Nothing is so quick to turn us away from the good than by seeking praise and honors for doing so, because once we become accustomed to accept such praise as signifying what is good and just, we will find ourselves malleable to the whims of what is temporarily popular. We shall change our ways, we shall change what we do, in order to continue to receive accolades from others. What could be more fickle than that? We might get what... Read more
“He who oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is kind to the needy honors him” (Prov. 14:31 RSV). God’s image is found among the poor; those who would abuse the poor for their own greedy ends not only disregards God, but fights against him, indeed, ridicules him according to their treatment of the poor (cf. Matt. 25:40-46). This is why it is imperative for Christian believers to take a stand for justice, for the poor and... Read more
Sin divides and destroys what is good, including and especially the existence of that which is contaminated by sin. It is, as St. Augustine explained, related to death because it seeks for the end of all things, slowly eliminating and destroying them until they are gone: The highest essence imparts existence to all that exists. That is why it is called essence. Death imparts no actual existence to anything which has died. If it is really dead it has indubitably... Read more
“Be angry,” Paul says, “but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” (Eph. 4:26-7 RSV). Be angry but do not sin. How can Paul say this if anger is a sin, indeed, one of the deadly sins? How can Jesus cleanse the temple, showing his anger at sin, and not be guilty of sin? Not all anger is a sin, but the reaction to anger, and specific... Read more
The defiled mind, with its attachment to the falsely understood self, establishes an erroneous duality between that self and the rest of being. Reflecting upon that duality, it establishes a false view of the world, seeing it as something entirely independent and separate from the self. Then it creates concept after concept for the various phenomena it observes in being, separating and dividing them from each other. The tendency to dissect being and divide it into independent, non-related atomic parts... Read more
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou... Read more
“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philip. 2:4 RSV). Christians are expected to be people who love, and in that love, look after each other. Indeed, if we are people of love, we will give of ourselves, helping them when we can, and not just out of obligation, but because we want to do so. When we have been truly touched by God, when we have been awakened... Read more
Paul, in the letter to the Philippians, tells Christians that they are not to be lazy, that they are not to be sluggish, but rather, they must work out their salvation: Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Philip.... Read more
Religious liberty is important. We are to be given the freedom to worship, or not worship, God (or a multitude of gods) as we please, without any external force imposing upon us a limit to our worship. This means that the state should not impose an undue burden upon us and try to suggest a particular form of worship as acceptable, regulating and denigrating other forms of worship. There is, of course, a limit: society has the right and duty... Read more
We are a mix of spiritual and material realities, each desiring and leading us to natures similar to themselves. Our spirit desires spiritual things, while our body desires material things. Nothing of this is bad. Our nature is good, and so the desires of the spirit and those of the body are good. But they must remain in a harmonious balance, never seeking and promoting one particular need over the expense of all others which we might have. We must... Read more
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