a wrinkle
Trump and the Pope are feuding, actually it is really only Trump who is feuding, and the Pope who is sharing the theology of the Catholic Church with compassion and patience. All I know is that if I was marooned on a desert island, I’d pick the Pope for my theological roommate. I would certainly commit murder if I was marooned with Trump. I do know that murder is a sin, but maybe God would pardon me. I admit I’m a fair-weather Catholic who “gently” accepts some Catholic teachings and rejects others. As I age, I value simplicity and clarity. I like to take short, little quizzes that I can use to judge my progress. For simplicity and clarity in Catholic theology, it doesn’t get better than the 7 Deadly Sins: Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath, Sloth. Each of these have caused a lot of wrinkles on my face, in my soul and in my life. It all adds up as my years add up. I’ve always struggled with comparing myself to others and I usually come up short and asking why. Don’t I deserve more( greed), deserve what they have ( envy) or deserve revenge (wrath)? I may be old enough to know better, but I do behave badly at times. Still it is hard to be humble when I can do it all or believe I can. Pride is a sin that elevates the self above others and even God. Pride is considered the gravest of the seven deadly sins. The 12 Step programs put it this way “There is a God and I’m not it.” When I forget that I am not God and attempt to control other people and things I cannot control, I’m pushing God out and putting myself in charge. This behavior has my name on it more often than I want to admit. With my vast experience and advanced age I hope I’m wise, but not too proud to admit I’m not infallible like the Pope. My score on the 7 Deadly Sins is classified. Yes! Trump is a perfect example of Pride, the gravest deadly sin. His “hair-do” proves it!
a wonder
What about the seven virtues? Prudence, Justice , Fortitude,Temperance and Faith, Hope and Charity. Surely I will score very high on all the virtues, because since I’ve passed 70 I have evolved into a paragon of virtues. Oops, there is some of that Pride I need to rein in! Am I a prudent person who makes good decisions and discerns information? Lately I’ve “decided” to practice decision making without people pleasing and over-explaining. I give myself a good score on gathering and evaluating information. One of my all time favorite movies is “And Justice for All” and Al Pacino’s closing arguments monologue is exactly what I wanted to say! I”m obsessed with rendering justice, so if there is a wrong I must right it. The problem with all that fierce passion is that I must win the battle over evil and injustice at all costs, and if I fail, look out for the sin of Wrath. With temperance, I think I’m getting more patient and mellow in many areas of my life. Althou gh, if a trigger is strong enough I may need to count to 100 to maintain self control. I also think being quiet and nice is not a virtue. I use my loud voice if I need to. I look at Fortitude as feeling brave enough to make noise and to stand up and be counted. I resist and I protest. In short,”If not now, then when?”,and I’m running out of whens’, so it is now! Faith,Hope and Charity { Love} are the core virtues focusing on our relationship with our fellow human beings and a power greater than ourselves, which many call God. My faith in, and my concept of God is fluid and I’ve now accepted that I can trust a God that I define differently as I’ve gotten older. I believe in a greater power that may change daily and that’s ok with me. I think of Hope as my expectation that I am worthy of good things and blessings in my life. I trust that God is a positive force in my life, but struggle to accept that I am worthy of blessings. My score on the 7 virtues is also classified. As for Charity, I aspire to love and be kind to everyone except for stupid people.
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