Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:01 When I was a little kid in the heat of the summer, sometimes my mom would come home with lemons, make lemonade. She'd start by taking one to soften them up. So she press them on the corner and roll them around back and forth on that conference quite a while now that lemon oil to get all over the counter and all of her hands, no, her place smell real good like lemons. And once you had him soften up, she cut them in half and started squeezing them on the juicer and we'd always stand around cause then she'd take those halves and cut them into little pieces and the kids had grab 'em after she was done with them and then he'd bite that lemon. And I don't know if you've ever been in a lemon, but it'll just puck up your whole face almost till it disappears and every time you bite it just goes like that.
Speaker 0 00:41 You can hardly, and we'd be, we'd be eating away on those things too. You just bug, it's sick, you know, just eating these little pieces of what I guess would rather go otherwise go out for the chickens or something, but eat that lemon. By the time you're done, you're all covered with lemon juice all over the place and the, with the sourness you, you're spit, it'd be running so, so bad. You could hardly believe it. Anyway, later on when mom would to finally make some, give us a glass of lemonade. The sweetness sounds shocking, but just talking about lemons and if when I was a pauper, if I was a a poet or enough I, if I kept talking about lemons, anybody here that's ever bitten lemons or eaten a fresh lemon there, saliva at start running? Father, why are you talking about lemons and lemonade for that very reason to try to make somebody's mouth water?
Speaker 0 01:28 Why? To make sure that no one here ever forgets this very important principle. An appetite is moved by the presence of its object. An appetite is moved by the presence of its object. Okay, father. So what does that mean when you say an appetite is moved by the presence of an object with a kind of appetites, the specific title appetites we're talking about today, it kind of appetites that make us Salvy. If we think enough about biting lemon slices or something real sour or something like that, those kinds of appetites have another name. They're also known as passions. Okay. Passions or appetites are only fun and beings with senses. That includes all the creatures with sensitive souls like the animals, dogs, cats, horses, water buffaloes, and all the creatures with a rational soul. That includes man, so every living being, which has senses has appetites or passions, both the animals and men, they're not exactly the same.
Speaker 0 02:34 They're roughly equivalent between animal man because of reason. We'll see why in just a minute, but what's an appetite? An appetite is a power that causes a response to a sensory option. It's a power that produces a response to sensed object. For the sake of time. We'll just note that at the most very basic level, the appetites produced two basic responses. The first basic response, they send something. They say, this is good. Little boy sees lemon slices. There's a response. His mouth starts watering. The second basic responses, this is bad. Little boy sees mom coming with the willow switch to weapon for disobedience. Response is fear. Okay, so two basic responses. Appetites here, this is good and the creature moves towards it and this is bad and there's a movement away. That's how the appetites work. The response to century object to appetites or the passions are powers that are activated by sensory information.
Speaker 0 03:35 Someone tells me about lemonade, my appetites respond that information and my saliva starts running. Okay? Another important thing I notice is the passions. The appetites move on their own without waiting for or needing the direction of reason. It isn't bad, but that doesn't mean are reason doesn't have something to say about appetites either or. Appetite does its job by moving us toward some object. This is good or moving us away from some objects. This is bad. Remember, an appetite is moved by the presence of its object, so our appetite does it shot by moving. It's towards a good object or moving us away from a bad object, but our reason does its job by making sure that that movement is reasonable. Now, what do you mean? Okay, review that idea and then we'll talk about what we mean and appetites mode by the presence of an object appetite.
Speaker 0 04:32 Does it shut by moving us toward some object that Percy, that seems good or away from a automagic that seems bad. The reason as a child by saying, is this movement reasonable? Dr. Dennis McInerney uses an example of a man who sees a delicious looking piece of frosted cake and when he sees that piece of cake, he wants it. Why? Because the appetites move by the presence of an object. An appetite is good in itself. That piece of cake is good in itself, so zap type moves towards it, but that cake might not be good for this particular man. The only way to find out if it's good for this man is to see if it's reasonable. Maybe it's Ash Wednesday, the man's fasting, his appetite says, this is good, but what is the reason? Say, not in this case, it's Ash Wednesday or he sees his piece of cake that belongs to somebody else.
Speaker 0 05:24 He says, this is good, but is there really says not in this case, I'd have to steal it to eat it. Okay. Or perhaps he's got severe diabetes. That doesn't mean his appetite doesn't move towards it, but as the reason says, this wouldn't be a good idea to eat this much sugar. Okay, and each one of these cases, the cake is good and itself. The motion of the appetite is good and itself, but to follow through on the movement of that appetite and eat the cake would not be reasonable because they'd be fasting or they can't belong to somebody else or is a severe diabetic each case, the cake would not be good for that particular mat. Okay, no fire, but who cares? Where are we going with all this? Well, let's bring these things together. We started by talking about lemons and noticed that lemons can produce a response and that salvation, we see that this response demonstrates an important principle and appetite is moved by the presence of its object.
Speaker 0 06:23 We saw that appetites are passions and powers their powers. They produce response to sense dodgy. At the most basic level, the responses are either this is good and it's movement towards it or this is bad and it's a movement away. We set our appetites and move before and without the direct influence of reason, but in order for us to act reasonably, which means in order for us to act like men and now like animals, we must apply reason to the movement of our appetites. Is it reasonable to eat this piece of cake? Now let's go back and pay closer attention to the lemons. Remember that an appetite is moved by the presence of its object. This object to lemon was made present by our ears. Now fire were enough of a poet and talk long enough and everybody here at case the lemon, I guarantee over time this would produce saliva. Lemons can be produced by this sense of hearing. What do we mean? They're made present the image, the phantasm from our memory and our imagination. They're made present by a sense of hearing. No one needs to seal them and no one need to smell a lemon. No need to taste the lemon right here and now. No one need to drink any lemonade right here and now. And then her appetite could move just by an image. Huh? We could sell it in response to sounds.
Speaker 1 07:47 Okay.
Speaker 0 07:49 Oh, holding that thought. I'll ask everybody a question. Are we going to get over this? What do you mean father? Are we going to get over this? I'm asking you at some stage if we hear about lemons, when we smell lemons, when we taste them. And remember lemons. When we sense lemons in any way, maybe we're actually tasting, oh, we didn't get over the salivation response. Is this movement or appetite's going to go away? Are we going to quit drooling? Well, no father, of course not. It's an appetite and you keep telling us that an appetite is moved by the presence of its object so far. Object Lemons is right there. Present to our senses will drool. Cause like you see an appetite is moved by the presence of an object. You're right, we're not going to get over it. And appetite is moved by its presence of its object. Okay, so what's your point?
Speaker 0 08:40 Our appetites are moved by the presence of an object. Whether or not the object is presented to us by our memory, our imagination, our sight, our hearing, our touch, our smell, what have you. An appetite is moved by the presence of the object. We're not going to get the movement of appetites. This has a lot of practical consequences for our happiness in this life and in the next, what are we saying? What are we saying? Think about what we just seen in the p the example of the piece of cake. We've just seen that movements or appetites can have moral consequences. Is it a sin in general data, piece of cake? Of course not. Would it be a sin to break the fast and ash Wednesday to piece of cake? Absolutely. A serious, is it a sin to steal a key piece of cake? Yes.
Speaker 0 09:29 Video Sin. If we don't govern the movements of our appetites with reason, it's possible the sin, if we got her with reason, we grow in virtue. If we don't, we grow advice, but the strongest appetite or passion on a man that doesn't have anything to do with cake or lemonade and except the case of married couples, it's completely forbidden by both the natural law and God's law. In the sixth and ninth commandment, Thou shall not commit adultery. Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's ride is completely forbidden for everyone else on earth to deliberately, deliberately allow this passion or this appetite to be provoked like all appetites. This appetite is moved by the presence of its object. Whether that object is precedent presented to it by the memory or the imagination or sight or hearing or touch or what have you. Appetites I'm owed by the presence of objects and we don't get over the movement of appetites, which means that we have to avoid the presence of the object and thought were indeed with except of married couples for each other or commanded by laws of nature and laws of God to be pure and modest.
Speaker 0 10:51 In order to do that, of course we have to have a devotion to our lady, but back to this, here are the rules and we're not talking about spouses here. We'll just take the example of a thought, an image and imagination or glance that stirs up left, which is just another way of saying that this particular appetite has started to move or it's an occasion of stirring up that particular appetite. Okay? In other words, it's a serious matters for bidding. Now, if there's no intention of this class or this image and imagination, no intention, it's accidental, it's they're going to be all. We're not going to be able to help seeing a lot of things St Francis to sales points out there, we can see many things. We can't help that, but we can't help. Looking right in the society we live in. It's going to be impossible overall without having this stuff presented to us, but we can quit looking at it.
Speaker 0 11:46 So if there's no intention and there's no consent, there's no sin. No, no consent, no sir. There's no intention of this image or glance, but perhaps some faint consent for the person. Realize what's going on and then it moves to mind. Rejects it. That's what the moralists call semi deliberate consent. That's a venial sin. If there's no intention of full consent, I know this is totally wrong, but all right, check that out. At that point, this is mortal sin. If there's a direct intention, I am going to pick up this bad book and look through it. That's a mortal sin. Okay, so no intention, no consent, no sin, no intention, some consent, venial sin, no intention, full consent, mortal sin, direct intention, mortal sin. Okay, parents, this is really useful knowledge. It's useful for everybody, but for parents, let's get practical. What's the problem with something like sex ed?
Speaker 0 12:47 An appetite is moved by the presence of its object. We're not going to get over to the movements of the appetites. God forbids this outside of marriage, period. Close the book. We don't expose children to these kinds of things. It's a sin. What's the problem with suggestive music? Suggestive words in songs, an appetite is moved by the presence of an object. If you can drool in response to hearing about Lemons, God forbids this kind of thing outside of marriage, period. Close the book. What's the problem with many modern dances? Same answer. What's the problem with even one bad seat in a TV show or a movie or novel? Same answer. What's the problem? Certain classes for engaged couples. Same answer. What's the problem with certain styles of clothing? Same answer. An appetite is moved by the presence of the object. If men are not going to get over their reaction to lemons, they're not going to get over this reaction and it's far more powerful.
Speaker 0 13:51 You don't see them advertising convertibles with lemons in the front seat. Okay? Or a glass of lemonade. It's some girl draped out. Okay, they're not going to get over it. Ladies, that's not picking on you. It's a recognition of the greatest possible natural good. The church doesn't have a debt double standard one for men and one for women. The difference in the emphasis in the church, a result of the actual differences between men and women and the church hasn't completely lost its mind in this category. Unlike everybody else seemingly that wants to say everybody's the same and then freak out when they notice a that they're not father sat with points out because of the differences between the sexes. Some difficulties are stronger in one sex than in the other and so they have to be dealt with accordingly. Men typically have more difficulty with purity itself with modesty, the eyes and of touch.
Speaker 0 14:43 That's where they have to be more careful. For example, pornography viewing pornography is by and large a male phenomenon that's their and have to be careful what they look at because an appetite is moved by the presence of its object. Women have to give more attention to the whole field of honesty. Being careful not to be provocative, not to wear productive dress, not to use proactive postures. Being carefully, we consider other weakness of others. This is where men are the weaker sex physically and men are stronger, but not in this. Women are far, far stronger than men in this department. Unbelievably stronger. Okay? Now, if you deliberately, some woman deliberately provoked some man by her dress or posture provocativeness not only she guilty of offering scandal, she's guilty for as many sins as she's provoked. The men are responsible if they look, they don't get off the hook, but the woman's responsible if she advertises a woman has to be modest in her dress and department.
Speaker 0 15:46 During the reign of policy 11th the Holy See issued norms from us in dress. These are timeless standards for women's clothing, independent, a particular fashion trends. These are absolute norms. The reason for these is to keep the objects from moving the appetite's. Okay? Here's the norms. It must not be cut deeper than two fingers. Breath under the pit of the throat, core links leaves are tolerated. In other words, no sleeveless blouses or bare shoulders must reach beyond the knees. Transparent materials are improper. Northeast root note that these rules are intended to prevent. A woman from being occasion of sin to the weaker sex that have suit arms are designed to ensure that the body is concealed according to the measure of right reason, concealing the objects of desire, not revealing him. Modesty automatically forbids tight clothing that that's all immodest. But that's true for men too.
Speaker 0 16:47 Okay. Uh, I'd note too, there's a lot of kind of certain types of slip skirts. What are they meant to do? Attract men's eyes to legs? What for? Remember then appetite is moved by the presence of its object. It's the same old story. There's a cemetery one, sex typically in the fallen state of man, not talking about like our lady or people that are trying to be safe. But once one sex is typically guilty of offering forbidden fruit. One six is typically guilty for taking it. The difference between men and women come out about even in terms of sin, the bottom line is it Christ or Lord calls all Catholic man and all Catholic women to have a sense of responsibility for each other, to have a sense of responsibility and charity and thoughtfulness about the facts of their dress. And Department behaviors, speech, all these things to think that way about the other person.
Speaker 0 17:47 Would I be doing anything to deliberately put this person and occasion ascent and just show that by how we act? Christ expects us to love one another. And those aren't just words. It's a question of thoughtfulness. It may sound like rules. Well, there's rules, but the rules are here to see what it is. Because of the fall of man, it's not immediately obvious the fault of each sex and the weakness of each sex. So the church is here not to yell at you, but to say, here's how it is. This is reality. Look off for each other so that we can get to have on so they're not helping each other to go someplace else. We don't want to go to plan B. Okay? And appetite is moved by the presence of its object. Whether the objects presented by memory or imagination, sight or hearing or touch or what have you. The weather's going to start getting warmer soon, and that means a lot of appetites will be moved because a lot of objects are going to be sensibly present. That shouldn't be. Don't be looking and don't be advertising. Keep in mind that when you go to your judgment, you won't be able to see or you won't be able to say, I didn't know. No one ever told me. At the very least, you remember this every time you have a glass of lemonade.
