Sin is hurting God and often our loved ones
The major obstacle for attaining the
end for which we are created—to give Praise and glory to God and to save our
immortal soul—is willfully giving in to sin.
God does not take sin lightly as does
the modern world that sees sin as glamorous, with it, cool, the modern path to
realization!
After reflecting on Principle and
Foundation and rooting deeply in our minds, hearts and wills where we come
from, why we are here, where we are heading and how to get there, St. Ignatius
presents our major roadblock and it is the reality of SIN!
DEFINITION. Among the many definitions given on sin, one
of the best comes from Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen: “Sin is
hurting the one you love.” This
definition goes beyond the legal and goes to the heart of the personal. True,
sin is breaking rules and the Commandments. However, it goes beyond the mere
legalistic and touches the essence of the personal--- we are hurting God, breaking
the heart of a God who loves us so much
that he sent His only Son--- Jesus our Lord, God and brother—to die on the
cross for us!
GRACE: Beg for the grace to see sin through the
divine perspective—that is to say, to see sin the way God sees sin! Recall
the immortal words of Pope Pius XII, “The
sin of the century is the loss of the sense of sin.”
THE TRIPLE SIN OF THE ANGELS, ADAM
AND EVE AND ONE MAN LOST…
St. Michael the Archangel
1.
Rev. 12. THE WOMAN AND THE DRAGON. Read and pray prayerfully over the passage
in the last book of the Bible, the Book of the Apocalypse.
a)
FREEDOM. The angels were given freedom and many of
them willfully abused it, choosing themselves over the will of God. We can either use our freedom to serve God
or we can abuse our freedom to serve ourselves and merit our own condemnation.
b)
CHASTISEMENT. God takes sin very seriously. Immediately God marshaled forth Saint Michael
the Archangel into battle and he and the good angels prevailed thereby casting
into hell Satan and all of the rebellious spirits. Hell indeed does exist and
was created to chastise the rebellious angels and disobedience of unrepentant
sinners.
c)
ONE SIN AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. For this one sin of Satan and the rebellious
angels they lost heaven for all eternity and suffer eternal tortures in
hell. I have one life to live and I
should live it always with
my eyes fixed on heaven and fighting against sin in all
forms, sizes shapes and colors!
Adam and Eve
2.
GEN. 3. THE SIN OF ADAM AND EVE. Like the angels both Adam and Eve were given
freedom to serve God or turn against God.
Tempted by the ancient serpent Eve was seduced into eating the forbidden
fruit; then in turn she gave it to Adam.
This is called Original Sin. The
consequences were like a Tsunami—nothing less than catastrophic, influencing all
of humanity until the end of time! The
repercussions were the following:
a)
COSMOS—Natural climactic
catastrophes: earthquakes, storms, heat waves, cold-waves, monsoons, tsunamis,
b)
DARKENING OF INTELLECT. The mind has been darkened in its pursuit of
the truth.
c)
WEAKENING OF THE WILL. Jesus expressed it perfectly: “The spirit is willing but the flesh is
weak.”
d)
EMOTIONAL DISORDER. Countless individuals with emotional
disorders--- from Bi-polar, to schizophrenia, to paranoia, to mental
breakdowns.
e)
PHYSICAL WEAKNESS AND
SICKNESSES. Aside from Jesus and
Mary—who did not have Original sin—all get sick sooner or later and eventually
fall apart, like an old and overused car!
f)
WOMAN—must suffer the pain involved
in bringing forth children—not only at birth but for the rest of the lives of
their children.
g)
MAN-
Must labor strenuously to earn the bread from the sweat of his brow.
h)
SOCIAL UPHEAVEL AND WARS. Our Lady of
Fatima stated clearly that wars come as a result of sin. (Apparitions, 1917)
i)
DEATH. Finally, death is the ultimate
chastisement due to the Original sin of our first parents.
j)
SUFFERING—as a whole entered into the
world due to sin!
Cain kills his brother Abel
3.
GEN. 4. CAIN AND ABEL: FAMILY AND SOCIAL SIN…
a)
Parents influence the lives of their
children. Parents are called to give good example. Due to past sins parents are
called to offer up prayers of reparation.
b)
JEALOUSY AND ENVY. In the first set of brothers we already see
sibling rivalry. If not checked sin can
lead to murder! Comparisons lead to
jealousy and then to envy, then to anger and resentment and culminates in the
murder of the innocent. The Bible says
that sin entered the world through the envy of the devil.
c)
Is there some “Cain” in me? Is there
a “Cain” in my family? Is there a “Cain” in my past that has not been totally
resolved? If so, how can I resolve the “Cain” complex in me and in my family?
