Perception of Sins & Balanced Attitude

[CRATUS]

Some days I focus on my sins and I think I am the worst soul on Earth. Some people say this is good and this is humility. I do not think it is healthy for some to cry for two days after a moving homily. Besides others sin. It is good not to look at other people’s sin, I also should be naive enough to believe that everyone else is a saint, angel or other than me. You may it is good to see the good in others. It is not good if you are naive enough NOT TO NOTICE you are being cheated on, cheated, robbed, disrespected, controlled, insulted, etc. It is not good to be naive enough to believe fake friends are true friends. There are jacked up people in this world. I do not know why. What is the balanced attitude to have? Other times I am so focused on other people’s sin or societal sins, that I forget I too am among the list of sinners. Where is the balance?

 

[ynotzap]

If we feel bad, or think with discouragement, we may be too hard on ourselves. It is very good to have remorse for our sins, especially if we love God and are trying our best not to offend him. We have to take a good look at ourselves through an examination of conscience to zero in at what is our greatest weaknesses . Is it self-love and not love for God. A humble attitude is a good balance by recognizing our weak nature, and expecting some failure, and when we fail, to immediately turn to God, and express your sorrow for failing ask His forgiveness, do what is required, and start again with a determined spirit not to offend again. Perseverance in accepting ones weakness , and turning to God with a contrite heart with firm resolve, no matter how weak you think you are that you will try your hardest not to offend Him again. If you happen to sin again do the same again, and again, if needed. You can say in prayer “Lord, what do you expect, you know I am weak help me to change”

 

[Joy2day]

I know Cratus, and agree that it is not good to value that which is false. However, you cannot always know a person’s heart and what they truly think. I think you are judging. It would be awful to think that a person had no choice but to cooperate and relate to people who were their enemies. But maybe that is the situation? There may be situations where people do not actually have any true friends or support or those who will be honest with them, but due to the circumstances of life, cannot escape such situations. What is the choice about how to behave with such people? Should a person fight and conflict with everyone who is against them, or should a person attempt to generate peace. Maybe they are attempting to generate peace while you are judging them from a distance as naive and pathetic.

:sad_yes:

 

[CRATUS]

I know Cratus, and agree that it is not good to value that which is false. However, you cannot always know a person’s heart and what they truly think. I think you are judging. It would be awful to think that a person had no choice but to cooperate and relate to people who were their enemies. But maybe that is the situation? There may be situations where people do not actually have any true friends or support or those who will be honest with them, but due to the circumstances of life, cannot escape such situations. What is the choice about how to behave with such people? Should a person fight and conflict with everyone who is against them, or should a person attempt to generate peace. Maybe they are attempting to generate peace while you are judging them from a distance as naive and pathetic.

:sad_yes:

Actually, I am not. I am talking about myself. Not anyone else.

 

[nuntym]

+JMJ+

G.K. Chesterton pointed out that the balance of Christianity is different from the natural balance of paganism.

In nature and in paganism the balance is like that of a fine tuned instrument: you cannot stray too much towards one extreme. The human body’s homeostasis and Taoism’s “Middle Way” exemplifies this. And this is also true for the “natural virtues” like the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance.

But when you get to the “supernatural” virtues of Christianity (faith, hope, charity), the balance becomes vastly different. Their balance is a balance of extremes; that is, you deliberately live seemingly opposite extremes of goods to achieve that balance.

The problem oftentimes is that Christians try to impose natural balance on things that a supernatural balance should be used. Such is the problem you are facing, CRATUS.

Yes you are right that we must focus on our sins, and yes you are right that saints think they are the worst sinners ever. Yes it is true that the saints cannot see anything about themselves but their sins, and cannot see any goodness from themselves. You then have the feeling that this conviction would make it very hard to maintain a balanced outlook on life. And let me tell you that you are absolutely right: it is impossible to achieve a “natural” balance with this conviction, because it is an extreme conviction. What you would need is a “supernatural” balance, a balance with another radically extreme conviction. And this other extreme conviction is God’s Infinite Goodness, whose perfection and goodness is as far away from our wretchedness as Heaven is from Hell.

But you may say how does God’s perfection even achieve balance here? Does this not even make the balance worse? Well not really, as long as you do not forget that we are talking about God’s true perfection, which is Goodness. And in God’s end, the meeting of our wretchedness with God’s Goodness is Divine Mercy. But that does not mean that it is all up to God, for in our end, our meeting with God’s Goodness results to repentance.

Therefore, in this dynamic, not focusing enough on God’s Goodness results in despair, and not focusing enough on our wretchedness results in presumption.

In other words, we have been discussing the virtue of Hope.

 

[PennyinCanada]

Take a look at your thoughts and take control of them. Make it an exercise to regularly find things to be grateful for, and think on these things. Practicing gratitude is a very health habit.

Here is the Catechism…
vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c1a7.htm

Studying the virtues, spending time at the end of the day looking at how you practiced or didn’t practice the virtues will train you to grow in holiness.

Think of it as starting in grade 1. A teacher does not expect a grade 1 student to do grade 4 math. One day at a time, and be grateful. There will be days where gratitude will seem impossible yet with exercising this virtue, you can bring gratitude into all kinds of circumstances, and help others in their time of need.