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| Self Mastery 101 |
| Written by Mark Houck |
| Thursday, 31 December 2009 |
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Brothers and sisters in Christ, I offer this reflection as a four part series on the journey and development of self-mastery in the context of the virtue of chastity. I am writing these reflections in the format of college level coursework. Self-Mastery 101 will naturally be an introductory presentation with themes surrounding the basic building blocks for its acquisition. Self-Mastery 201, 301, and 401 will follow in a progression that will obviously build off of the previous presentation. These reflections will be submitted monthly and I pray that they be of some benefit to you the reader. Let us begin our reflection with some words about self-mastery from the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "Self-mastery is a long and exacting work. One can never consider it acquired once and for all. It presupposes renewed effort at all stages of life" (n. 2342). In my opinion, the opening words “long and exacting work” could be received primarily in one of two ways. For someone who is struggling to develop self-mastery, they are probably words of great comfort and consolation. While for another who tends to be more of a perfectionist like me, these words probably only serve to exhaust and deflate. Still, I’m sure there are those out there who have a combination of both reactions. Where are you with all of this? I ask you as we begin our coursework to answer the following question: does the journey towards self-mastery exhaust or motivate you? If you are exhausted, then hear these timeless words from St. Paul in his letter to the Romans. “What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate….Now if [I] do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. So, then, I discover that when I want to do right, evil is at hand. For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self, but I see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind, taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members” (7:15-23). In other words, if you find yourself struggling with habitual sins against purity, then remind yourself that the sin in your life is not completely your fault. We were all born with original sin and so the dreadful behaviors that we find ourselves repeating can at times be very draining on our emotional and even spiritual lives, yet we should take comfort in the knowledge that the fall of our first parents caused sin to dwell within us.. Not convinced? Are you still feeling exhausted? Then read these words from St. Peter. “Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for [someone] to devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings. The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory though Christ [Jesus] will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little” (1 Peter 5:8-10). I know I feel better in the knowledge that I am not the only who struggles with self-mastery and that Jesus Christ is allowing me to suffer so that I may be strengthened and purified. This past Christmas weekend, I had a serious battle with the cardinal virtue of temperance. Although my struggle was not dealing with sexual integrity, rather my own temperament issues, I have sought solace in the knowledge that I have yet to reach a level of perfect sanctity. I am a sinner and God is continually revealing to me where I need to improve in my walk of faith. In this introductory examination of self-mastery it is important that we establish as foundational the understanding that our falls are a result of our own concupiscence. Each one of us needs to approach this journey of self-mastery with the Catechisms’s words tucked in the back of our minds. “One can never consider it acquired once and for all.” This is a sobering reality for all of us. I believe St. Augustine had a profound understanding of the development of self-mastery. In his autobiographical work called the Confessions, Augustine writes that “The bridle put upon the throat must be held with moderate looseness and moderate firmness” (10, 31). Here again, a reminder that we must be patient with ourselves. We must understand that self-mastery is not something that we ever truly achieve this side of heaven. Once the virtue of chastity is acquired, which it can be, a man needs to remain vigilant with his new found virtue knowing that “renewed effort” must be made to maintain it. So as we end this our introductory class on self-mastery, allow me to offer some homework for further personal development or at least something for us to all focus on until next month when we take the next steps with Self-Mastery 201. * First, if you don’t already have one, begin to develop a daily personal prayer life. Daily prayer is essential to the development of self-mastery. I offer this simple prayer:. Lord, grant me the grace to master my selfish desires this day. I propose that you consider making the development of self-mastery one of your Mass intentions. I encourage you to offer up at least one Mass this next month for this special intention. * Second, eliminate all of the near occasions for sin in your home. That’s right brothers and sisters in Christ, it is time to do a winter cleaning! As we ring in a new year, start by ridding your home of all the things that are causing you to fall into sexual sin such as magazines, video games, DVDs, CDs, pictures, alcohol, television, etc. We will deal with the Internet and its pitfalls further down the road in our coursework. Feel free to comment on this article how you did with your homework. Until next time, be at peace knowing that “Jesus will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little.”
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this, my own memory and imagination. I've asked the Lord to erase my memory, to snap a finger and remove this thorn
from my flesh. But I often forget that the Lord desires my will and that in order to align my will to His, His grace is
enough. I guess then that the most important act of the will is to cooperate with the Lord's graces. That is probably
step #1 on the way to self-mastery.
Queen of Peace, pray for us.