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…
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.
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!
forms, sizes shapes and colors!
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:
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.
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.
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!
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?
