Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:05 It's time once again to review another important topic falling on a RFE last week, but before we get going, let's just take a few minutes to review some basic concepts to put everything into perspective order in view of the concepts of occasions of sin, and occasionally sin is any person, place or thing that tempts the man to sin and occasion as soon as any person place or thing the tents. Madison, there are four distinctions, four types of occasions of sin, four types. The four types are remote, near voluntary, necessary, remote near voluntary necessary. We'll take a quick look at each. For the sake of simplicity, we're just going to only assume ward of sin, okay? It applies to being uncertain, but we'll just, today we only considered Cajuns and moto sin. Keep in mind when we're talking about an occasion sin then of mortal sin, we're talking about an extremely dangerous situation.
Speaker 0 01:16 We're talking about situations who, which a threat to our eternal salvation, a threat to our happiness. All right, so the first we'll look at the difference between remote and near occasions as sin. These terms are mouth and near. When we're speaking about a remote occasions center, an irritated scene, what we're talking about is how dangerous the occasion of sin is. So these give us an idea of how dangerous it is. A remote occasion saying is a situation in which men seldom follow. It's not that dangerous. A near occasion. Sin is a situation in which men always or nearly always fall. It's extremely dangerous. Okay, so like a rote load case. As soon as you see the cliff, the edge is over there. It's quite a ways away. And near occasion I sin the cliff edge is greased and you're standing there with a high wind and blowing, you know, on the edge of it.
Speaker 0 02:08 That's kind of what they're like. Go See, he's a remote. The edge is a long ways away near you're teetering on the edge of the abyss. Okay, so remote occasions and it's seldom fall. It's not that dangerous. Your occasion stand men always nearly always call. It's very dangerous. So that gives us the idea of the danger of the occasion. How about voluntary and necessary occasional sin? These terms, voluntary and necessary occasions. Give us an idea of how willingly we have answered into this particular change or situation. They give us an idea of how easily we could have avoided this dangerous situation. Okay, so voluntary occasions, sin could be avoided. There's the cliff edge over there. I don't have to walk over and look at it, okay? I know it's there. If I go over there to the edge, you know that's be voluntarily placing my body on the edge of the cliff, okay?
Speaker 0 03:01 That's voluntary, unnecessary occasion as sin cannot be easily avoided. It can't be avoided at all or it can't be easily avoided without serious loss, which means that men must take the proper precautions to prevent stalling. You're walking down a trail and all of a sudden the trail comes along and cliff Fitch, you're going down at your well. Okay? There you are. We'll get to concrete examples of that and sitting in a minute. So occasionally sin is any person, place or thing that Temps Amanda Sin. Therefore give her types of occasions as soon remote or near necessary or volunteer the terms remote and irritated as sin signify how dangerous the situation is or remote occasion. As soon as the situation which men rarely sin, like having a bottle of whiskey laying around somewhere in a cupboard. Okay, walking around on planet earth, correct. A near occasion is sin is a situation which men always or nearly always fall like they're going to really bad movies or deliberately spending a lot of time with really bad company.
Speaker 0 04:09 Okay, so the terms of volunteering necessarily, patients then give us an idea of how willingly we've entered into a particularly dangerous situation. These terms tell us how easily we could have avoided that dangerous situation of voluntary situation or a voluntary occasion. Sin Can be avoided. Unnecessary occasion. Sin Can't be avoided, at least now without grievous loss. So men must take proper precautions to avoid falling. Now, let's take all that what we've learned and ask ourselves a few questions. First question, are we allowed to place ourselves and do an occasion and sin? Now that we have the distinctions we can answer. It depends on what kind of occasion of sin we're dealing with. So let's go through them first. Are we allowed to put place ourselves in our remote occasions? Sure. Not particularly dangerous. That remote walking around living isn't promoted. Occasion of sin. That's the situation we are on planet earth.
Speaker 0 05:09 We're in a fallen world. We can get in trouble. I mean, it doesn't mean it's right in our face, but it's not hard to get in. Troy, if you want to send, you can get okay, but it's hormonal. Okay. Or life in the phone. We're like, ours is full of her medication. It's in. How bout your occasions center? Are we allowed to place ourselves into near occasion of sin? Now remember again at your occasion, and sin are dangerous. Your occasion. Sin are serious threats to us. Eternal Salvation. So the question is, are we allowed to place herself in your occasions as sin? The answer, it depends. Well, what does it depend on? Father, remember we're talking about something very dangerous here, but it depends upon whether it's a necessary near occasion as sin or a voluntary near occasional sin. So if we asked the question, Oh, we loud to place ourselves into a near occasion.
Speaker 0 05:57 Stan, what's the answer? If it's a voluntary occasion as Stan, the answer's no. I can't just walk up to the edge of the cliff and start dancing around with that a darn good reason. Okay? I can't voluntarily place myself right into harm's way without a very serious reason. That's exactly what we promise. Willing make a good confessional. We make the act of contrition. We promise to void your occasion to sin. We're promised to avoid voluntary and your occasions as sin, but listen carefully. If it's a necessary narrow case sin, we can put ourselves into it. If we take the proper precautions to avoid falling. Doctors have to do this all the time. Priests here confessions for this. We're thankful. We're thankful for doctors. Politicians, if they're honest, have to deal with a lot of politicians that are not honest and so forth. I mean, these are the real situations.
Speaker 0 06:44 These are necessary duties. There are many duties in life where if they're necessary, they make places to these sin, but if it's necessary, then we have to take the proper precautions. So if it's unnecessary occasion of sin, we can place ourselves in it. If, if knowing if we take the proper precautions to avoid falling, the more serious the danger, more serious precautions we need to take. Cause again, it's like walking along, balancing an edge of a greasy cliff from the storm. It's not a place we necessarily want to be, but we have to be there perhaps because of our duties. Okay. Again, the terms of volunteering, nester occasions didn't give us an idea of how easily this particular situation could be avoided. They give us an idea of whether or not we have the right or the duty to be in this particular dangerous situation without a very good reason.
Speaker 0 07:40 We can't voluntarily go up to the edge of the cliff and place ourselves into harm's way. That's exactly what we promise not to do. One, make that contrition, but we're talking about unnecessary occasions, sin. We can put ourselves into that occasion if we take the proper precautions to avoid falling. The more serious the occasions and the more serious precautions we need to take. Okay. All that. By way of review to make sure we have this clearly into our minds, it applies to many places. Today we'll start, we get that so clearly understand the next quote which I've taken from the standard manual of pastoral theology, which is a text that is used for training priests, quote company keeping. That is to say dating company, keeping with intention of time. The marriage can be considered as a necessary occasion of sin. Since in our society at least people do not vary strangers.
Speaker 0 08:43 However, those keeping company and especially the engaged must use the ordinary supernatural and natural means whereby near occasion of sin following the San is made remote, especially with regards to circumstances of being alone together. Close quote, quick, summarize that again, company keeping her daddy with intention for the marriage could be considered as a necessary occasion of sin. Of of those keep company must use the ordinary supernatural and nationally whereby the near occasion of falling into sin is made remote, especially with a god being alone together. There are two points that we all need to burn into our minds. First Company. Keeping that steady is a necessary the case and upset. Why is it necessary? Because in our society we don't have arranged marriages and it's a grievous loss not to be married when somebody has to go occasion. In other words, dating is serious. It's not a form of recreation.
Speaker 0 09:44 It's serious. Second, because it's a necessary occasion. Stan though, let's keeping company must use the ordinary, supernatural and natural means in order to make sure that this near occasion falling of sin is made remote. What are those precautions? According to Saint Alphonsus, there are three natural precautions and two supernatural precautions that couple must observe in order to avoid becoming a near occasion of sin for each other. The three natural precautions are, and we'll go into some detail in a minute. One, avoid as much as possible being alone with one another to avoid as much as possible. Speaking confidentially with one another and three, avoid as much as possible looking at one another. Let's take a quote. We sound radical. I don't make this up. I'm in sales. Not Management comes from God. I'm just telling you how it is. This isn't father wolf show. I'm telling you where the boundaries are.
Speaker 0 10:40 Okay? Let's take a closer look at each of these first, avoiding as much as possible, being alone with one another. This is where the whole concept of a chaperone comes from. This radical idea. It's just a recognition that men like women and women like man and we're awake. That's where it comes from. Second, avoid as much as possible. Speaking confidentially with one another. Now, this is a very important point, especially for the ladies. Ladies, you need to understand this and then typically fall to the eyes, but women typically fall to the ears. It sounds funny. Typically ears are the weak point. There's a certain type of predatory male that has a master at taking advantage of this. Just to take it to extreme. We've all heard expressions for this kind of guy, okay, and a sweet talk. He's got goods lines. He's real smoothies, a silver tongue devil all heard those things.
Speaker 0 11:34 Okay, well because the original silver tongue devil seduced the first woman into sin by smooth talker. She was perfect and she fell and the serpent keeps successfully striking in the same way. Thanks a lot eve. So women have to be careful about sweet talk and by extension the same kind of things when they're written love notes, romantic gushy stuff, all that kind of thing. Okay. What makes this especially difficult? Is it sweet talking itself is not bad. Depends on what's being said and what the motives are. This is why it's really important, especially for the younger women at home. Fathers interviewed the Guy, the Guy Dad interviews, the guy that wants to call his daughter and make him sit down and have little man to man talk and explain his intentions. Daughters, I'll remind you, the dads are actually guys and they know how guys think and God has given dad a very important role in protecting you and running off the pumps.
Speaker 0 12:34 Okay? So all of the buck stops with that because God gives the faithful wife two things. He gives her what's called the Crace of state, which if she's faithful to his duties in state left, she has special graces to guide her family and all of the things cropped up so that she gets two things. He gives her the greatest state and a special feminine intuition. So mom may very well snow rat, which is why dad should take care of the account of his wife's assessment of this young man. It's a team effort and you got to take him out if he's a clown. Okay, so ladies, watch your ears. Be careful about what you watch or listen to and read. Be careful about being super available on your cell phone. This is a high access type item. Be careful. Now, some of you might be thinking, father, relax.
Speaker 0 13:20 I can handle it. And you know, all that, that kind of, uh, that kind of thought goes into the category of famous last words. Eve was sinless. She was perfectly sinless and she fell. Unity and the society we live in, if you have this overconfidence yourself, if you keep that kind of attitude, it's essential. Bet You'll lose your virtue. It's only question the time. Gotta be careful. We live in crop time so it automatically trust yourself. That's the first rule in spiritual life. Trust the judgment. Your Dad, your mom, the warnings. Brothers, your older sisters, Astute friends. Be careful. Remember you're taking a knee, so avoid as much as possible. Speaking confidentially with one third. Avoid as much as possible. Looking at one other. Typically, this is how the men get taken out, so be careful. You know? Remember, we're weak. Don't trust yourself. Okay, so natural considerations are be careful not to spend time alone.
Speaker 0 14:19 Pfizer equal force to both parties. Be careful who and what you listen to, which is a warning. It's especially pertinent to the ladies and be careful about what you're looking at, which applies, especially to the man. Call it Saint Alphonsus. There are two supernatural precautions that couple must observe in order to avoid becoming on near occasion, sinful. Another. These are the two supernatural precaution, the first one, prayer to God and the blessing virgin for health and resisting temptations. Second supernatural means are frequent confession and for her in order to keep and gain strength to resist temptations. Okay, that's it. Now, before we close, let's draw four practical inclusions. These are important. First conclusion, keeping company or dating is not a tie of recreation. The purpose and the only purpose of keeping company is to determine is this the man or the woman that I will marry?
Speaker 0 15:20 Is this the person who can best help me get to heaven and who I want to spend my life helping get to heaven? All eternity hangs on the correct answer. These questions if you've got a vocation to marriage. Okay, second conclusion. If you're not reasonably sure that you have a vocation of marriage, then you got no business dating. Why? Because it is the sin of presumption to enter in occasion of sin without a good reason. If we aren't reasonably sure we have a vocation totally matrimony 10 there's no way we can justify placing ourselves in that situation. Third conclusion. Guys, if you're confident you have the vocation to be married, but you're not yet capable of being made, for example, you're too young or you're old enough, you can't keep a roof over her head and food on a table or you're not pretty darn close to being able to do just that.
Speaker 0 16:17 You have no business keeping company, period. Close the book. Ladies, if you're confident you have the vocation to be married, but you're not yet capable of being married. For example, if you're too young, you got no business keeping company, period. Close the book. If you're capable, don't waste any time at all with the man who can't put a roof over your head and food on the table. Sweet talking doesn't feed the kids. It doesn't pay the bills. Okay? Fourth conclusion. If you're confident are the vocation of marriage and you're ready, be married and you're keeping company, but you come to the realization that this isn't the right one for you, you must break off the relationship immediately. Immediately. It's a question. The first place of honesty. It's a question of integrity. It's a question of salvation. Don't be weak here. There's disaster ahead for the week.
Speaker 0 17:16 Guard your heart break up. You owe it to the person you ought to yourself. You owe it to the good God created you. Before we close, please notice what we're not saying. We're not saying that young men and women are supposed to be here medically sealed and isolated from one another, not at all. In fact, this kind of treatment, if you're caught up with that, it's essentially bet that there's going to be horrific consequences. Okay? The first wink and everything is, oh, this is a bad idea, okay? Actually, young men, women should get to know each. There's safety in numbers with reasonably supervised groups of Nice Young Women and Nice young men. Friendly acquaintances are generally fine. What is not appropriate is company keeping between you year one young man and one young woman before the right time. God has created us in a certain way with a profound attraction for one another and a fall of man has wounded us in such a way that our passions can easily run out of control and we ignore those two basic realities at our own peril. Let's close. If your court, he remember that someday you're going to have to report to the good Lord young man. Will you be able to say, Lord, in spite of the weakness of my flesh, my disordered desires, I treated this beautiful young woman that you sent into my life with respect, dignity, and care. Due to her, I didn't do anything to endanger her eternal salvation, which you paid for at the expense of your life and every draw of your precious blood,
Speaker 1 19:04 young women.
Speaker 0 19:06 Will you be able to say the same thing about the young man without cutting corners on any of God's laws? Let's strive to make sure that our relationships with members of the opposite of sex are characterized by charity, compassion, thoughtfulness, and kindness. That's try to live always in the light of eternity.
