Why do these nitty-gritty details matter?

[PelagiathePenit]

The highest virtue is always love. I wonder why Catholic traditions are important. Why is fasting important? Why are venial sins still important? Why are sins that do not harms others important? It’s always sex thing for me. Why is prayer important or even attending mass? If you be a loving, honest, kind person without Christ and church, why go to church?

 

[Abu]

PelagiathePenit #1
The highest virtue is always love. I wonder why Catholic traditions are important. Why is fasting important? Why are venial sins still important? Why are sins that do not harms others important? It’s always sex thing for me. Why is prayer important or even attending mass? If you be a loving, honest, kind person without Christ and church, why go to church?

Nitty-gritty means “the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea”, so essentially they are vital when taught by the Son of God and His Church.

Why did Christ the Son of God teach and raise many from the dead, work many other miracles, go through His trial, scourging, crowning with thorns and crucifixion and to death, followed by His Resurrection, and found His Catholic Church on St Peter, with eleven other Apostles, guided by the Holy Spirit?

Precisely because fallen human nature, due to the sin of Adam and Eve, was quite unable to be redeemed and attain salvation without God’s intervention. Thus His Church provides the seven sacraments, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the teaching of Christ’s Magisterium to enable the attainment of salvation without which it is much more difficult to be saved and attain heaven.

The alternative is infinity in hell.

 

[JamalChristophr]

Why do you ask 10 questions in one post?

Even little tiny venial sins are important because they wound our relationship with Jesus and weaken our bond of charity with him and also our neighbor. Being careless about committing venial sins can gradually or maybe even quickly opens us up to the possibility of not being able to hold ourselves back when an opportunity to commit a mortal sin comes along, and that is bad!!!

(Sorry, I’m only answering one of your questions. And don’t ask me why! )

 

[PelagiathePenit]

Why do you ask 10 questions in one post?

Even little tiny venial sins are important because they wound our relationship with Jesus and weaken our bond of charity with him and also our neighbor. Being careless about committing venial sins can gradually or maybe even quickly opens us up to the possibility of not being able to hold ourselves back when an opportunity to commit a mortal sin comes along, and that is bad!!!

(Sorry, I’m only answering one of your questions. And don’t ask me why! )

I am unbelievably curious.

 

[Xantippe]

The highest virtue is always love. I wonder why Catholic traditions are important. Why is fasting important? Why are venial sins still important? Why are sins that do not harms others important? It’s always sex thing for me. Why is prayer important or even attending mass? If you be a loving, honest, kind person without Christ and church, why go to church?

Love does have a fair amount to do with sex, you know. Sex also creates human beings, which is a pretty big deal.

Also, if your mom knows that you love her, is it important that you visit at Christmas or call her on Mother’s Day? If your wife knows that you love her, is it important to bathe, pick up dirty socks, and do something special for her birthday and anniversary? Shouldn’t they be satisfied with you being a loving, honest, kind person (who doesn’t pick up socks, observe birthdays, bathe when asked, or visit)?

More seriously, having a strong devotional life is very helpful in figuring out whether we are actually being loving, honest and kind. Lots of people who aren’t nice at all think that they are.

My husband says that the great value of the teachings on sexuality is that they are very objective. We may not know whether we love our neighbor enough (we could always love him just a little more), but it is very hard to kid ourselves if we are committing adultery with his wife.

 

[littlestsouls2]

Sin affects the entire Mystical Body of Christ, and by extension, everyone else. “All the evils of the world are due to lukewarm Catholics.” ( St. Pope Pius V)

In His immense love for us, God desires to unite Himself to us as intimately as possible. The Sacraments, the Commandments etc., are a means to that end. Jesus wants to make of our souls a worthy and beautiful dwelling-place. If a man desires his spouse to be beautiful and happy, how much more must God desire this for us? Furthermore, He is the only One that is able to give us these things, as He is the Source of all goodness.

Devout attendance at Mass is a particularly powerful means of growing in Divine Love, and in strengthening our union with God. Here is an excellent book on the Mass:

archive.org/stream/cochemsexplanat02martgoog#page/n18/mode/2up

God bless.

 

[JamalChristophr]

If given a choice, I think God would much prefer that a person spend an hour helping a friend or making dinner for the family or jogging or pruning the rosebushes or listening to music or taking a class or reading a book or volunteering at a soup kitchen or washing the dog…than sitting in church.
All those actions celebrate being alive and celebrate our love of others…they themselves are a form of devotion and prayer.

.

The Cross of Jesus Christ is not just horizontal, it’s also vertical. So the answer is **“both/and” **not “either/or”. Love of neighbor is grand, but meeting Christ in the tabernacle is sublime!

 

[Auntie_A]

I, like so many others, have asked this question. What importance are my little sins compared to the big world? why do I have to worship God in an organized Church; can’t I just privately worship?

My little sins and your little sins and others’ little sins do add up and soon become a messy little society where everyone creates and justifies themselves into their own conscience. There we have little connection with others in worship, so we all have our own little god and create our own little rules. No common truths, just individualism.

The present state of disordered sex, “friends with benefits” , broken marriages, “serial monogamies”, std’s and broken families is a definite result of belief that the “little things do not matter”. I have learned that we are connected and all of our little sins add up to a big collective mess.

Look further. Your thoughts seem to stop at your level of personal comfort only.

 

[Abu]

Auntie A #9
Great post.

 

[Dorothy]

If given a choice, I think God would much prefer that a person spend an hour helping a friend or making dinner for the family or jogging or pruning the rosebushes or listening to music or taking a class or reading a book or volunteering at a soup kitchen or washing the dog…than sitting in church.
All those actions celebrate being alive and celebrate our love of others…they themselves are a form of devotion and prayer.

.

The Holy Eucharist in the Mass is the source and summit of our faith. All love comes from God, and when He is received in the sacraments, with a loving disposition, He graces us even more than we expect or hope for.

Yes, all those actions you mention can be a form of prayer, when done for the glory of God!

 

[Xantippe]

If given a choice, I think God would much prefer that a person spend an hour helping a friend or making dinner for the family or jogging or pruning the rosebushes or listening to music or taking a class or reading a book or volunteering at a soup kitchen or washing the dog…than sitting in church.
All those actions celebrate being alive and celebrate our love of others…they themselves are a form of devotion and prayer.

.

And yet, there are 168 hours available in the week to do all of those other things, and God only asks for 1. Isn’t it a little selfish to prune the rosebuds then? There is music at church, too, last time I checked.

Also, as I think Newman said, the problem is that if we do not like church, we’re not going to like heaven–the primary activity of heaven is what so many people find boring on earth.

 

[Emily2014]

If given a choice, I think God would much prefer that a person spend an hour helping a friend or making dinner for the family or jogging or pruning the rosebushes or listening to music or taking a class or reading a book or volunteering at a soup kitchen or washing the dog…than sitting in church.
All those actions celebrate being alive and celebrate our love of others…they themselves are a form of devotion and prayer.

.

YES!

 

[Xantippe]

Also, as a rule, good people do lots of good things.

A good husband doesn’t say, “It’s OK that I fling my dirty clothes around the house, because at least I’m not committing adultery!” A good husband would manage 1) to be reasonably tidy and thoughtful and 2) to not commit adultery. It isn’t true, as a rule, that you have to choose between activities that take an hour a week.

 

[St_Francis]

Imagine a husband who never speaks to his wife and never pays any attention to her. He does a lot with the children, he helps the neighbors, he is generally cheerful, tho, so he thinks his wife should really love him because he’s a really good person.

In order to have a relationship with God, the Almighty, the Creator ex Nihilo, the One Who suffered on the cross for us, we need to actually involve ourselves with Him. We need to converse with Him. We need to show our love for Him in a way He desires. Hence prayer and the greatest prayer of all: the Mass. Hence receiving the Eucharist for which He suffered so much to give us.

We also need to clean ourselves up for Him. Would you go to a formal event at your boss’s house after you’d been grubbing in the garden without showering and changing your clothes? Growing in virtue is how we “dress” our souls for God.

 

[Bookcat]

True life is in Jesus Christ of Nazareth - and thus in his Church.

Such are not “nitty -gritty details” but part of that that* life *and living in it (or in the case of sin - working to live better that life in avoiding such and seeking forgiveness for such).

 

[pianistclare]

And yet, there are 168 hours available in the week to do all of those other things, and God only asks for 1. Isn’t it a little selfish to prune the rosebuds then? There is music at church, too, last time I checked.

Also, as I think Newman said, the problem is that if we do not like church, we’re not going to like heaven–the primary activity of heaven is what so many people find boring on earth.

Love this^^^
Thanks!
Going to bookmark that!

 

[sw85]

The highest virtue is always love. I wonder why Catholic traditions are important. Why is fasting important? Why are venial sins still important? Why are sins that do not harms others important? It’s always sex thing for me. Why is prayer important or even attending mass? If you be a loving, honest, kind person without Christ and church, why go to church?

“Honey, why do you care so much if I buy you presents or remember our anniversary or tell you I love you or make love to you or look you in the eye ever or call you to let you know I’m coming home late or do little favors for you or acknowledge you in the morning? What matters for you is my love for you.”

If the above is an example of bad thinking, then so is the OP. One may as well say that, since a man is still a man even if he has no arms, therefore his arms are accidental to his nature. That’s nonsense. Arms are a fulfillment of man’s nature, and gift-giving and love-making and eye contact are a fulfillment of human love, and prayer and Mass attendance and obedience to Church teachings are a fulfillment of supernatural love. These things matter because of love, and they are how love is expressed, and what good is a “love” that exists solely and exclusively in the heart of the “lover” without ever entering the world or changing it in any way?

 

[JRKH]

The highest virtue is always love.

Quite right

I wonder why Catholic traditions are important.

Because they stem from and point toward Love

Why is fasting important?

Builds character and makes one able to Love better and more fully

Why are venial sins still important?

Because the weaken the character and make it harder to Love as we should

Why are sins that do not harms others important?

Because God does not want us to harm ours3elves either…

Why is prayer important or even attending mass?

Because it is a loving thing to do to talk with and visit with He who we are to Love above all else.

If you be a loving, honest, kind person without Christ and church, why go to church?

To do this would be to violate the first and greatest commandment - Love God with all your heart mind and strength (Mt 22:36-40)

Hope this helps.

Peace
James

 

[Hawkiz]

The Cross of Jesus Christ is not just horizontal, it’s also vertical. So the answer is **“both/and” **not “either/or”. Love of neighbor is grand, but meeting Christ in the tabernacle is sublime!

Amen to this! God desires us to respond to His love in just the same way that He wants us to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Peace in Christ

 

[PelagiathePenit]

If given a choice, I think God would much prefer that a person spend an hour helping a friend or making dinner for the family or jogging or pruning the rosebushes or listening to music or taking a class or reading a book or volunteering at a soup kitchen or washing the dog…than sitting in church.
All those actions celebrate being alive and celebrate our love of others…they themselves are a form of devotion and prayer.

.

I disagree with you. Where did you get this idea? Jogging? Washing the dog? Pruning the rosebushes? Mass is only an hour a week. Not everyone finds church boring. I actually like going to church. I understand charity is found outside the church. I understand God wants us to enjoy life and live fully and love our neighbors, life, and nature. There are many forms of devotions. I do not think mass is that demanding. I would not presume to know what God prefers or thinks.