Jerry Fay gave a response to the Holy Family Blog by Father David Tokarz.  I am publishing it as a blog.


It’s a Matter of Love

After reading the blog I couldn’t help but notice the relationship or connective nature in Man between Love and Sin.  From the beginning of his ministry when he was driven into the wilderness, Jesus’ love for his Father was tested.

Imagine if you will, the One who existed before time being made sport by a created angel. Lucifer made empty promises to Jesus, knowing full well the divine eternal nature of the Son. There was nothing he could offer that would cause Jesus to concede to the empty promises of the King of Darkness.

Like Jesus, we too struggle against the Devil. I think the keyword is “struggle”. The nonbeliever perceives sin differently than the believer. Such could be compared to a salmon swimming and a man gliding in the water: the salmon must swim against the current, upstream during the spawning season. Such is the Christian.  In contrast to this struggle, the man on the raft goes with the flow and casually coasts down stream.  Such is the infidel.

This is not to say that the infidel does not have a sense of wrong and right. All men are created with this sense of the natural moral law ( Rom. 1:20). The difference is that the natural man usually makes subjective judgments in terms of reasoning and behavior for his own suitability.   

I.  I Love to Sin

The first point has an inherent repulsive nature.  John said, If we say, "We are without sin," we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 Jn. 1:8).  While the Christian often falls into sin, he is not at home in it, nor is he comfortable in its arena and influence.

Yet he often finds himself being subject to the sway of the World, the Flesh, and the Devil. St. Paul experienced this struggle . . . “but I see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind, taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members” (Rom. 7:23).

Why do we fail? To simply say “the devil made me do it” (as did Flip Wilson) is simplistic. I think part of the answer lies in the struggles and stressors we encounter in our modern hectic way of life. The American lifestyle fosters anxiety, anger, depression, and hopelessness.  These are certainly not the fruit of the Holy Spirit; they are the antithesis of the peace of God.

Sometimes we are overwhelmed by mental and/or physical fatigue. Some grapple with mental illness, addiction, abusive marriage, or poor self esteem. Some believed the lies they were told about themselves in their childhood home.  Others suffered various forms of abuse at the hands of parents and family.  God takes these factors in consideration when his disciples fall short of God’s glory as new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).  He promises never to leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5).

II.     Love Keeps Me from Sin 

The Beatles sang “All You Need is Love.” Unfortunately the context was the love    0 the hippie generation in the Sixties.  Daryl Dragon and Toni Tennille (The Captain and Tennille) were on the right rack when they recorded “Love Will Keep Us Together” in 1975:

Love, love will keep us together
Think of me babe whenever
some sweet talkin' girl comes along, singin' a song
don’t mess around, you just gotta be strong
Just stop, 'cause I really love you
Stop, I been thinkin' of you
Look in my heart and let love keep us together

            For the Christian, the babe becomes the Lord. The seductive woman is Satan.  “You just gotta be strong” translates into putting on the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:11).  We recognize that the greatest form of genuine love—“cause I really love you”—is found in God through Christ. 

            Sometimes it is difficult to hold on as we cope with the issues mentioned above.

            Yet we must remember that as pilgrims we are on a short journey in time and space. Jesus faced his own struggles for about three years; a relatively short time compared to those of our own. 

            As Catholic Christians we enjoy the mercy and grace of our heavenly Father in the sacraments. In the sacrament of Reconciliation we experience God’s love and forgiveness and are freed from sin.  In the Eucharist we receive strength and mercy in the Body and Blood of Christ as we commune as his Body.

            Bernard of Clairvaux said “The true measure of loving God is to love Him without measure.”  As we recognize “the true measure of loving God” we “fight the good fight” to love God and others.