis de Sales).

False peace: "We may be misled in many ways by worldly peace. For instance, some people have all they require for their needs, besides a large sum of money shut up in their safe as well; but as they avoid mortal sin, they think they have done their duty. They enjoy their riches and give an occasional alms and never consider that their property is not their own, but that God has entrusted it to them as His stewards for the good of the poor, and that they will have to render a strict account of the time they kept it shut up on their money chests, if the poor have suffered on account of their hoarding and delay." (St. Teresa of Avila)

Fear of offending God: "Have a holy fear of consciously doing anything that may grieve the Holy Spirit; a holy fear of going anywhere, entering into any engagements, amusements, societies, friendships, intimacies, which can come between God and your soul. I have been often asked whether it is lawful to go to theater. My answer has been always, 'I cannot forbid you. If you ask what I advise, I say without hesitation, Do not go. I would to God that those who can refrain from such things, as an offering to our Divine Redeemer, would refrain forever." (Cardinal Manning, 1808-1892).

Mortification: "Mortification in eating is the alphabet of a spiritual life; and he who knows not how to subdue his gluttony will find it no easy matter to triumph over other vices which are much more difficult to conquer." (St. Vincent de Paul).

Four graces: St. Alphonsus Liguori insists repeatedly that in all our devotions, at Mass, at Holy Communion, in all our visits to the Blessed Sacrament, we should pray for these four graces for ourselves, namely: the forgiveness of our sins, the love of God, the love of prayer, and final perseverance. When these graces are secured, our salvation is assured.

The Mercy of God: "I am a God of love... never doubt My readiness to forgive. I am a Father full of compassion and never harsh. Knowing human frailty and infirmity, My Heart stoops to poor sinners with infinite mercy. I love those who after a first fall come to me for pardon. I love them still more when they beg pardon for their second sin, and should this happen again, I do not say a million times but a million million times, I still love them and pardon them, and I will wash in my blood their last sin as fully as their first. Does not a father love a sick child with special affection and greater care and solicitude? So too, is the tenderness and compassion of My Heart for sinners. Tell them that the mercy of My Heart is inexhaustible." (Our Lord's words to Sr. Josefa Menendez, June 1, 1923). St. Gertrude once heard these words in a vision, "My child, there are many more saved than thou thinkest; I condemn no one who does not willfully resist My grace."

Fruit of the Holy Ghost - 7. Mildness and 8. Long-suffering

5/23/2013

Mildness

This gift helps the soul bears suffering with equanimity, that is with an even soul. This gift affects ones initial reaction to evil inflicted on us. When something evil is done to us we can react with anger or bear it with mildness. This fruit of mildness giving us evenness of mind whereby we are neither elated nor depressed. This fruit helps us to curb anger, that knee jerk reaction to annoying things. This fruit is essential for carrying out the virtues of gentleness, temperance, and charity.

Long-suffering

Having borne that initial instance of evil we still may need to wait a while till the evil has passed. This is where the fruit of long-suffering helps us. This gift helps us patiently suffer evil over a long period, most especially from those with whom we dwell. Kindness will help us to cure the these evils and goodness to forgive the evil, but long-suffering is that boost to do the distance so to speak.

So whenever you see some good thing delayed and beyond your reach ask ardently for an increase of this fruit from the Holy Ghost.

Will The Earth Ever Be Destroyed?

5/19/2013

Certainly in its present form and structure. Our Lord Himself has said that the heavens and the earth will pass away, but that His words never fail. In speaking to men, He was speaking of the heavens and of the earth as they saw them, meaning that things as they are now will cease to be so. We are told that all is to end in a vast cataclysm, both material and moral. An extraordinary transformation will come over the whole material universe, and Christ, who came as an infant in mercy, will appear as a Judge to administer justice.

Sunday, What Work Can I Do?

5/19/2013

The same way Christians have observed it for two thousand years: Attend Mass and abstain from all unnecessary work. Fr. Kenneth Baker, S.J., explains, "Sunday should be dedicated to the Lord, at least in intention, if not by actual practice of other good works. Some activities that are in conformity with Sunday observance are reading the Bible or the life of some saint, praying the rosary, engaging in serious conversation on God and the things of the spirit, and so forth."

Sunday should be a day of joy and relaxation. It is the time for a family meal, for healthy recreation, for sport, for taking a stroll, or for going for a drive. In these and similar activities we can both praise God for his goodness and refresh our bodies and minds after the week's work.Since the time of Moses, abstinence of all unnecessary work has been an essential part of the Sunday observance. We have all heard that the Church forbids all 'servile' work on Sundays. Formerly, 'servile work' was defined as hard physical labor; thus, digging ditches, plowing, splitting wood, and so forth were so forbidden on Sunday except in cases of emergency or real necessity."In the past twenty years or so many exceptions have been placed on the meaning of servile work by moral theologians that it is just about impossible to lay down general rules.

It seems to me that what all should try to do is to observe the spirit of Sunday--worship, rest, and joy. If some kind of work does not fit into that pattern and is truly unnecessary, then it should be avoided. If anyone has serious doubt about whether or not he or she is violating God's law of the Sunday rest, then that person should seek the advice of a priest" (Fundamentals of Catholicism [San Francisco: Ignatius, 1982], I:174-175).

As a general rule with so much desecration of Sundays due to all shops being open and the sinfulness of the world, let us offer it up and spend even more time for God on His Day.

Thoughts of the Saints

5/17/2013

We must struggle daily to do the Will of God if we wish to attain Heaven; in this consists perfection. Herein are presented some thoughts from the Saints and others, who sought the Will of God to a heroic degree, in order to give useful insights on how to continually strive towards our purpose in our daily life.

Humility:

The virtue of humility is deemed by the saints the foundation and the safeguard of all the other virtues. St. Augustine says that humility must accompany all our actions, must be with us everywhere; for as soon as we glory in our good works they are of no further value to our advancement in virtue. There are many quotes from Our Lord and the Bible emphasizing the importance of humility. Who will be great in God's eyes? "At that hour the disciples came to Jesus saying, 'Who then is greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?' And Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in their midst, and said, 'Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Whoever, therefore, humbles himself as this little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.'" (Matt. 18:1-4). "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6). "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will exalt you." (James 4:10). "Learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart." (Matt. 11:29).

Charity:

St. Margaret Mary, who received from our Divine Lord many communications relative to Charity, was shown the soul of a deceased person who had to undergo but a light chastisement, and Our Lord told her that among all the good works which this person had performed in the world, He had taken into special consideration certain humiliations to which she had submitted in the world, because she had suffered them in the spirit of charity, not only without murmuring, but even without speaking of them. Our Lord added that, as a reward, He had given her a mild and favorable judgment. "Charity covereth a multitude of sins." (1 Peter 4:8) St. Jane Frances, desiring that all actions of her daughters might proceed from a spirit of charity, had written upon the walls of the halls through which they most frequently passed the qualities which St. Paul gives to this sublime virtue: "Charity is patient, is kind; charity envieth not; dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up; is not ambitious; seeketh not her own; is not provoked to anger; thinketh no evil." If it happened that one of her spiritual daughters failed in charity, she sent her to read this sentence, which she called the mirror of the monastery.

Eternity, the Great Thought:

"In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin." (Ecclus. 7:40). The honors, riches and pleasures of the world are transitory things. Nothing is truly great but that which is eternal. Even the most hardened sinners have often been converted from their wicked ways to a penitential life by the terror of these thundering truths: Death, judgment, hell, eternity. Keep in mind the eternal years. "What shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul?" (Mark 8:36). "The best way to prepare for death is to spend every day of life as though it were the last. Think of the end of worldly honor, wealth and pleasure and ask yourself: And then? And then?" (St. Philip Neri).

Devotion to Mary:

One of the greatest means of salvation is devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. The saints are unanimous in saying that, "A devout client of Mary shall never perish." St. Thomas Aquinas said that "many souls are now in Heaven through the prayers of Mary who otherwise would not be there." St. Alphonsus de Liguori says that "devotion to Mary is morally necessary for our salvation." St. Louis de Montfort said, "I have no better way of knowing if a man is for God than if he likes to say the Hail Mary and the Rosary." The Church teaches us to honor Mary as the patroness of a good death by means of the last words of the Angelic Salutation: "Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death." Whoever says this prayer piously, will die as happily as he will die holily. A dying man once asked: "Whence comes the joy which beams on your face at the moment when you see you are about to expire?" "It is," he replied, "because having prayed so often during all the days of my life to the Blessed Virgin for a holy and a happy death, I cannot believe that she will refuse me a favor I have asked for so often." Let us say the Hail Mary with equal attention and fervor, and we shall have the same consolation at our last hour.

Resignation to the Will of God:

Like Our Lord, we must yield ourselves as living sacrifices to God, content, as far as our will goes, to accept health or illness, wealth or poverty, interior peace or the conflict with temptation. God knows what is best, and He can and will provide the necessary means of sanctification for each of the souls that are so dear to Him, and this thought should help us to cast all our care on Him.

Prayer:

"Prayer is nothing else than speaking to God; and to speak to God without concentrating our attention upon Him is a thing most odious to His Divine Majesty. Being a good servant of God does not mean always being spiritually consoled, or always feeling sweet and calm, or never feeling repugnance or aversion to what is good. If this were so, neither St. Paul nor St. Catherine of Siena could have served God well. Surely sin, and sin only should cast us down and grieve us. If we have sinned, when once our act of sorrow has been made, there ought to follow in its train joy and holy consolation." (St. Francis de Sales).

False peace:

"We may be misled in many ways by worldly peace. For instance, some people have all they require for their needs, besides a large sum of money shut up in their safe as well; but as they avoid mortal sin, they think they have done their duty. They enjoy their riches and give an occasional alms and never consider that their property is not their own, but that God has entrusted it to them as His stewards for the good of the poor, and that they will have to render a strict account of the time they kept it shut up on their money chests, if the poor have suffered on account of their hoarding and delay." (St. Teresa of Avila)

Fear of offending God:

"Have a holy fear of consciously doing anything that may grieve the Holy Spirit; a holy fear of going anywhere, entering into any engagements, amusements, societies, friendships, intimacies, which can come between God and your soul. I have been often asked whether it is lawful to go to theater. My answer has been always, 'I cannot forbid you. If you ask what I advise, I say without hesitation, Do not go. I would to God that those who can refrain from such things, as an offering to our Divine Redeemer, would refrain forever." (Cardinal Manning, 1808-1892).

Mortification:

"Mortification in eating is the alphabet of a spiritual life; and he who knows not how to subdue his gluttony will find it no easy matter to triumph over other vices which are much more difficult to conquer." (St. Vincent de Paul).

Four graces:

St. Alphonsus Liguori insists repeatedly that in all our devotions, at Mass, at Holy Communion, in all our visits to the Blessed Sacrament, we should pray for these four graces for ourselves, namely: the forgiveness of our sins, the love of God, the love of prayer, and final perseverance. When these graces are secured, our salvation is assured.

The Mercy of God:

"I am a God of love... never doubt My readiness to forgive. I am a Father full of compassion and never harsh. Knowing human frailty and infirmity, My Heart stoops to poor sinners with infinite mercy. I love those who after a first fall come to me for pardon. I love them still more when they beg pardon for their second sin, and should this happen again, I do not say a million times but a million million times, I still love them and pardon them, and I will wash in my blood their last sin as fully as their first. Does not a father love a sick child with special affection and greater care and solicitude? So too, is the tenderness and compassion of My Heart for sinners. Tell them that the mercy of My Heart is inexhaustible." (Our Lord's words to Sr. Josefa Menendez, June 1, 1923). St. Gertrude once heard these words in a vision, "My child, there are many more saved than thou thinkest; I condemn no one who does not willfully resist My grace."

Virtue Of Temperance Part 1

5/17/2013

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Temperance

We must take a good look at the word temperance and its true meaning in order to fully grasp the subject concerning temperance as a cardinal virtue

Temperance is one of the four cardinal virtues upon which swings the gates of life. To be temperate in common language which usually means to be moderate to be reserved, but this is only a part of the picture. Just as with fortitude which was the overcoming or avoiding of the evil so as to obtain the good, with temperance the same applies.

But temperance is more than merely doing of good acts, it involves the ordering of the inner self. It implies that we look to ourselves and our state or condition and focus on self.

Beware! For this turning to look on ourselves can have two kinds, one is selfish the other selfless.

To be selfless makes for man's self-preservation
To be selfish makes for man's destruction

This is the key to Temperance

Genuine self-preservation is the turning of man towards himself, but with the condition that he does not fix all his attention upon himself. So we can say that Temperance is selfless self-preservation

Intemperance, on the hand is self destruction through the selfish degrading of the powers we have, which should be aimed at self-preservation.

When this order becomes upset we say that the passions have got the better of us, but in fact it is not our passions which are bad, for they are merely the material which can be used for either good or bad, but it is we ourselves that either hold up or destroy this order. As St. Paul says, “ For I do not the good that I wish, but the evil that I do not wish that I do.” Romans Ch. 7, v. 19.

Take the example of a gun, it is an instrument for propelling at high speed a metal projectile. In itself it is neither good nor bad, yet it can be used to save life or destroy it, to kill or to protect from being killed. The evil comes not from the gun but from the use of the gun, that is from man.

The powers to which temperance refers are the most essential for preserving our life and for the preserving of the human race. They are also the ones which are first to work in the opposite direction, they can most easily bring unrest to the soul because they belong to the very essence and core of man.

This turning to self with a selfless self-preservation, is a loving of our true self, it is an ordering so that man does not miss the target. We must not seek ourselves blindly but correspond with open eyes to the true reality, God, ourselves and the world. Therefore to desire the inner order for its own sake become ridiculous. True love is selfless, it is the desire to see good done to the object of our love, all the good we see in ourselves is a refection of the goodness of God. So in loving the true self and wish true good to ourselves, is loving and wishing good to God.

Our Lord was asked what was the greatest of the commandments and he answered, “ to love the Lord God with all our heart, strength and soul, and to love our neighbour as ourselves.” Now if we are commanded to love our neighbour as ourselves then we are commanded to love ourselves with a true love. To retain the order in our souls shows that we truly love ourselves.

Temperance then is the preservation of the inner order of man. Temperance not only preserves the order but defends it, and by defending the order from attack, the order is maintained. The enemy is the selfish disorder, selfish love which disregards the good, and wants only to satisfy and use nature for perverted ends.

Chastity and Unchastity

Unchastity destroys the structure of the person, but how?

Unchastity falsifies and corrupts the virtue of prudence. Everything that attacks and is in conflict with the virtue of prudence, originates in most cases from unchastity. Unchastity brings with it a bindness of spirit which pretty well excludes all understanding of the goods of the spiritual part of man. It splits and makes difficult the power of decision, as well as making the ability for contemplation and concentration very difficult. This is why chastity is a necessary requirement for contemplation, and prayer, so only after demanding chastity from Subdeacons does she impose upon them the prayer of the Church the Breviary.

The process of blinding a man’s mind by unchastity is not like a plant which wilts because you forget to water it, but this blindness is the very essence of unchastity, which is by its very nature destructive. It is not its outward effect and something that follows as a consequence, but this blindness is its essential property.

Unchastity destroys in a special way the self-possession which comes from acting in accord to reason. This unchaste abandon and the self-surrender of the soul to the world of sensuality paralyses the very depths of a man’s person: the ability to perceive and understand, in silence, the call of reality, and as well to make in this silence, the decision here and now for the concrete action which needs to be done.

The essence of prudence is to face squarely all the things that surround our concrete actions. Unchastity constricts man and makes him incapable of seeing objective reality. An unchaste man wants above all something for himself; he in distracted by an unobjective “interest”; his constantly strained will-to-pleasure prevents him from confronting reality with that selfless detachment which alone makes genuine knowledge possible.

An example is that of the lion who, at the sight of a stag, is unable to perceive anything but the anticipated meal. In an unchaste heart, attention is not merely fixed upon a certain track, but the “window’ of the soul has lost its “transparency”, that is, its capacity for perceiving reality, as if a film of dust had covered it.

The inner nature of unchastity lies in selfishness. St. Augustine says that, “Chaste is the heart that loves God without looking for reward.” We say that prudence is most of all poisoned and perverted by unchastity, but how does this happen?

Prudence implies a transformation of the knowledge of truth into decisions which correspond to the real world. This is done in three steps: thinking about what has to be done, judging what should be done, then making the decision to act upon all this.

Here is a table to show the difference between someone who is temperate, and one who is intemperate, when it comes to being prudent,

Prudence

The Temperate man

Looks at the truths of things
Weighs things up, for and against
Makes his decision with full control

The Intemperate man

Acts recklessly and without consideration
Makes his judgement in great hast
Abandons himself to the pull of the senses

Chastity renders one able to see reality, not only everyday things as they really are, but also the ultimate reality, enabling a man to the most selfless dedication of love, that is contemplation, where a man turns towards the Divine being and is enabled to become aware of this truth, which is also the highest good.

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Virtue Of Temperance Part 3

5/16/2013

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Pride

Opposed to the virtue of humility is pride. Pride is the inordinate desire of one’s own excellence. There are four principal manifestations of Pride:

to think that one’s gifts and talents are from oneself
to believe that the gifts of God are due strictly and solely to one’s own merits
to boast of possessing that which one does not have
to despise others and wish to appear the exclusive possessor of that which one has.

Anger

At the mention of the word anger we see usually only the uncontrolled, anti-spiritual and negative aspect. In the power of wrath the energies of human nature are clearly expressed. But wrath is not always an evil.

St. Matthew
And Jesus went into the temple of God and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple and overthrew the tables of the money changers and the chairs of them that sold doves. And he saith to them: It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but You have made it a den of thieves.

St. John

And he found in the temple them that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money
sitting. And when he had made, as it were, a scourge of little cords, he drove them all out of the temple,
the sheep also and the oxen: and the money of the changers he poured out, and the tables he overthrew. And to them that sold doves he said: Take these things hence, and make not the house of my Father a house of traffic. And his disciples remembered, that it was written: The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up.

Wrath is the strength to attack the repugnant; the power of anger is actual the power of resistance in the soul.

Thus whoever says that this power is in itself unspiritual, and something to be mortified commits the same error as one who condemns “passion” or “desire” as something absolutely evil. God created these forces of our being, so by condemning them outright you condemn He who made them, who as the liturgy says, has “ marvellously established the dignity of human nature.”

Wrath taken in its true sense is the passionate desire for just retribution, “because the nature of man is constructed of soul and body, of spirit and sense, it belongs to the good of man to devote himself utterly to virtue, namely with spirit, senses, and body alike. And therefore man’s virtue requires that the will for just retribution reside not only in the spiritual part of the soul, but also in the senses and in the body itself.” St. Thomas.

Anger is “good” if, in accordance with the order of reason, it is brought into service for the true goals of man; one who does good with “passion”, is more praiseworthy than one who is “not entirely” afire for the good. So it is plainly evident that anger which reaches all bounds and disrupts order of reason is evil and a sin. Blind wrath, a bitter spirit, and revengeful resentment, these are the three basic forms of intemperate anger, are therefore evil and contrary to order.

In the upsurge of his self-will, the intemperate angry man feels as if he were drawing his whole being together like a club ready to strike. But this is the very thing he fails to achieve. Only gentleness and mildness can accomplish it. Gentleness above all makes man master of himself. Holy Scripture speaks of its virtue in much the same terms as of patience. Through patience man is said to posses his soul; and of gentleness it is said: “Possess thy soul through gentleness”.

But this does not mean that the original power of wrath is weakened or mortified, just as chastity does not mean a weakening of the power to beget children. On the contrary: gentleness as a virtue presupposes the power of wrath; gentleness implies mastery of this power, not its weakening. We should not mistake the pale-faced harmlessness which pretends to be gentleness, for the true Christian virtue.

It is particularly in reference to overcoming the intemperateness of sensual desire that the power of wrath acquires a special importance.

An acute temptation to unchastity it is true, is most easily conquered by flight. But the addiction to degenerate pleasure-seeking can by no means be cured by a merely negative approach, by “shutting one’s eyes to it”. The deterioration of one power of the soul should be healed and supplemented by the still undamaged core of some other power. Thus it should be possible to subdue the limp intemperance by attacking the difficult task with the joy generated by the full power of wrath. Only the combination of intemperance with lazy inertia (wimpishness) which is incapable of generating anger, is a sign of virtual hopeless and complete degeneration.

Disciplining the eyes

Here we are concerned with temperance as it regulates knowledge. The essential intemperateness of the urge for knowledge is “concupiscence of the eyes”. What does this mean.

There is a gratification or satisfaction in seeing that reverses the original meaning of vision and works disorder in man himself. The true meaning of seeing is the perception of reality, not “virtual reality” but real reality! But concupiscence of the eyes does not aim to perceive reality, but merely to enjoy “seeing.” So it is what we commonly call curiosity, the roaming unrest of the soul, seeking always something new and different. It lead to the sadness of heart unwilling to accept the greatness to which God call us, to the nobility of being sons of God. It leads to the desire to burst forth from our “real self” and out into the diversity of make believe. It reaches the extremes of its destructive power when it builds itself a world according to its likeness: it surrounds itself with the perpetual moving picture of meaningless shows (video arcades, computer games, nintendo etc.) with the literally deafening noise of impressions and sensations breathlessly rushing past the windows of the senses. But behind the flimsy pomp of its façade dwells absolute nothingness; it is a world of make believe creations, which often within less than a quarter of an hour become stale and discarded. A world which, to the piercing eye of a healthy mind untouched by its contagion and corruption, it appears bare and ghostly.

The destructiveness of this disorder which originates from, and grows upon, obsessive addiction, lies in the fact that it clouds man’s power of seeing reality and truth. If such a world threatens to overgrow and smother the world of real things, as it does today, then to restrain the natural wish “to see” takes on the character of a measure of self-protection and self-defence. So that by closing the door to the world of empty shows and sounds, we can have a true knowledge and perception of God and his creation, and shape himself and the world to this truth, which reveals itself only in silence.

The Fruits of temperance

Temperance, as we have said, is the preserving and defending of man's inner order, but attached to this is the gift of beauty. Not only is temperance beautiful in itself, but it also makes men beautiful. But when we talk of beauty here we mean it in its proper sense, as the glow of the true and the good coming from the ordered state of a man, and not merely from that which we see with our senses. The beauty of temperance has a more spiritual and also “manly” aspect. The essence of this beauty does not conflict with true manliness, but it rather has a true closeness to it. Temperance as the starting point and source, so to speak of Fortitude, is the virtue of mature manliness.

The childish disorder of intemperance, in so far as we act as though we had no use of reason like a child, not only destroys beauty, it makes men cowardly; intemperance more than any other thing makes a man unable and unwilling to 'take heart' against the destroying power of evil in the world. Thus men become effeminate and wimpish.

It is not easy to see in a man's face whether he be just or unjust. Temperance or intemperance, however, loudly proclaim themselves in everything that shows forth a man's personality: in the order or disorder of the features, in the attitude, the laugh, the handwriting. Temperance, as the inner order of man, can as little remain 'purely interior' as the soul itself, for the soul is the form of the body, if the soul be in disorder by intemperance, then it must somehow be expressed externally in the body.

But also it needs to be remembered, that temperance and intemperance of outward behaviour can have its influence on the inner order of man, either to strengthen it or weaken it. From this, the importance and necessity of all the outer disciplines find there true purpose, with regards to the pleasures attached to the preservation of the human race, to the preservation of each man, with eating and drinking, with anger, and the satisfaction of curiosity and gratifying the eyes.

It is important to note that almost all pathological obsessions (sickness of the mind), which show forth a disturbed inner order, belong to the realm of temperance. All these selfish turnings to oneself are accompanied by the despair of missing the goal striven for, which is the true fulfilling of self. For it is a natural fact that man loves God more than himself, and consequently it follows that he must miss his very goal, God himself, if he follows the ungodly, the 'anti-godly,' path of selfishness.

Intemperance and despair are connected by a hidden channel. Whoever is stubborn and reckless enough to follow and pursue satisfaction in prestige and pleasure has set his foot on the road to despair. Another thing, also, is true: that one who rejects fulfilment in its true and final meaning, and, despairing of God and himself, is heading for non fulfilment. He may then well regard the artificial plastic paradise of unrestrained pleasure-seeking as the sole place not only of happiness, then of forgetfulness, and self-oblivion: ÒIn their despair, they gave themselves up to incontinence' (Ephesians 4, 19). The bondage of sin is nowhere more apparent and obvious, than in intemperance, in that obsession of selfish self-preservation, which seeks itself in vain.

Temperance on the other hand, is liberating and purifying. Above all temperance effects purification, purification of the heart is the essential purpose of temperance get quote about coming from the heart.

Purity stands for that crystal clear, morning fresh freedom from self-consciousness, which accepts selflessly the shock of profound sorrow carrying him to the brink of his very self, or when he himself is touched by the shadow of death. It is said in Scripture: Grave illness sobers the soul (Eccles. 31, 2); this sober attitude belongs to the essence of purity. By the gift of the Holy Ghost called Fear the soul is purified and feels, by grace, the inner peril of man. Its fruit is that purity which abandons all selfish searching for fulfilment. Purity is the perfect unfolding of the whole of our nature, from which alone could have come the words: 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord!' (Luke 1, 38).

Here we now see a hidden depth: purity is not only the fruit of purification; it implies also at the same time a readiness to accept God purifying intervention, terrible and fatal though it may be; to accept it with a bold straightforwardness of a trustful heart, with a Brave Heart, and thus to feel its fruitful and transforming power.

This then is the ultimate meaning of the virtue of Temperance.