SHOPAHOLIC

Shopaholic

Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. – James 1:14

My friend Charmaine is a certified shopaholic. She spends so much money on things she doesn’t really need.

“A wrist watch worth P17,000? How is it different from other watches that cost much less?” I asked her once when she told me what she wanted to buy.

“But I can’t help it. Every time I see it on display, I feel like it’s calling me, saying I need to buy it,” she reasoned. “Of course you can avoid buying it,” I reasoned with her, “just stop going to that shop and the watch will stop talking to you!”

How foolish we can be when we try to justify a wrongdoing, especially one that we love doing over and over again. There are things in our lives we find difficult to give up, things we know are not pleasing to God yet we continue to hold on to because it gives us pleasure.

But do not be fooled. What may seem to be a pleasurable thing could just be the enemy’s tool to further push us down into the pit of sin. Act now and let go of that habitual sin before it’s too late.Jane Gonzales (mjsg2468@yahoo.com)

REFLECTION:

No bad habit is too strong to break if we really want to break it. Nothing is so enticing that we will not be able to resist it with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Dear God, I know that on my own I easily give in to foolish temptations. Protect me from myself, Lord, and guide me on the path of what is right and good. Amen.

Another Lesson from James

Have you ever blamed God when something bad happens? Have you ever asked angrily, “Why did you let this happen?” If you haven’t, surely you have heard others ask these and similar questions, in effect, accusing God of tempting them or sending problems, sufferings and all kinds of bad things in their life.

We have been so trained to excuse ourselves and accuse others that even God is not spared from it. We become used to blaming others for negative things happening to us; we blame the devil, bad genes, sexual abuse, abusive parents, mid-life crisis, the society — and in the end, many blame God. Even in Confession I sometimes hear people accusing others without confessing a single sin they have committed.

While the factors I just enumerated have definitely a negative effect on us and influence our actions, we still have a free will and must remain responsible for our wrong actions.

Now, please read today’s passage from the Letter of James. He stresses that “God does not tempt anybody.” Where then originates our wrongdoing? James again has a clear answer: “Everyone who is tempted is attracted and seduced by his own wrong desire. Then the desire conceives and gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it too has a child, and the child is death.”

Wow! That’s a simple but powerful image. Where does every evil start? It starts in ourselves, in our “own wrong desire,” in our thoughts. The control of our thoughts, therefore, is the beginning of curbing all temptations. Entertain evil thoughts just for a short while and you will have difficulties to get rid of them. Evil thoughts are like weeds that take root immediately, that grow and spread fast and “kill” the beautiful flowers we would like to enjoy.

What shall we do? Weed out evil thoughts the moment they emerge and — this is very important — replace them with something positive. And you will see they will not give birth to sin. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

Reflection Question:

Am I infected by the virus of always blaming others? Do I have difficulties admitting my own wrongdoings?

Lord, I have to admit: I have blamed You for many bad things in my life. But how wrong I was! I have to blame myself, my carelessness with evil thoughts which I allow to grow. Help me to replace what is negative with thoughts of You and Mary, our Mother.

St. Daniel, pray for us.