When the legitimate becomes immoral

WE have to be careful with this possibility that, sad to

say, has become rampant nowadays. It cannot be denied that we are

aware of the many blessings we have, and the many rights of our human

condition. We have all kinds of talents, we have intelligence and

freedom, and varying degrees of wealth, resources, power. We have the

right for rest and comfort and some amount of bodily pleasure.

            We obviously can use and enjoy them. We just have to make

sure that these legitimate things do not become immoral as when we

allow them to lead us to sheer self-indulgence, with God completely

out of the picture. That’s when what is good can become bad.

            This danger is always present in our life and we should do

something about it. We should not allow God’s blessings and the rights

we have to simply be spoiled and to spoil us because we feel they have

nothing to do with God.

            No, sir! God is and should be the beginning, the center

and end of all these blessings and rights. They are supposed to lead

us to God, to give glory to him, and not just for us to wallow in our

shameless pleasure. We should not forget that these things are

God-given. They are not simply and exclusively our own.

            We have to remember that without God in their use and

enjoyment, there is no other alternative but to fall into sin, into

some self-entrapment that alienates us from God and others. We would

soon lose the sense of balance, restraint and moderation, prudence and

propriety, and start our wayward ways. We would just feed our bodily

and worldly pleasures while starving the soul. The animal in us

dominates.

            Without God, we would easily fall into some form of

addiction and many other anomalies, like pride, vanity, greed,

self-righteousness, rash judgments, etc. We should be quick to feel

something is wrong when we realize we are enjoying things without God

and simply by our own selves. We should correct that predicament just

as quickly.

            In other words, just like in anything else we do, we

should have rectitude of intention when exercising our rights and

enjoying our endowments. To be sure, such practice does not undermine

the enjoyment of what is legitimate in our condition.

            On the contrary, it would enhance such enjoyment,

purifying it and elevating it to the supernatural order which is

proper to us as children of God. It would affirm the dignity proper to

us as persons and children of God.

            With God, we would know how to use and enjoy them with

measure, with self-discipline and control. We would avoid being fully

at the mercy of our worldly curiosities and other bodily impulses and

urges.

            Again, let us spread this caveat around. More than that,

let us teach everybody the ways and means of how to rectify our

intentions when exercising our rights and enjoying the blessings God

has given us.

            Let us remind ourselves of the importance of developing a

life of prayer, to such an extent that we truly have an abiding

contemplative spirit, when we would be always aware of God’s presence,

and see him in everything and in everyone, and get to know his will

and follow it as faithfully as possible.

            This should not be regarded as alien to our human nature.

On the contrary, this is what is essential and integral in our nature.

Without God, we as human beings would go on a limb. Sooner or later,

we would get into trouble that is made worse because we might not even

know we are in trouble.

            It would be good if right there in the family, this basic

skill of praying is taught and lived, and the small ones would already

be initiated into the ways of prayer and prudence.