We are our own worst enemy

WE need to be more aware of this hideous possibility, one that is very likely and, in fact, is now widespread. Obviously, we have to understand it properly.

The proper context of this ugly, often ignored assertion, one that is often swept under the carpet, is what Christ said: “If any man come to me and does not hate…his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” (Lk 14,26)

It’s clear from here that things can develop in such a way that our very own life, our very own self can compete with God himself, thus constituting the most radical anomaly that can befall on us.

The original state of justice and harmony when God created the world and us was damaged when our first parents committed sin, which we now all inherit. And from there, the river of sin continues with each one of us committing it.

It is through our sin that evil entered into the world and into our life. Sin’s worst consequence is death, not only in the physical sense but mainly in the spiritual and moral sense.

As to a more detailed description of the sin’s damage on us and the world, St. John has this to say: “For all that is in the world is the concupiscence of the flesh, and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life, which is not of the Father, but is of the world.” (1 Jn 2,16)

These words echo what is said in the Book of Ecclesiastes: “Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity,” (1,2) that lament the sad condition the world and humanity have fallen into after sin. They describe the helpless, hopeless condition of the world if unredeemed by God and unreciprocated by us.

This is how the world is now defaced by our sin.

As the Catechism teaches, there are three main sources of temptation—the world, the devil and our own flesh. Of these three, it is the third, our own flesh, that is the most insidious. It is the trickiest and the slipperiest.

This truth can easily be understood if we realize that in the end it is us who makes the choice between good and evil. The world around us can be filled with all sorts of elements, both good and bad, but at the end of the day, it is us who will choose either to be good or bad.

The devil has no power over us unless we allow him to dominate us. Neither the world that originally was good since it is God’s creation, but now has absorbed the effects of our sin through time.

The Catechism says it directly: “The root of all sins lies in the human heart.” (1873) Of course, the opposite is also true—our goodness will also spring from our heart as it tries to correspond to God’s grace. In short, we are our own worst enemy as well as our own best friend depending on how our heart turns.

This elemental flaw in our wounded nature is responsible for all sorts of sins that we can commit. These sins can be grouped under 7 capital sins: pride, avarice, envy, anger, lust, gluttony and sloth.

We have to be wary of this fact of life and develop the proper attitude, skills and virtues to handle it properly. Especially these days, with the onslaught of the electronic social networkings, we have to make sure that we are not deceived and beguiled by the tremendous ease and practicality they offer us.

In this new medium, it is very easy for people to fall into wasting time and to succumb to the alluring web of narcissism. It poses a big challenge for us to distinguish the good and bad usages of these electronic networking services.

There is a lot of vanity involved in the Facebook exchanges, for example. There are subtle and even open fishing for praises, and a whole pile of tactlessness that has become as common as the air we breathe.

Obviously, this networking business has many good and practical uses, especially in the area of nourishing friendship and contact among friends and relatives. But the need for a discriminating sense of communication has to be developed.

Perhaps, what we are undergoing now is a new phenomenon that we still have to learn to dominate properly. In this regard, what is crucial is to know the condition of our heart. Is it healthy or not spiritually and morally? Otherwise, we turn ourselves to be our worst enemy.