Magicsilence,
Do you remember learning to drive a car. At first it takes all your energy and concentration. You check every mirror, keep the radio off lest it distract you, at each stop sign you are trying to recall the rule about who goes first, etc. etc.
Or the first day on a new job, it is just overwhelming! So much to remember. Then at the end of the day you lay in bed and think “oh no, I didn’t file form wyr in the right drawer, i wonder if they’ll fire me, I wonder if the company will go under because of my vast stupidity!”
But after a while, it starts to sort itself out. You begin to get into the flow of things. You internalize the rules and traditions. You can turn the radio on.
At work, you come to understand your role in the company, that there are checks and balances in the system, that it is Ok not to rush back at midnight to refile that form correctly, it’ll be there in the morning and you can take care of it.
I think that Catholicism can be like that. We can endlessly worry and fret over the details, and at first, or at stressful times, many people do. But hopefully, a person will grow into their faith, gain a better understanding of their role in the divine relationship, know when to let God be God and when to take action themselves. That is part of the process.
The rules are there as a safety net, a procedure that is meant to help. If we have to carry the prodedures manual with us at all times, and stop and look every action up, the manual becomes a hindrence. But is we internalize the basic ideas and familiarize ourselves with our place in the set up, most of the time we “know” what the course of action is, and if in doubt, we can go check the manual.
Dieter’s can attest to the fact that going on a diet makes you focus on food to an obsessive level. Many people end up eating more on a diet, because the obsessive focus on food and what they cant or shouldn’t have sets off a binge.
The same can happen in our lives. When we focus on the rules and regulations sooo much, we can get a little crazy over it. We can start to see “near occasions to sin” everywhere. Scrupulousity can cripple a person. The lists of “shan’ts” can make us think of doing things we never would have considered if left to our own devices.
There are some personalities that are more subject to this than others.
For some the rules are the most attractive part of the faith, for others the overwhelming love of the father is what they come for. Both are valid and available to all, at all times. The father has an arm to hug with and an arm to chastise with. If you crawl into his lap he can hold you close with both of them.
cheddar
