April 5, 2016

April 5, 2001

                R. God wants us to witness
                to the truth. Telling the truth
                is really being free. We pray for the
                virtue of fortitude to do what God wants
                even when it is difficult.

                    Think of how hard it is for children
                of parents who are not telling the truth.
                The child may not want to be involved and
                yet they are forced in the situation or
                even blatantly taught by a parent
                lying is okay. It is certainly a dilemma
                when children are given a role model
                that is doing the wrong thing.

                    Now let's see about problem solving.
                If a parent is always ready to prove they
                never are wrong and lie to show they are
                perfect, lie about what they did to
                show they did nothing wrong when they
                did do something wrong – a child learns
                it's what their parents do and may
                fight a tendency strongly – later in life –
                to change that bad habit.

                    Jesus came to witness to the truth.
                God loves us and has a plan, a unique
                plan for our lives.

                    Love is not a commodity that will
                run out. God is love and that love will
                never run out. God wants us to walk
                in the truth – to recognize structure –
                and to realize He has all the power.
                We can disobey God's rules which causes
                conflicts in us. If God wants us to do
                one thing and we oppose God's will and
                keep opposing what is in His plan for
                us – we have a conflict inside of us
                going on.

                    Being at peace comes from trying
                to be all that God wants of us. God
                has called us to love. Our life is really
                learning how to love – Love God more –
                Love our neighbor as ourselves.

                    Love does not run out. Friendship
                is a gift God gives to us. God wants us
                to tell the truth and recognize we are
                not perfect.

                    If we can see how hard it may be for a
                child whose parents disobey God's laws,
                we can see how really difficult it would
                be for a person who is under authority
                that is forced to disobey the main
                authority by a subordinate authority
                forcing their way in the structure and
                demanding the people lie to the top
                authority. It causes untruths, unhappiness,
                lies, conflicts, impurities in the
                whole operation of what they are trying
                to do.

                    The person that is a leader under a
                higher authority is to report upward
                and to help the higher authority to better
                serve those under.

                    We see Jesus showed us how He obeyed
                His Father's will to His death on the cross.
                We see Jesus lavishingly loving us all
                and giving His life for us. We know
                Jesus came to bear witness to the truth.
                Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

                    We see the purity of Mary. Mary was
                never selfish, prideful, envious,
                jealous, slothful, greedy, lustful,
                or gluttonous.

                    Mary is the New Eve. We see Eve
                was prideful – she wanted to be equal
                to God – she did not obey God – she
                deliberately disobeyed God.

                    Jesus came and died for the sins
                of men. Jesus, the Divine God, came to pay
                the price for our sins.

                    We need to be ready to see the responsibility
                we have as parents, as leaders, as people
                under God, to do the right thing – because
                we teach others wrong things when we
                are an authority and openly show
                others we do not have to obey the
                rules that are the rules of God – the
                rules of those over us –

                    We set up conflicts – opposing God's
                will – disobeying even the commandments
                of God – God commands us to love –
                We are to be children of the light
                because Jesus is the Light of the
                world. When we say "no" to God –
                we are opposing what God intended for us –
                to be in the image and likeness of God –

                    Always before our eyes in all our actions –
                is the goal of eternal salvation. And
                it is a goal – we see heaven – we
                live by right reasoning – we know
                God has called us to be responsible
                and accountable for our actions. We
                can't have our way when we are
                opposing God's will, without conflict
                and suffering for our ways and
                choices.

                    There is enough love to go around.
                We must do God's will even when it
                is difficult – this takes fortitude –
                courage to say "yes" to God – like
                Mary showed us – being the perfect
                handmaid of the Lord.

                    Mary and Jesus are our models –
                Jesus shows us how we are to follow
                Him.

                    We are to seek the good, that God
                wants us to seek.

                    In seeking God's will and trying to
                live by God's will there is not
                conflict in a man opposing God
                who created him and keeps him
                in existence.

                    The man who opposes God's will
                in living unlovingly, in living
                in lies is fighting inside for
                mastery over God and is in
                conflict all the time.

                    Where God intends the man to be learning
                to seek His will and live by it – learning
                year after year about loving, problem
                solving, being a good example, following
                God's plan for him – the man who chooses
                to be closed in, unloving, lying to prove
                he is right is walking in the tainted
                lane and is conflicting year after
                year, day after day, with God's rules
                of love and living in the truth.

                    Man is responsible for his actions
                and accountable for his actions under
                God – living an unloving, sad, angry,
                dark life is opposing God's will and
                brings conflict in the heart and soul –
                darkness, and brings more and more
                anger in their hearts for opposing God.
                There is always a big conflict of interests
                in the heart and soul of the angry and
                unloving man for he is opposing God.

                    God gives us structure. We are
                creatures, human beings under a
                Divine Almighty God who is over us,
                who gives us life.

                    We are to be seeking greater perfection
                in our life by learning to be more and
                more in the image of Jesus.

                    A man went out one morning
                to run and take some exercise –
                he had two paths to choose from –
                he could choose a lighted path with
                smooth sailing or a dark path
                with weeds and branches and stickers
                and rocks.

                    The owner of the land told him –
                the path on the left is against my
                desire for you could get hurt with
                the terrain, it is full of holes, rocks,
                choking trees etc. –

                    The path on the right is very lighted
                and it is clear – even a horseman
                could ride the path without difficulty.

                    So the man wanted no one telling
                him what to do. He wanted to
                be in control and didn't like the
                man who owned the land to tell
                him how to do it.

                    So he went down the dark path –
                there were snakes, debris, branches
                holes, it was a mess. He got really hurt
                and was bleeding from sharp branches –
                when he saw a snake be began to
                run from it and ran right into
                a clump of branches that knocked
                him down and pierced his arms
                and legs deeply – it was dark and
                he was stuck on the road –
                he was the victim of his own
                choices opposing the owner's
                recommendation because he never
                listened to anyone - telling him what
                to do.

                    How about our life? God is the
                Creator – God sends guides to help
                us – God commands we love and
                gives us a responsibility to show how
                to work with others in love – give
                a good example – help build His
                Kingdom.

                    We are to grow in the image and
                likeness of God – be docile to God's
                touch in our life guiding us on His
                path, be loving, walk in the light,
                follow God's plan.

                    And satan is standing by the
                dark road saying "Do it your way"
                "Don't let anybody tell you what
                to do" "You need to be in charge"
                "Just trust yourself - don't trust
                that guy that smiles and is loving" –
                "Don't go along with others – Nobody
                tells you anything you follow"

                    Talk about a prescription of
                conflict – what person can dodge
                all the paths of light God gives
                them to make things dark and
                difficult for themselves –

                    Jesus gives us the story of the blind-man –
                and He speaks of the hard of heart
                so much in the scriptures.

                    A blind man was healed by Jesus,
                but he had to want to change –
                he bore witness to the truth –
                he was blind and he couldn't
                see and Jesus healed him.

                    The devil wants men to close in – try to
                isolate – work with nobody –

                    What about God's plan? There is
                a conflict within the person who
                opposes God's plan –

                    There is a conflict inside himself –
                We need the virtues of prudence
                (right reasoning) of courage or
                fortitude (to do the difficult – to
                do it the right way – not willy-nilly)
                we need to be just (to give God
                and others what is their due and
                temperance (not too much or too
                little of what God wants of us).
                All these things must work
                together as a unit. If a man does
                not have one – like justice – the
                others don't work right in him –
                there is conflict – if a man
                over does things in drinking, eating, sex –
                it throws everything else out of
                kilter.

                    If a person puts off and puts off
                and puts off the difficult that
                must be done – they have a constant
                problem of dealing with the
                consequences of avoiding the difficult
                which is God's will and their disobedience
                to God's will can hurt the man
                so badly because it doesn't
                lead to happiness God wants, but
                a life of unhappiness and rebellion –
                conflict and darkness in their life and
                the man can seek false happiness
                in pleasures in his life,
                sense appetites, power, excitement.

                    Having all four of these cardinal
                virtues bring peace and happiness
                to a man and brings good example
                to the world – not bad example,
                confusion, darkness, anger,
                etc.

                    Did you ever go to the grocery
                and get a cart with twisted
                wheels – no matter how you
                try to endure it – through the
                store – it just isn't going
                right – It cannot work and
                squeak and it seems everyone
                is watching – saying "why didn't
                you get a cart that worked good"

                    How well does a car go with one
                flat tire?
 

                R. Lack of fortitude

                Failure to do the difficult –
                    putting off  – holding out

                Failure to do the job right – do it fast,
                    at the end – not according to God's will

                R. Lack of Justice   

                1) Not giving God what is His due
                    not recognizing His authority
                    not recognizing His goodness

                2) Not giving others what is their due
                    thanking others and showing love
                    and appreciation by cooperating
                        and helping –
                    building up the world for what has
                        been given to us

                R. Failure in temperance

                1) self indulgence
                    over drinking, drugging,
                    eating, sex

                2) not taking responsibility for the
                    job as it is to be done
 

                R. Failure for prudence

                1) not right reasoning
                2) twisted thinking
                3) not focused on goal of eternity

                When one tire is flat the car
                    doesn't go – it doesn't
                    matter if it is the right front,
                    the right back, left front or
                    left back –

                    The theological virtues: faith, hope and
                love help a man to have the vision of God –

                The virtues give us freedom –

                Help us not to have conflict in
                    ourselves

                The devil tells a person – they can
                    figure things out for
                    themselves – nobody needs to
                    help them

                    PRIDE

                OUT of ORDER

                    ENVY – unloving – wanting to
                                bring the just man
                                down –

                    ANGER –
                    JEALOUSY
                    SLOTHFULNESS
                    LUST
                    GLUTTONY

                    these enslave a man –

                Real Happiness is found –
                    Peace is found
                    In doing God's will!

                BAD HABITS

                    The man who gives into his
                        unruly passions, into anger,
                        into self indulgence, into
                        willfulness is NOT FREE but
                        enslaved.

                The Virtues are Good Habits –

                The Virtues lead a man to real happiness –

                The passions need to be controlled by
                    right reasoning, prudence and
                    justice and a man have
                    fortitude to do the difficult.

                The virtues help us live with
                    the life God wants us to
                    have – to be alive –

                The man full of anger has to
                    try to damper himself
                    by hiding his anger or
                    envy or jealousy or
                    pride –

                Virtues help us to live –
                    to be alive –
                    to be free –
                    to be pure –
                    to be as the Father wills –

                Good habits - doing the good
                    God wants –

                Actions that lead to our eternal
                    happiness and
                    help others to lead to their goal
                        of eternal happiness –

                A virtuous man lives to build up
                    the Kingdom of God –

                Virtues help us to have strength
                    in our lives –
                    help us to be as God wants us
                        to be
                    help us to live in right reasoning –
                    help us to do the difficult in life –
                    Help us to do it in the time
                        God wants –
 

Matthew 5: 48

...You must therefore be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.’