Words have been manipulated for the past 40 years in particular. The media is the primary culprit. Controversy is a meaningless word. On every subject, the word controversy tells me nothing. Every attempt is made to avoid saying this is right and this is wrong.
The one thing to keep in mind is that there cannot be two right answers. And whenever anyone says or you read “What might be right for you might be wrong for me,” please realize that this is moral relativism, meaning “who knows what the truth is?” The Catholic Church does.
Right now, “psychological well-being” consists of “if it doesn’t make you uncomfortable, it’s OK.” But what do we get in the outside world? Psychologists testifying in court that this or that sinful, immoral behavior is OK. And immorality is legislated.
Forget about “I’m OK, you’re OK.” Know, very clearly, what is right and what is wrong. Meditate on the Ten Commandments. Meditate on the 7 deadly sins.
Wrath. Go to the average internet forum and the common abnormal behavior is people getting angry to very angry at others.
“Like all of the deadly sins, anger (or wrath) is a potential rooted in the fallen nature of every person. Anger is deeply self-centered, impatient with the weaknesses of others and often driven by an aggrieved sense of entitlement rising up in response to real or imagined injury. It causes the breakdown of marriages, families, and friendships.”
Greed. Too many are so caught up in the question “Is it OK for a Catholic to be rich?” For most working-class people, having enough will do. There was a time when people were “content with what they had.” Sure, they would have liked more but it was not an all-consuming passion. Yes, if you have the drive and ambition, you can become very wealthy, but with this gift, don’t deny the poor. Domino’s Pizza founder, Tom Monaghan, a Catholic, said that he plans to be broke just before he dies.
From the Catechism: "2536 The tenth commandment forbids greed and the desire to amass earthly goods without limit. It forbids avarice arising from a passion for riches and their attendant power. It also forbids the desire to commit injustice by harming our neighbor in his temporal goods:
Code:
When the Law says, "You shall not covet," these words mean that we should banish our desires for whatever does not belong to us. Our thirst for another's goods is immense, infinite, never quenched. Thus it is written: "He who loves money never has money enough."
Sloth. “The Catechism describes sloth as a culpable lack of physical or spiritual effort that can actually refuse the joy that comes from God. The slothful person is lukewarm towards, perhaps even repelled by, divine goodness and spiritual practices (Catechism #1866, 2094, 2733). The loss of one’s spiritual moorings manifests itself in flight from God and apathy in the service of one’s neighbor.”
Pride. “A high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.”
It’s OK to be proud of something you’ve worked hard at and succeeded in doing. And it’s OK to let others praise you. Just realize that God is to be thanked.
Lust. "The inordinate craving for, or indulgence of, the carnal pleasure which is experienced in the human organs of generation.
"The wrongfulness of lust is reducible to this: that venereal satisfaction is sought for either outside wedlock or, at any rate, in a manner which is contrary to the laws that govern marital intercourse. Every such criminal indulgence is a mortal sin, provided of course, it be voluntary in itself and fully deliberate. This is the testimony of St. Paul in the Epistle to the Galatians, v. 19:
Code:
"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are fornication, uncleanness, immodesty, luxury, . . . Of the which I foretell you, as I have foretold to you, that they who do such things shall not obtain the kingdom of God."
Envy. From the Catechism: "2538 The tenth commandment requires that envy be banished from the human heart. When the prophet Nathan wanted to spur King David to repentance, he told him the story about the poor man who had only one ewe lamb that he treated like his own daughter and the rich man who, despite the great number of his flocks, envied the poor man and ended by stealing his lamb. Envy can lead to the worst crimes. “Through the devil’s envy death entered the world”:
" We fight one another, and envy arms us against one another. . . . If everyone strives to unsettle the Body of Christ, where shall we end up? We are engaged in making Christ’s Body a corpse. . . . We declare ourselves members of one and the same organism, yet we devour one another like beasts."
Gluttony. “The excessive indulgence in food and drink. The moral deformity discernible in this vice lies in its defiance of the order postulated by reason, which prescribes necessity as the measure of indulgence in eating and drinking.”
So, be careful. As Catholics, we cannot force anyone to do anything but we must be very aware of what others are “inviting” or “urging” us to think or do. Knowing what the Church teaches is your best self-help. And it will guide you as far as what you should do.
Peace,
Ed
