What is the Sin of Presumption?

What is the sin of presumption? Presuming that you don't know what it is, I'll explain what it is and how it can harm your spiritual life.

Presumption is basically counting on forgiveness from God even when you aren't sorry, or plan on "being sorry" later. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "2092  There are two kinds of presumption.Either man presumes upon his own capacities, (hoping to be able to save himself without help from on high), or he presumes upon God’s almighty power or his mercy (hoping to obtain his forgiveness without conversion and glory without merit)." 

The first kind of presumption, relying on oneself for salvation, is definitely "cruising for a bruising" and will end with you going down in flames spiritually before long. I want to talk about the second one because it is easier to fall into and equally dangerous. 

A good example of the second type of presumption would be consciously committing a mortal sin and justifying it by saying, "I'll just go to confession later." This is easy to do, and something that I have done before even without realizing it. However, it is very dangerous to the spiritual life. For instance, what if someone died in a car crash before they could make it to confession and "be sorry?" Not only is there this risk, but presumption misuses God's mercy. How would you like it if someone broke your laptop but told you, "It's ok, I'll just ask you to forgive me after I break it." Rather, if someone sins, there should be immediate repentance. 

An important distinction to make though, is if someone is truly sorry. The church teaches that if someone dies with mortal sin before reaching confession, they are forgiven because they were truly repentant. 

Some of the greatest saints even struggled with presumption. One of St. Augustine's quotes from his teenage years is, "Grant me chastity and continence Lord, but not yet." This is an example of hoping to be forgiven, but at the same time not wanting to let go of the sin and counting on God's future mercy. 

While keeping this in mind, we must never doubt the infinite mercy of God. As long as we are sincerely repentant and don't play games with God's mercy, he will always forgive us. Even if we intentionally break someone's laptop.

Sources:
Catechism of the Catholic Church

New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia

Is 'Santa Claus' a Pseudonym?

     Santa Claus, Pere Noel, Father Christmas, Sinterklaas, Kris Kringle, and Jolly Old Saint Nick are all names for the man who drives a magic sleigh, has a sack full of toys, and a stomach ‘like a bowl full of jelly.’  Children wait all year for this mysterious yet beloved man to appear with the presents on Christmas Eve, yet not many children or adults know much about him except that he's the most important resident in the North Pole and has elves who help him.  So where did Jolly Old Saint Nicholas come from?

     St. Nicholas was a bishop who lived in what is now known as Turkey during the 4th century.  At age nine he became an orphan, and this was just the beginning of his difficult life.  When he was older he studied philosophy and Christian doctrine, and was known as a candid troublemaker.  Roman Emperor Diocletian, who was not a fan of the Christians at all, wanted Nicholas to stop preaching Christianity.  He had Nicholas arrested and jailed twice. (Yes, ‘Santa’ has a criminal record.)  St. Nicholas eventually became the Bishop of Myra, and was known for his good will and red bishop’s robe.

      The legend of Santa Claus comes from a traditional story of St. Nicholas.  Generous Bishop Nicholas helped his poor neighbor to pay for his daughters' weddings by sneaking to their house in the middle of the night and dropping a handful of coins through the open window.  It was enough money for the eldest daughter to be married, and the Bishop would duplicate this act again for each daughter.  From this story of St. Nicholas the legend of Santa Claus was born, and it has grown into the tales we know today, full of stockings, chimneys, presents and all that Christmas stuff.  

      During the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, Catholic St. Nicholas and tales of his adventures were frowned upon.  In the Netherlands he was renamed ‘Sinterklaas’ and stories of a kindly man who wore red robes, had elfin assistants and traveled from house to house delivering presents for children emerged.  After Dutch immigrants came to the United States, ‘Sinterklaas’ evolved into the ‘Santa Claus’ we know today.

      The true story of St. Nicholas is full of suffering, simplicity, humility and generosity, as is the story of Jesus’ nativity.  Both young and old focus on Santa Claus during the Christmas season but they forget that Jesus’ birth is what we are celebrating.  It is saddening that the story of God becoming a human is not good enough for some, though it is intriguing, beautiful and heroic.  Instead, they turn to a man with a sack full of toys and cheeks like roses and a nose like a cherry to provide their Christmas joy.  As Christmas draws near, everyone must decide who the real reason for the Christmas season really is: Jolly Old Saint Nick or Jesus Christ?

         Watch this video for more history of St. Nicholas, whose feast day is celebrated on December 6th.

What is Advent again?

            Since October, stores have been showing the signs of a modern Christmas.  "Sales of the Season" abound hoping to entice holiday shoppers into purchasing gifts and accumulating debt; Christmas music plays through the speaker system on constant repeat, effectively eliminating any Christmas cheer (and sanity) that shoppers might have had; Gift-Wrapping stations are scattered throughout shopping malls for those not skilled in the ancient art of origami.

            The little period before Christmas though, Advent, is often overlooked and seen simply as the time to buy the gifts, prepare for Christmas parties, and find at least one radio station that does not have Christmas music 24/7.  But Advent is far too important and valuable to be skipped over.  As defined by the Google dictionary, an advent is "the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event."  For Christian denominations celebrating Advent, this arrival of a "notable person" is the coming of Jesus Christ Himself!

            The purpose of Advent is to prepare our hearts to receive Christ Incarnate (Latin for "be made flesh").  Christ, the Lord and God of the Universe, will walk among humans, talk with them, and be with them in actual human flesh.  Imagine how incredible that would seem to the Jewish people awaiting the birth of the Messiah!  Imagine how incredible, striking, and compelling it should be to us!

            Is it possible to have family (and Christ) over for Christmas and only start preparing the night before?  No.  You buy the turkey at least a week early so it can sit in the fridge to thaw before you can even cook it.  But of course, you cannot just have turkey.  You make sure that there is enough pasta salad, fruit salad, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy, bread, pie, cookies, treats, rice dressing, sweet potatoes, corn, green bean casserole, veggies, fruit, and cooked carrots for everyone.  But of course, you cannot just have food.  The construction company is called to build an addition onto your home to hold all the relatives from the woodwork.  Then, your home is vigorously scrubbed and cleaned because you must not let anyone see what your house really looks like.  But then, because it is Christmas, you cannot just let people visit and enjoy each other's company.  You buy gifts and make sure that not one person, "not even a mouse" (to quote the story that you read to the little children to carry on tradition), is left out.

            And yet, for the birth of Jesus Christ, God Incarnate, Emmanuel, a Christmas Mass or Service the night before, or even the day of, is enough preparation.  The above things are important and definitely contribute to the joys of the holiday season.  However, it is absolutely essential for Christians to make proper use of the Advent season.  Slow down, breathe, and pray (Click here to find out 50 Ways to Talk to God).  Prepare for the coming of the King!  Where will Christ dwell if He cannot fit inside your heart?

Watch this video by Fr. Robert Barron for more information on what Advent is all about!

Does America Have a Christian Foundation?

A growing concept in today's culture is that America is a secular nation, with no room for a public Christian faith. One argument for this is that some of our founding fathers were not Christian. Thomas Jefferson is one example of this, as one of his quotes is, "In every country and every age, the priest has been hostile to Liberty." 

Though it is true Thomas Jefferson had no religious affiliation, he did believe in God. And he might not have liked priests, but he still acknowledged that they should be allowed for the sake of religious freedom. In his document, "Virginia Declaration of Religious Freedom," he very clearly states some points which demolish the "secular America" argument:

1. "God has created the mind free."

2. Civil rights have no dependence on our religious beliefs.

3. Civil leaders should not intrude their power into religious ideas except when those ideas break out into overt actions undermining peace and order. 

In point one, he says that because God has created the mind free, a person should be able to believe and practice what they believe is the truth.

Secondly, our rights and responsibilities should have no bearing on our religious beliefs, says Jefferson. Just because one may be Catholic or Hindu should not determine whether or not he/she gets different rights than another person. 

The final point is that civil leaders should not interfere with religious ideas and practices except when they erupt into a disturbance of peace. For instance, if a group of Catholics decided to block all the streets in New York and demand people to become Catholic, the authorities would be able to stop this activity because it undermines order. Yet they have no power to stop Catholics promoting the common good, e.g. going to Mass, peaceful and unobtrusive protests, or evangelical work. 

So, though Jefferson himself didn't have a religion, he saw clearly that free practice of it was essential to liberty and the common good. 

Another argument for a secular America is that God is not mentioned in the Constitution. First of all, God is mentioned in the Declaration of Independence. Additionally, the Bill of Rights guarantee religious freedom. As if this isn't enough, nearly all of the early Americans were deeply religious, and so I think that God wasn't mentioned in the Constitution because there was no need. In other words, it was assumed that He was a crucial part to America and freedom. And just because He wasn't mentioned in this particular document, how does that justify banning all mention of Him from public life?

Thus it can be clearly seen that America and her founding fathers had a strong base of religious freedom. So why are we trying to stamp out public displays of the Ten Commandments, "Merry Christmas" signs, and other witnesses to faith? 

References: 

Virginia Declaration of Independence: http://www.vahistorical.org/collections-and-resources/virginia-history-explorer/thomas-jefferson

Constitution: http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/freedom/constitution/text.html

Declaration of Independence: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/

declaration_transcript.html

Authentic Christian Movies? Really?

            Earlier this month, Thor:  The Dark World, Gravity, and Captain Phillips were released.  Coming in December is the second installment in the Hobbit series titled The Desolation of Smaug.  These movies are widely popular (assuming The Desolation of Smaug meets expectations) especially in the various genres they represent.

            With great movies like these, it is difficult to venture much further out of the range of action-packed, fantasy-filled, sci-fi, drama genres.  However, there is much more out there to see, especially, the newest Christian movies.

            Honestly, Christian movies tend to get a bad rap.  The lack of funds and professional actors contribute to this, but a larger concern is that once people see the word "Christian" associated with movies, it is usually automatically downgraded.  The loss of traditional values in society has certainly contributed to this, but another reason, encountered in my own life, is the assumption that all Christian movies are going to be sappy, feel-good flicks.

            But the latest Christian movies have embarked on a journey to change all that.  Beginning with The Passion of the Christ in 2004, Hollywood and independent movie-makers have taken a sudden interest in the Christian genre, breaking onto the scene with dramatic, real, and powerful films.

            Even movies that aren't classified as Christian, such as the exceedingly popular musical Les Miserables, have deep Christian undertones.  This leads to speculation:  why would a society that has tried to rid itself of traditional values even want such a thing?

            Offering my personal opinion, I find it is because every human heart searches for the authentic and realness of life.  These films don't just show the happiness of Christians.  They show the struggles, sadness, anger, frustration, and joy and peace of Christians.  Real people. And audiences are attracted to this, the solidness and truth displayed in the movies.

            This is exactly what a morality-starved society needs (and desperately wants, even if it doesn't know it).  We all need to see examples of people triumphing over their sins and struggles with the help of God's grace.  Only then will we be able to see that it is possible to overcome our own as well.

Click here to see this week's post's inspiration!

Below are trailers for excellent and inspiring Christian movies.  Please feel free to leave comments and reviews about the movies!

Could Having Crucifixes in Every Classroom Lessen Their Impact?

Recently I encountered a rather thought provoking question on an exam. The true or false question read, "It is possible that having crucifixes in all classrooms at the University of Mary could lessen the impact of the powerful symbol of Christian salvation." This caught me by surprise, since I took it to mean that it would lessen the meaning of Christian salvation.

Its also an argument for not having crucifixes in every room, which I disagreed with because then that is saying there should be less witness to faith, and less expression of it. This could then apply to other things like Christian shirts, personal crucifixes, or even churches.

But upon discussing it with my teacher, he made a distinction between the meaning of the crucifix and the symbol of the crucifix. The meaning of the crucifix is its message of salvation for everyone. But the symbol of it is its ability to point to another reality, which is the message of salvation. So, the question on the exam was simply stating that if someone sees a crucifix in every room, they could get so used to it that it no longer has any effect on them. For example, if someone wears a neon pink shirt, people notice it on the first day, but on the 10th day that someone wears it, people are used to it and may not even think about it.

This question then seems acceptable, but useless. For instance, seeing my teacher every day of the week could lessen the power they have of making me think to do my homework. Still, this question is worth pondering and certainly made me think. Maybe next time we look at a crucifix we should not take it for granted, but instead realize and think about how Christ died on a cross for us.

Why is Relativism Wrong?

            Relativism is "the philosophical position that all points of view are equally valid, and that all truth is relative to the individual," according to CARM, the Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry.  Today, relativism has become a sort of Religion of Tolerance and is applauded as a pinnacle of kindness and justice.  While Christianity is the main group that appears to be suffering from it, everyone is at risk from this infectious system.

            There are three different types of relativism, according to CARM.  Cognitive relativism is when no truth is more valid than another and there is no objective standard of truth.  Moral/Ethical relativism is when any and all morals are relative to the group within which they are created.  Situational relativism occurs when ethics, or notions of right and wrong, are dependent upon the situation.

            The first proof of why relativism is not only wrong but completely illogical is that the statement, "there is no such thing as absolute truth," refutes itself.  If that simple sentence were in fact true, it would have just proven itself wrong because that statement in itself would have to be a truth.

            Another common declaration for advancing the Age of Tolerance is, "well, that's true for you, but not true for me."  The statement is lacking in logic.  In a very basic example, two plus two equals five.  My mom told me this and I believe it with all my heart and so that makes it true.  Would people say, "Yeah, that's cool, you can believe what you want"?  I'm inclined to think that they would correct me.  No one who has ever passed an elementary math course would let me go around saying that two plus two equals five.  Because it doesn't.

            The word "tolerance" has been twisted and contorted to the point where it simply means nothing's wrong and everything's right and if you disagree, you're intolerant.  According to RealLifeCatholic.com, in a blog post by popular youth speaker Chris Stefanick, "a disagreement needs to occur for tolerance to even be possible. You don’t tolerate a beautiful sunny day. You tolerate a cold rainy day."  Disagreement does not mean there is intolerance; it simply means that the person disagrees.  I don't like cold, rainy days, but I deal with them.  Acknowledging that there is a difference is the first step toward tolerance.

            But what can be done if we stop saying that everyone is okay just believing what he or she wants to believe?  The first thing to realize is that there has to be absolute truth.  Logically, absolute truth cannot not exist.  Then, one must work to find that truth, keeping in mind that, while truth exists, some will not come to accept it.  Thus, the person seeking truth must always exercise patience.

            Why is this important for people of all faiths?  Every human heart, whether they know it or not, searches for truth.  To not actively seek out complete truth and then give it to others is an injustice to all.

Go check out CARM.org for more arguments against relativism!

Sources:  RealLifeCatholic.com

                 CARM.org

Please watch this video for more information about Relativism.  It is a presentation by Chris Stefanick based on his book:  Absolute Relativism.