What is the point of having maybe 7 to 8 decades of life,
more or less? Are we just born to die? Or is there something we each must do in
the place-time-space of consciousness we call life, aside from moving along the
genetic programs of our cells, i.e., to progress physically, procreate, provide,
then pass away?
Is it to correct others so that society will be better?
I submit the answer is no because our individual life-purpose
is really to correct our own selves.
Let’s remember: in the beginning, darkness
reigned; then light came, by God’s Word. “In the beginning, when God created
the heavens and the earth and the earth was without form or
shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping
over the waters… Then God said: Let there be light, and there was light”.
(Book of Genesis, 1:1-3)
We begin life with darkness and the promise of light: from
the dim warmth of mothers’ wombs, we are born into the light of the world (the Spanish
phrase for giving birth is “dar a la luz”, literally ‘to give to the light’). Similarly,
there are dark ‘programs’ in our psyche that affect our living whether we like
it or not, or are aware of it or not: we all have propensities for pride, anger
(wrath), lust, greed (avarice), gluttony, envy and sloth (acedia). Yes, we all have
predilections for what are called capital sins. Capital because they engender
other sins and vices.
But they are there for redemption, for the loving
application of the Lord’s cleansing blood and purifying light: but only with
the free exercise of our will - to repent of our sins and accept Christ’s
supreme sacrifice for our salvation. For "God created us without us: but
he did not will to save us without us.”(CCC 1847)
Also known as mortal sin, each capital sin is
a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself; it results in the
loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state
of grace; if it is not redeemed by repentance and God's forgiveness, it causes
exclusion from Christ's kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for “our freedom
has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back” (CCC 1861).
Of course, freedom is not free if one cannot choose what is
not good and not desirable; but just because we can do so, does not mean we have
to choose the bad and the undesirable. It only means the choice is all the more
important, for we choose one option despite the tantalizing availability of many
other options…
Every day we encounter such ‘other’ options in the form of dark
swirling states trying to take control of our beings, giving the illusion and
delusion that they supposedly are what we are, egging us to just give in and “go
with the flow”…
These states spawn from the root of sin
which is in the heart of man and in his free will, according to the teaching of
the Lord: "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery,
fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a man."
But in the heart also resides charity, the source of the good and pure works,
which sin wounds. (CCC 1853)
These states want us to forget that God created us - male
and female - in His own image, with a mandate for dominion. “Then God said: Let
us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion
over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild
animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth. God created mankind in
his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created
them. God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply; fill the
earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the
air, and all the living things that crawl on the earth. God also said: See, I
give you every seed-bearing plant on all the earth and every tree that has
seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food; and to all the wild animals, all the
birds of the air, and all the living creatures that crawl on the earth, I give
all the green plants for food. And so it happened. God looked at everything he
had made, and found it very good… (Genesis 1:26-31)
Indeed, we are each “very good”, yet the sin ‘program’
within us sets itself against God's love for us and turns our
hearts away from it; like the first sin, it is disobedience, a revolt against
God through the will to become "like gods," knowing and
determining good and evil; sin is thus "love of oneself even to contempt
of God”; in this proud self-exaltation, sin is diametrically opposed to the
obedience of Jesus, which achieves our salvation”. (CCC 1850)
So how do we assert our divine dominion directive and thus
correct ourselves?
By choosing wisely.
In every situation, whether or not we realize or appreciate it,
we have the power to choose. In the space between stimulus and response stands
the portal of our freedom: we can always choose our response regardless of
circumstance, even if the dark states shout ‘impossible’, ‘no other way but
give up!’
For every shadowy proclivity there is a better decision-opportunity:
the noble choice of being at-one-ment with the All-in-all, the preference of
staying in the light of the Almighty, the alternative of being attuned to the
Holy Spirit and thus of being open to His seven gifts of wisdom, understanding,
counsel, fortitude (courage), knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord for love of
Him.
When any, some or all of the seven capital sins assail us,
we can always consider, focus on and adopt their corresponding virtues.
When pride, presumption and superbia rear their haughty heads,
we can pause and choose humility, modesty, selflessness,
bravery, altruism, reverence and the giving of respect.
Humility is not thinking less of yourself but rather thinking of yourself less.
It is a spirit of self-examination and an interpretative tendency of suspicion
toward yourself and of charity toward people you disagree with; it is the audacity
of the heart necessary to undertake difficult, hard, tedious or unglamorous tasks,
and to graciously accept the sacrifices involved; it is a reverence for those
who have wisdom or those who selflessly teach in love; it is giving credit
where credit is due and not unfairly glorifying one's own self; it is being
faithful to promises, no matter how big or small they may be; and it is refraining
from despair and having the courage to confront fear and uncertainty, or
intimidation. (SV)
When wrath and anger get us hopping mad, we can pause and choose
patience, calmness, peace, mercy, ahimsa, sufferance, and tolerance. Patience
is forbearance and endurance through moderation; it is the peaceful resolution
of conflicts and injustice, and not resorting to violence; it is accepting the
grace to forgive and to show mercy to sinners and those who wrong us; it is creating a
sense of peaceful stability and community rather than that of suffering,
hostility,
and antagonism. (SV)
When lust and unbridled passions transform our actions into
obsessions and compulsions, we can pause and choose chastity, purity,
knowledge, honesty, wisdom, non-attachment to appetites and passions, and
cleanliness. Chastity is abstaining from sexual
conduct according to one's state in life and the practice of courtly love
and romantic friendship; it is cleanliness through
cultivated good health and hygiene, and maintained by refraining from intoxicants;
it is being honest with oneself, one's family, one's friends, and all of
humanity; it is embracing moral wholesomeness and achieving purity of
thought-through education and betterment; it is the ability to refrain from
being distracted and influenced by corruption, provocation, hostility,
temptation
or tender traps. (SV)
When greed, avarice and covetousness turn us into Scrooges,
we can pause and choose charity, generosity, benevolence, and self-sacrifice. The
term charity should not be confused with the more restricted modern use of the
word charity to mean benevolent giving. In Christian theology, charity—or love
(agäpé)
-- is the greatest of the three theological virtues. Love, in the sense of an
unlimited loving kindness towards all others, is held to be the ultimate
perfection of the human spirit, because it is said to both glorify and reflect
the nature of God. Such love is self-sacrificing. Confusion can arise from the
multiple meanings of the English word "love". The love that is
"caritas" or charity is distinguished by its origin – being divinely
infused into the soul – and by its residing in the will rather than emotions,
regardless of what emotions it stirs up. This love is necessary for salvation,
and with it no one can be lost. (SV)
When gluttony, gorging, and unrestrained eating and getting
threaten to derail our health and sanity, we can pause and choose temperance,
self-control, justice, honor, abstention and restraint. Temperance is constant
mindfulness of others and one's surroundings; it is practicing self-control,
abstention, moderation,
and zero-sum
or deferred gratification; it is the prudence
to judge between actions with regard to appropriate actions at a given time,
the proper moderation between self-interest and public-interest, and the
balancing of one’s rights against the rights and needs of others. (SV)
When the resentment of envy makes us stew in unhappiness and
bitterness at what we perceive as another’s ‘better fortune’, and sours our countenance
and wrinkles our faces while entertaining evil upon the other, then we can
pause and choose kindness, compassion, friendship, integrity, loyalty,
satisfaction. Kindness is charity (agape), sympathy and consideration for its
own sake; it is empathy and trust without prejudice and offense; it is unselfish
love and voluntary gentleness without bias or spite; and it is having positive
outlooks and cheerful demeanor inspiring kindness in others. (SV)
And when sloth, laziness, acedia, and wallowing in one’s
comfort zone put us in a state of suspended animation, we can pause and choose
diligence, industry, persistence, rectitude, effort, and ethics. Diligence is a
zealous and careful approach in one’s actions and work; it is marked by a
decisive work ethic, steadfastness in belief, fortitude, stick-to-itiveness,
and not giving up; it is budgeting one’s time and going by that plan; it is
monitoring one’s own activities to guard against indolence; and it is upholding
one's convictions at all times, especially when no one else is watching or
having integrity.
(SV)
And so, if we are to leave this world better than we found
it, each must say (and act accordingly): let it begin with me! Let me correct
myself: let me not be conformed to this world, but rather be transformed by the
continuing renewal of my mind (cf Romans 12:2) through my continuing choice for
awareness: of living, moving, and having my being in the charmed circle of God’s
Light and Love.
References:
New American Bible Revised Edition
