The Three Concupiscences: the Flesh, the Eyes, and Pride of Life (1 John 2:16)
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· 6 viewsAs defined by St. Thomas Aquinas, ST.,I-II q.77 a.5, inordinate self-love is the cause of all sin and exercised through the sins of the flesh, eyes, and pride of life
Notes
Transcript
Reality Check
Reality Check
I’m like a theological optometrist: I help bring the reality into focus
Introduce the 2 Rules of Reality
God Exists
You are NOT God! (Save this the end of class)
Who is God?
God is the unchangeable (immutable) being that created everything- as we profess in the first sentence of the Nicene Creed:
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
Explain the hermeneutic of happiness
Explain the hermeneutic of happiness
Aristotle says we all ultimately seek happiness which requires us to:
We must see the world as it is: a KINGDOM
We must learn who God is: the KING
We must come to know our true identity through baptism: Sons and Daughters of the KING!
Jesus gave us two commandments:
And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”
Love God
Love what God loves
How do we make sense of a verse like 1 John 2:16?
Consider the author and the audience
Scriptural Context- read the verses before and after it.
Look at key words in the verse itself.
Consider how this verse applies to your current life .
1. Consider Author and Audience of 1 John
1. Consider Author and Audience of 1 John
The apostle John who lived and studied with Jesus
Worked as a fisherman before he met Jesus
Was known as the “beloved disciple”
He was one of the 3 disciples present at the
Raising of the little girl (Mark 5:37)
Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor (Matthew 17:1)
He was with Our Blessed Mother at the foot of the Cross (John 19:26-27)
Jesus gave Mary to John
John wrote that from that day he took her to his own home
Audience of 1 John: probably his own students and the church community in Ephesus and the areas where he preached the Gospel.
His audience was being threatened by people and groups who were spreading their own version of Jesus’ life and ministry.
2. Read the verse before, the verse itself, and the following verse
2. Read the verse before, the verse itself, and the following verse
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.
Love for the world and the things of the world obstruct or stand in opposition to our love for the Father
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world.
Lust for the things in the world or taking an excess pride of our own accomplishments are clearly not the Father’s will for us.
And the world passes away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides for ever.
The older we get the more we see how what we want in life changes- you no longer want the same things you wanted when you were 3, 7, 10, or 12. What you value will continue to change as you get older and have more experiences.
3. Study the key words in our verse
3. Study the key words in our verse
Lust- an intense desire for something or someone
Lust- an intense desire for something or someone
Concupiscence- Human appetites or desires which remain disordered due to the temporal (worldly as opposed to spiritual) consequences of original sin, which remain even after Baptism, and which produce an inclination to sin (1264, 1426, 2515).
Concupiscence- Human appetites or desires which remain disordered due to the temporal (worldly as opposed to spiritual) consequences of original sin, which remain even after Baptism, and which produce an inclination to sin (1264, 1426, 2515).
Disordered implies there was a natural order: something went wrong
Disordered implies there was a natural order: something went wrong
Consequences of sin implies when sin occurs there is a result that relates to a disorder
Consequences of sin implies when sin occurs there is a result that relates to a disorder
Inclination (natural urge or temptation) to sin REMAINS AFTER BAPTISM
Inclination (natural urge or temptation) to sin REMAINS AFTER BAPTISM
Baptism erases the stain and trace of original sin but we remain in the world which suffers from the consequences of sin
4. Consider how this verse applies to your life
4. Consider how this verse applies to your life
What is your favorite song?
Write down the lyrics to that song.
Do the lyrics praise God and encourage sinners to repent and hope in Jesus? Or, do they encourage lust of the flesh, eyes, and pride of life?
Would you be embarrassed to read them in front of the Church?
Does the artist’s life show a person who is following the 10 Commandments? Do they promote charity and humility?
Does repeatedly hearing a message especially one set in a catchy beat influence our thoughts?
Where do you spend your time and your money?
Who do you like to be with the most? Why? What do they do for you? Do they help you think more of how you can love and do things for others or do they keep the focus of attention on you or on them?
What was the most expensive thing you bought this past year?
Why did you buy it?
What will it do for you?
Do you still like it as much as the day you bought it?
What do you want that you still don’t have? How is getting that going to change your life? Is it going to make you think about yourself more than others? Will it build your pride or allow you to stay humble?
According to St. Thomas Aquinas, inordinate (disordered) love of self is the cause of all sin and exercised through the sins of the flesh, eyes, and pride of life.
According to St. Thomas Aquinas, inordinate (disordered) love of self is the cause of all sin and exercised through the sins of the flesh, eyes, and pride of life.
How can we restore order to our love of self and love of others (charity)?
Holy Mother Church asks us to pray, fast, and give alms (do good works for others) during lent. If we do all three, how will those acts impact our spiritual life? How will they impact our humility? Where will they direct our attention?