Is there a double standard to vanity?

[Ben_Sinner]

I was thinking this today:

When we do something good: We are to give credit to God.

Wouldn’t that mean that if we don’t do anything good…we should blame God for not gracing us enough?

 

[pianistclare]

We have free will.
God does not control us.
He gives us the choice to be good.
It’s always up to us.
If we love Him, it’s always in our thought to try to be as good as we can, and to do good to others. Jesus taught us the way.
Peace.

 

[dshix]

When a king gives us gifts, we should be grateful.

When a king does not give us gifts, do we get angry with the king? No. We deserved nothing in the first place. All the good we have is entirely derived from the goodness of the king, and he has no obligation whatsoever to distribute his gifts equally.

 

[Auntie_A]

St Teresa of Avila got angry when the cart she was pushing, in order to bring food to the poor, broke. She looked up and said, “If this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you have so many enemies…” I’m sure God heard and responded.

 

[Jennifoo]

St Teresa of Avila got angry when the cart she was pushing, in order to bring food to the poor, broke. She looked up and said, “If this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you have so many enemies…” I’m sure God heard and responded.

Hmmm… I never interpreted her reply to anger at the Lord, but to her sense of humor.

 

[Jennifoo]

I was thinking this today:

When we do something good: We are to give credit to God.

Wouldn’t that mean that if we don’t do anything good…we should blame God for not gracing us enough?

When we do something good we have corresponded with the graces God gives us. When we don’t do something good we have failed to correspond to the graces God gives us. God’s grace is never wanting. His grace is plenteous and given to each of us to fulfill the will of God in our lives. To say that God does not grace us enough is both a blasphemous statement and a copout.

Hope this helps.

 

[VeritasLuxMea]

When we do something good we have corresponded with the graces God gives us. When we don’t do something good we have failed to correspond to the graces God gives us. God’s grace is never wanting. His grace is plenteous and given to each of us to fulfill the will of God in our lives. To say that God does not grace us enough is both a blasphemous statement and a copout.

Would this also apply to the case of, for example, a 7 year old child being raped and murdered? I’m just wondering how the child could be blamed for such a thing.

 

[animalis]

I was thinking this today:

When we do something good: We are to give credit to God.

Wouldn’t that mean that if we don’t do anything good…we should blame God for not gracing us enough?

We would find the means to recognize that blame is an act of an accuser, an act of Satan, who was the first to accuse. Consider the righteousness of the teaching on meekness. “…that which is agreeable to him is faith and meekness: and he will fill up his treasures. Be not incredulous to the fear of the Lord: and come not to him with a double heart.” (Sir 1:34-36)

When we grow in charity we also grow in patience, “patience hath a perfect work” (Jas 1:4)
He goes on to say, “A double minded man is inconstant in all his ways.” (Jas 1:8) St. Augustine says the way of the Lord is invisible. He also says in the same document that predestination is given in regard to the one who accepts teaching.

The way of the Lord is spoken in the Second Penitential Psalm “I will give thee understanding, and I will instruct thee in this way, in which thou shalt go: I will fix my eyes upon thee. Do not become like the horse and the mule, who have no understanding.” (Ps 32:8-9) This understanding is proclaimed as a result of confession, which in frequent recourse is a sign of a contrite heart, a heart that is capable of divine instruction. The assurance is given in abundance to one who walks this contrite path. Let’s not believe that God is not a sure partner. We have to deny the accuser in us, and as abbot St. Dorotheus teaches on the Monday and Tuesday of the Ninth week of Ordinary Time in the Office of Readings, that there is minimal disruption to one’s gift of peace when he has the contrite habit of self-accusation.

 

[Havard]

Would this also apply to the case of, for example, a 7 year old child being raped and murdered? I’m just wondering how the child could be blamed for such a thing.

What leads you to think that an external act of violence might be a consequence of not cooperating from grace? I’m not following your thinking.