Timestamps:
00:00 – 02:03 = Intro
02:04 – 05:52 = Topic Introduction and Context (Diligence and Disobedience)
05:53 – 08:22 = Scenario of ‘Not now later’.
08:23 – 23:31 = Soft sins and not now but later.
23:32 – 26:25 = Truth Beauty and Goodness
26:26 – 26:34 = Closing
Diligence is the virtue to counteract the vice disobedience.
Common to have hesitation on something we should do…. ‘do it later’ attitude
- It doesn’t sound like much of a problem does it?
- But there are some issues in that attitude
E.g Let’s say you’re living alone and you need to tidy the place up a bit, but decide, I don’t need to do it today, i’ll do it tomorrow. That’s probably not going to cause too much of an issue. But What if you actually have a house inspection in the morning, well now, tidying up today is actually crucial to your landlord being happy for you to remain staying there.
Two mindsets available here:
- Is the mindset that I’ll do what I need to, if I need to – In the case of a house inspection, tidying up is a necessity so I’ll do it the day/night before.
- Having a tidy space all the time is hygienic both for the body and the mind, and keeping it that way means we have a space that is welcome for an inspection any day, and removes additional pressure when the inspection arises.
The second option is much closer to what we’re being asked of in our spiritual lives.
- We’re called to be ready for the Second Coming, which may be any day, any hour.
- The Lord will come like a thief in the night.
- We could be like the women in Scripture who have to rush back to get their lamps, and were left out of the wedding party, or we can be the women who have been trimming the wick and preparing the lamps all along. Only one of these options brings peace.
Being at peace is being obedient to the voice of God, asking us to be prepared for situations.
Giving into ‘not now, later’ starts in the small things.
- Can break down into slothfulness or laziness – considered a ‘soft sin’.
- When no one else is immediately impacted perhaps it’s not so grave, but the gravity depends on who we are actually impacting, and the level of impact it’s making.
‘Not now, later’ is a common way of addressing sin which has reached problem level:
- Gossip, impurity, whatever it might be, a common way of addressing sin is to say: ‘it’s a problem, but something I don’t need to address yet’.
- At that point we don’t fully realise just how much of a problem it’s become.
- We’re excusing ourselves because we recognise its existence. Recognition is good. But without an action which follows through on the recognition it just helps to entrench patterns of sin.
- It can be more harmful and uncharitable that we recognise a soft sin in our life and not doing anything about it. Can affect others.
Need to find practical ways to change so that for Catholics who go to confession, they don’t continually go with a habitual sin. (Fall, rinse, repeat.) How to make a practical choice to change forms a true sincere apology for our confession also.
No sin is ever only impacts us.
- It doesn’t work that way.
- Every sin has a flow on affect to those around us.
- It shapes the kind of witness we give to others.
Sin is no respecter of boundaries.
- Always transgresses the boundaries we put around them.
- It will grow and metastasise in ways we don’t expect.
Saying ‘not yet’ to something that’s asked of us becomes a form of disobedience, e.g. boss asks you to do something.
- Can affect the boss’s ability to perform well
- Work/life will suffer by a lack of responsibility and diligence in our personal approach
- If that can’t be done, need to voice and negotiate an alternative.
It’s not about getting a job done, it’s about love.
Our willingness to do something right away, shows our love in the moment.
Diligence is a virtue, and it’s the virtue that helps us to love in the moment that we’re called upon, not wait until the next.
TBG
Padre – Jordan Peterson – 12 Rules For Life
Stina – Preparation – Wedding
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