Tender is the Heart
I heard a homily recently where the priest was talking about casting off those things that hinder us from being in right relationship with God. He was expanding on Mark chapter 9, where Jesus talks about cutting off those body parts that cause us to sin.
He began by saying that, indeed, Jesus was not speaking literally, but that we had to clear out those things in our lives that get in the way of hearing God's voice. Then he said something that stuck with me: We jettison those things, because ridding ourselves of them releases us from the "trap of selfishness" that keeps us imprisoned and unhappy. What an excellent metaphor! Indeed, selfishness is a trap we put ourselves into, thinking we are in control, but it quickly turns on us to make us miserable, or worse yet, hard-hearted.
A few days later, I came upon this quote from Pope John Paul II:
All sin, at its root, is selfish, because sin is merely saying "yes" to one's self and "no" to God. In the early stages of sin, this seems comfortable, and preferable. But as JPII says, sin is an impoverishment of human nature. We are meant for so much better.
The priest finished his homily by asking God to free all of us from the trap of selfishness, so we can experience his greatest gift to us: love of God, love of neighbor, and right love of self.
Amen.
He began by saying that, indeed, Jesus was not speaking literally, but that we had to clear out those things in our lives that get in the way of hearing God's voice. Then he said something that stuck with me: We jettison those things, because ridding ourselves of them releases us from the "trap of selfishness" that keeps us imprisoned and unhappy. What an excellent metaphor! Indeed, selfishness is a trap we put ourselves into, thinking we are in control, but it quickly turns on us to make us miserable, or worse yet, hard-hearted.
A few days later, I came upon this quote from Pope John Paul II:
Some think that following Christ means infringing on our own humanity, lessening its value. Nothing could be more false! Indeed...in saying "yes" to Christ, you say "yes" to all your noblest ideals....Certainly, choosing Jesus involves renouncing sin, but sin is not a fulfillment of human nature; it is an impoverishment of it! God did not make us for evil, but for goodness, truth, and beauty, that is for him, our Creator and Father. As St. Augustine writes: "You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you."
All sin, at its root, is selfish, because sin is merely saying "yes" to one's self and "no" to God. In the early stages of sin, this seems comfortable, and preferable. But as JPII says, sin is an impoverishment of human nature. We are meant for so much better.
The priest finished his homily by asking God to free all of us from the trap of selfishness, so we can experience his greatest gift to us: love of God, love of neighbor, and right love of self.
Amen.
posted by Violet at 9:16 PM
3 Comments:
This is similar to our Sunday School lesson yesterday.
You also remind me of your brother Don Quixote's definition of sin (ca. Louisville era): Sin is being selfish with God. Covers it all, doesn't it?
p.s. give this a look, from a blog called A Dress A Day (it's YOU):
http://www.dressaday.com/2006/10/chicago-style-means-something-other.html
Wonderful post. I am going to crib the quote from Pope JP. --ma
That dress is awesome! Thanks, Mom.
(Ah, DQ's definition--out of the mouths of babes--good times, good times. "Heaven or Hell." LOL!)
Dorothy
I think the "trap of sin" is why some Christians choose to live apart from the secular world. We live in a very selfish era, it's hard not to join in with the "wanna, wanna, wanna" crowd. I like a lot of things about the secular world. I read a lot, go to the theatre (children permitting), I like subversive comedy, I don't want to separate myself and say "it's not Christian, therefore it's not for me"...so I have to tread carefully. Sin is such a biggy, I really don't know the answer, thanks for making me think!
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