new church life : march / april 2016
and dismiss as obsolete .
We cannot control our loves , but we can control our actions ; and when we compel ourselves to do what is right , and not do what is wrong , the Lord will purify and elevate our loves . “ Act precedes , willing follows .” ( Arcana Coelestia 4353.3 ) Desires contrary to the life of heaven will not disappear overnight , and may never be completely vanquished in this world , but those “ who endure to the end shall be saved .” ( Matthew 10:22 )
The problem is not as simple as choosing between love and hate , but learning what we should love and what we should hate . It is not people we are against , but behavior that hurts people , and ideas that foment such behavior . One example is the Lord , who came , not to condemn , but to “ call sinners to repentance .” ( John 3:17 , 8:11 ; Matthew 9:13 ; Luke 5:32 )
If we love the goodness which is in people from the Lord ( and there is some in everyone ), then the way to love them is to help them preserve and nurture that goodness , and not condone or encourage acts which are opposed to it . It could be pointed out that this is the way loving parents relate to their own children – by helping them develop good habits and discouraging them from getting into bad ones .
The principle of “ love the sinner , hate the sin ” ( often ridiculed today ) is one most people observe in regard to themselves . We all love ourselves , but not everything about ourselves . We know we ’ re far from perfect , and we also know that the solution to this universal human problem is not simply to start calling what is wrong “ right ” – that only compounds the problem .
The necessity of “ shunning evils as sins ” is a universal law of human life ; it applies to everyone . And as everyone knows , it isn ’ t easy . It is an internal struggle , the combat of temptation , a war with ourselves . We are able to fight against our own lower nature because we have been given the human faculties of liberty and rationality . We have been given the faculty of conscience , and , in the Word , the truths needed to develop that faculty .
It could also be pointed out to the children : “ you have parents and teachers to help you learn what is good and true , and guide you in doing it , as well as a community of people , the Church , to support you in this work . Moreover , you have unseen friends with you , angelic spirits , who delight in helping people in this world find the path that leads to heaven and stay on it . They inspire good affections and thoughts , and thus open our eyes to see what is good and true , what is productive and happy . Listen to them !”
On the other hand – and this is also an important reality of human life that must not be ignored – there are evil spirits who delight in tempting people , confusing people , numbing their conscience , and leading them away from the goodness , beauty and joy of heaven . When the angels remind us of the Lord ’ s message , “ cease to do evil , learn to do well ” ( Isaiah 1:16-17 ), the evil spirits
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