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ESP and CL 10
ESP and CL 10
ESP and CL 10
Ang tao ay may kalayaang pumili. May kakayahan siyang magtaya kung tama o
mabuti ang isang paraan para sa pagkamit ng layunin. Maraming tao ang
kumikilos na walang pag unawa, pagsuri, at pagtataya, gaya ng aso na mang
aagaw ng pagkain para lamang mabusog. Wala kasi itong kakayahang mag-isip na
pag-aari ng ibang tao ang pagkain at kailangan din ito ng may ari upang mawala
ang kaniyang gutom. Hindi rin malaya ang aso dahil wala siyang ginawang pag
lisip kung kakainin o hindi kakainin ang nakitang pagkain. Ang lahat ng kilos ng
aso ay dahil sa kaniyang instinct at hindi sa dahilang mayroon siyang kakayahang
mag isip, dahil wala siya nito. Ang tao ay kumikilos ayon sa kaniyang
paghuhusga, dahil may kakayahan siyang maghusga kung ang gawain ba ay
mabuti o masama at kung ano ang mas marapat na gawin.
Jessica Cox - Inspirational Keynote Speaker, PILOT, Gymnast, Black belter in tae
kwon do, Equestrian, Tap dancer, diver, surfer
The call to follow Jesus We are all called to follow Jesus within our own particular
context. Following Jesus today has become more challenging because the moral
fiber of society has considerably been weakened by sin.
Sin - Essentially a rejection of God and His divine plan by transgressing God’s
law and human laws - It is a refusal to love and grow as God’s children. - It is
setting ourselves against God and seeking to find fulfillment apart from Him. - It
is serving the creature rather than the Creator.
Sense of Sin and the Commitment to Daily Prayer One of the tragedies of our
times is the loss of the sense of sin—means having a correct notion of sin and keen
awareness of its presence in our life. This happens when we refuse to recognize
that within us there is a tendency to sin or when we refuse to recognize our
sinfulness before God.
Obstacle are obstacles for the taint hearted. This is the enduring messag of the
story of Jessica Cox. She who was born armless but emerged as one of the most
celebrated and widely admired persons of this generation all because of the fact
that she chose to look at the gifts she possesses rather than at what she lacks. She
realized that she may not have arms but she has the will and the determination to
succeed in endeavors where even some fally bodied persons fear to read. She
indeed epitomizes the triumph of the human spirit. Such steely determination
proves to be vital in our struggle against lite's obstacles but when it comes to the
temptation to sin, we need more than determination, we need the grace of God
This is what we see in the story of Jesus' triumph over the devil.
The temptations offered to Jesus by the devil happened after Jesus' baptism where
God the Father proclaimed that Jesus is His Son, and when He was fasting in the
desert before the start of His public ministry. These two occasions show the
important role of the Holy Spirit in the lite and ministry of Jesus During His
baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus. It is the same Spirit who leads
Jesus in the desert to pray and tast. It is clear then that Jesus' preparations for His
work of salvation are to be accomplished under the guidance of the Holy Spirit
Jesus triumphs over temptations because the Holy Spirit abides in Him
We, too, are beset by temptations. There are two sources of temptations. First,
there is concupiscence or that proneness to evil within us which resulted from the
tall of Adam. This tendency remains in us even after baptism But concupiscence
becomes sinful only when we give in to it. The second is something outside of us-
the devil or the tempter who is determined to snatch us away from God. Jesus
shows us that we cannot overcome sin by our own unaided ettort Prayer and the
Eucharist are our weapons against temprations. These two will infuse in us the
guidance and strength that come from the Holy Spirit.
There are two sources of temptations-- concupiscence and the devil Jesus shows us
that with the guidance and strangth given by the Holy Spirit we can overcame
temptations
We are called to follow Jesus within our own particular context. Following Jesus
today has become more challenging because the moral fiber of society has
considerably been weakened by sin. Sin is essentially a rejection of God and His
divine plan by transgressing God's laws and human laws. It is the refusal to love
and to grow as God's children. It is setting ourselves against God and seeking to
find fulfillment apart from Him. It is serving the creature rather than the Creator
(cf. GS 13).
Sin is always personal because it is the person himself or herself who decides to
stray away from God and from his/her calling as God's child. At the 'personal'
level, we commit sin when we desire our own gratification to the extent that we
forget to love and serve our neighbor. If we lose sight of the horizontal aspect of
self-growth-that is, establishing relationships and being a good neighbor to others-
we run the risk of ruining our own soul.
But sin is not just a private, individualistic act that harms the sinner. It injures both
the sinner and the community to which he or she belongs. Thus, sin has a social
dimension and can affect others as well, either directly or indirectly. It can cause
direct harm to another individual, or create an atmosphere that evil conditions to
others. Thus, plunder and graft and corruption or stealing from public funds is a
sin with both personal and social impacts. It makes others suffer because it
contributes to oppressive social and economic conditions.
Sin is not something we ignore, joke about, or worse, glamorize. Sin hurts us and
our relationship with God and others. Its effect depends on its gravity, that is,
whether it is mortal or venial. We commit mortal sin when the act we do is
something serious and we act with sufficient knowledge and full consent. The
gravity of mortal sin causes us to be separated from God, from ourselves, and from
others. It breaks our loving relationship with Him and causes us to be excluded
from the Kingdom of God (cf. CFC 1806).
When sin simply harms or hurts and not breaks our relationship with God and
others, such is called venial sin. Though they are considered "light" when
compared to mortal sin, venial sins cannot and should not be taken lightly because,
first, they offend God. Second, their constant commission weakens us and we may
eventually be led to commit mortal sin.
Sin is real but the grace of God is greater than our sin. If we humbly and sincerely
approach Jesus in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, confess all our sins, be truly
sorry and make up for them, He will heal us, and reconcile us with the Father and
the Church whom we hurt with our sin. Healed of our sin and restored to God's
graces, we can respond freely and positively to Jesus' call to follow Him.
Sin is the refusal of God's offer of love and friendship Sin is both personal and
social and can either be mortal or venial. To be able to positively respond to Jesus'
call to follow Him, we need to be healed of our sins. This healing happens in the
Sacrament of Reconciliation.
One of the tragedies of our time is the loss of the sense of sin. What does it mean
to have a "sense of sin?" "Sense of sin" means having a correct notion of sin and a
keen awareness of its presence in our life. Conversely, the loss of the sense of sin
happens when we refuse to recognize that within us there is the tendency to sin or
when we refuse to recognize our sinfulness before God. The weakening and
eventual loss of the sense of sin can be traced to prevailing modern day beliefs and
practices such as the following:
+ Secularism. Secularism is a perspective that excludes God from one's life and
activities. Vatican II underscores that it is a conscious rejection of God and
religion and sees it as compatible with scientific progress and a new kind of
humanism.
+ Consumerism. In the words of St. John Paul II, consumerism arises out of "an
excessive availability of every kind of material goods for the benefit of certain
social groups which easily makes people slaves of "possession" and of immediate
gratification, with no other horizon than the multiplica tion or continual
replacement of the things already owned with others still better. An object already
owned but now superseded by something better is discarded, with no thought of its
possible lasting value in itself, nor of some other human being who is poorer"
(SRS 28). Consumerism has transformed people to be always on the lookout for
things that make life pleasant and easy. It has made people want more and buy
more even if what they acquire is not essential to life.
+ "Everybody is doing it" mentality. Every day we are bombarded with news
about stealing in the government, about acts of infidelities among married couples,
of young people who freely engage in sexual relationships as if it is the most
natural thing for young people to do. Our exposure to these practices leads us to
believe that an act is morally acceptable as long as everyone is doing it. We cease
to feel guilty when we commit sinful actions because we see everyone doing them.
The loss of a sense of sin is described by Pope Francis in his homily at St. Marta
guest house. He said that in modern times, a grave sin such as adultery is simply
dismissed as a problem to be solved. But the Pope in the homily offers more than
just a condemnation of the loss of the sense of sin. He concludes his homily by
saying that what will bring back the lost sense of sin is a commitment to daily
prayer.
The loss of the sense of sin brought about by secularism, consumerism, and an
"everybody is doing it mentality can be countered by a daily commitment to
prayer
But beyond the stark factual reality of sin, we must recognize that sin is not simply
"doing something wrong," or "making a mistake" which we can easily rectify at
will. John Paul II describes it as follows:
Clearly, sin is a product of man's freedom. But deep within its human reality there
are factors at work which place it beyond the merely human, in the border-area
where human conscience, will, and sensitivity are in contact with the dark forces
which, according to St. Paul, are active in the world. almost to the point of ruling
it.
The mystery of sin "hates the light" (cf. Jn 3:19; 1 Jn 2:9) and we sinners all, are
often ashamed to take it seriously. But we need to reflect deeply on sin: 1) to truly
appreciate God's everlasting merciful love, and 2) to correct common distorted
ideas of God, the Church, conscience, law, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. -
CFC 761
Jesus freed people from their fears and anxieties by assuring them of God's mercy
and providence. He freed them from a slavish respect for institu tions. But Jesus
did not only act and speak against evil. He prayed. He brought His task before His
father in prayer to draw from Him the strength to do battle against evil. And what
He did, He taught to His disciples. There is evil, He said, that can be cast out only
by prayer. And He taught them to pray, "Deliver us from evil." -PCP II 54