This is a dilemma, as at the time of Jesus you had genuine poor people - widows, orphans, the disabled - who would hang around certain areas and beg. It was good to give to those in need.
I've rolled my eyes for the better part of the last 10 or 15 years when I've heard this kind of stuff, the whole repeating of the inclinations or exhortations in the Gospel to act as if these are in any way applicable to the modern world. I feel like an elitist or prick when I have to tell people that to think that somehow now, widows with huge inheritances and pensions, and wards of the states even or adopted kids (who get more than a lot of people in the world currently) or even the disabled who the population at large suffers major inconvenience for - these types have laughable backstopping and accommodations compared to the near ancient middle east.
Transferring that kind of thinking, you'll quickly see that so many things we talk about in the forum, how clueless and thoughtless the average person is, the average churchgoer even. I'm not trying to be funny or mean even here, it's been unbelievably eye opening over the last 10 years just how routine and thoughtless most peoples lives are. I'm sorta chuckling as I write this, because honestly I don't have a negative bone in my body, I've accepted that's how life is. But it
is rather pathetic.
talks about passing judgement and gossip as a sign of hidden hatred.
I've dealt many times with the "judgment" stuff, which is largely something that people just hide behind nowadays to justify their actions, in a sense. I say that because although I have heard such bold things from other people before ("You're going to hell" would be, I presume, a judgment) but they aren't that common. I also personally don't think like that and don't know about what will happen on judgement day. I do observe things though, and hold myself and others to standards. If I go too far in any expectation, Lord have mercy, but I find that healthy in a sense. It does depend on the relationshop or lack thereof, that you have with any given person to deal with them in a certain capacity, good or bad.
Gossip is a something to stay away from, however, and I think Fr. Spyridon rightly warns against it.
The fruit of the Holy Spirit isn't domination of others. We can't link worldly power/domination or lack thereof with fruits or rewards from God. In fact we know from Revelation that ultimately the domination of the evil ones will become so bad that if God wouldn't step in, all would be lost.
Great posts, Iakobos. I think you have hit it on the head here. It is curious that there are things about the material and spiritual dimensions that we seem rather hopeless against, without God, that is.
Waging war against the demons attacking our soul unfortunately is not a snappy one-and-done battle but a lifelong grind of endurance. He who struggles to the end will be saved. God wants to see us get up every time we fall as you say, He knows we are sinners who are not perfect and it's a trick of the demons to, after inducing you to sin, flip the script and induce you to despair and despondency for falling. They want you to think it's pointless to keep failing and getting back up but it pleases God when we keep making our best effort to repent and come back to Him over and over, no matter how many times it takes us.
While not trying to conform God with our way of thinking, it is a curious thing to ponder how God therefore views "sin." One very helpful teaching is that part of faithfulness is constant repentance, which also implies the admission of at least being broken and error prone, if not constantly sinning. It's easy for us in our way of thinking to question why do we have to go through this "game" or measure of endurance, but it's something we must accept. Of course, it's part of taking up one's cross, and caring as opposed to being uncaring, despondent. You rightly state that that's what the demons want us to fall into, the whole "What's the point?" thinking.
Example, let’s say a person was born with a disease. For 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 years this person is attempting to cure it and the treatments don’t work. In those cases we conclude, rightly I may add, that the treatments have failed.
This reminded me of the woman crippled for 18 years that Christ healed. I always loved one of the translations where Christ talks to the pharisees, who of course didn't like his healing on the sabbath, when he said, "the daughter of Abraham who was bound by Satan - think of it! for eighteen years"
When I'm honest with myself I know that when I fall to lust it is because I love my sin more than I am driven to refuse it for the love of God.
No doubt. This is a tricky one because we are quite reactive to impulses, hormones, thoughts, drugs, etc. But something we don't commonly do is really be honest about what we do that makes the temptations more likely, and thus set ourselves up for failure.
I also think we're sort of trapped over time, and depending on our age and health, but these are just explanations of why it happens, not necessarily excuses.
Forgiveness is a spiritual position of the offended party, not holding the offense against the offender in their heart anymore, releasing their anger, hatred or desire for vengeance from their heart, and instead praying that the offender be healed from their sickness and to come to know God's love and truth. Forgiveness is allowing the possibility of repentance and restoration of harmony and right relations.
Yes, we've had some discussion on this in several threads. The tricky part is the completeness of a relationship, or restoration of one, is including forgiveness
and repentance, both. But let's say the offender doesn't repent. That still leaves the aggrieved with holding on to something that can hurt them, or letting it go and being free from such evil thoughts and desires, such as revenge. In that sense, we can forgive in a larger sense of offering that possibility you speak of - a nice way to put it. That sets free all inclination to harbor ill things or evil spirits.
However, a large number of people are saying that if you love your spouse, you should never remarry if they pass. If you do, you must not have loved them. They say it is disrespectful to the children and to the departed spouse's memory.
I never understood the moving on thing, especially quickly, but I never thought it was "wrong."
Nowadays I do think most tend to move on very quickly in a way that does disrespect their former husband or wife, and their kids if they have them.
