WE should not be surprised by this.
This is already common
knowledge. What we should do, rather urgently, is to learn how to
handle this reality properly.
Yes, we are a bundle of contrasts, because first of all we
are made of body and soul, each one with its own laws that do not
always operate harmoniously. Certain adjustments had to be made from
time to time to make the two sets work in tandem.
This fact of life has been worsened because of sin. The
original integrity that was given to our first parents as some extra
gift over and above our superior human nature, was lost because of the
fall of our first parents, from whom we inherit what is now known as
the original sin, the loss of that gift together with immortality and
impassibility.
Thus, these two radical components of our nature can be at
war with each other, such that we can speak of a spiritual man and a
carnal man. St. Paul describes this phenomenon very well:
“I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want
is what I do…I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, but I see
in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me
captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members.” (Rom 7,19ff)
We are capable of doing good and evil. We can go north or
turn south. We can be a saint or a sinner, a hero or a villain. We can
be with God one moment, and with the devil the next, capax Dei
(capable of receiving God) and capax diaboli (capable of receiving the
devil).
In the Book of Daniel, there’s an image that can describe
our predicament. “The head of this image was of fine gold, its breast
and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron,
its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.” (2,32-33) A similar image
is that of the Achilles heel.
In other words, we can be brilliant and impressive from
waist up, but miserable from waist down. Our strengths can stand on
our weakness. We have a certain vulnerability that we should learn to
manage well.
To manage this bundle of contrasts that we are requires
constant supervision of our freedom that would involve first of all a
true and loving relationship with God, the giver, law, pattern and
standard of our freedom. Without God as the foundation, our efforts
would be doomed from the start.
Only God, the living God, our Creator and Father, as well
as our Savior and Sanctifier, can provide us with the real principle
of unity in our life. We would be fooling ourselves if we don’t go all
the way to recognize this basic truth about us.
This, of course, is a truth of faith, not so much of
science. And that’s where the problem lies. There is a crisis of faith
in the world, especially involving those who rely more on their human
abilities than on belief in God.
We have to learn how to marshal and mobilize all our
powers and faculties toward keeping and strengthening this loving
relationship with God. We have to give special attention to how our
intelligence and will are pegged and used. Are they with God? Or they
at the service only of our own will, if not, of our feelings or
passions alone?
We have to reiterate the truth that we need God to have a
solid, genuine unity of life and an unwavering focus even in the midst
of so many things in our life. Only in this way can we manage to
handle the different contrasts in our life.
We just have to learn how to strengthen our relation with
God, overcoming our natural awkwardness and difficulties, knowing how
to pray, studying and assimilating the doctrine, availing of the
sacraments, rectifying our intention, developing the virtues,
observing proper priorities, etc.
We have to learn how to exercise our freedom, having a
good understanding of what true freedom is, where it is to be found,
and how it is used. In this regard, we have to realize that we need to
form our conscience well, going through some self-discipline so that
our conscience can really make a good and correct judgment.
This is always possible, because God in the first place
will give us the necessary grace for this to take place. Things just
depend on us!
knowledge. What we should do, rather urgently, is to learn how to
handle this reality properly.
Yes, we are a bundle of contrasts, because first of all we
are made of body and soul, each one with its own laws that do not
always operate harmoniously. Certain adjustments had to be made from
time to time to make the two sets work in tandem.
This fact of life has been worsened because of sin. The
original integrity that was given to our first parents as some extra
gift over and above our superior human nature, was lost because of the
fall of our first parents, from whom we inherit what is now known as
the original sin, the loss of that gift together with immortality and
impassibility.
Thus, these two radical components of our nature can be at
war with each other, such that we can speak of a spiritual man and a
carnal man. St. Paul describes this phenomenon very well:
“I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want
is what I do…I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, but I see
in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me
captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members.” (Rom 7,19ff)
We are capable of doing good and evil. We can go north or
turn south. We can be a saint or a sinner, a hero or a villain. We can
be with God one moment, and with the devil the next, capax Dei
(capable of receiving God) and capax diaboli (capable of receiving the
devil).
In the Book of Daniel, there’s an image that can describe
our predicament. “The head of this image was of fine gold, its breast
and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron,
its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.” (2,32-33) A similar image
is that of the Achilles heel.
In other words, we can be brilliant and impressive from
waist up, but miserable from waist down. Our strengths can stand on
our weakness. We have a certain vulnerability that we should learn to
manage well.
To manage this bundle of contrasts that we are requires
constant supervision of our freedom that would involve first of all a
true and loving relationship with God, the giver, law, pattern and
standard of our freedom. Without God as the foundation, our efforts
would be doomed from the start.
Only God, the living God, our Creator and Father, as well
as our Savior and Sanctifier, can provide us with the real principle
of unity in our life. We would be fooling ourselves if we don’t go all
the way to recognize this basic truth about us.
This, of course, is a truth of faith, not so much of
science. And that’s where the problem lies. There is a crisis of faith
in the world, especially involving those who rely more on their human
abilities than on belief in God.
We have to learn how to marshal and mobilize all our
powers and faculties toward keeping and strengthening this loving
relationship with God. We have to give special attention to how our
intelligence and will are pegged and used. Are they with God? Or they
at the service only of our own will, if not, of our feelings or
passions alone?
We have to reiterate the truth that we need God to have a
solid, genuine unity of life and an unwavering focus even in the midst
of so many things in our life. Only in this way can we manage to
handle the different contrasts in our life.
We just have to learn how to strengthen our relation with
God, overcoming our natural awkwardness and difficulties, knowing how
to pray, studying and assimilating the doctrine, availing of the
sacraments, rectifying our intention, developing the virtues,
observing proper priorities, etc.
We have to learn how to exercise our freedom, having a
good understanding of what true freedom is, where it is to be found,
and how it is used. In this regard, we have to realize that we need to
form our conscience well, going through some self-discipline so that
our conscience can really make a good and correct judgment.
This is always possible, because God in the first place
will give us the necessary grace for this to take place. Things just
depend on us!
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