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Life is tough. Nuns are tougher.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Rakes and Brooms


Wheeeee!  It's been a whirlwind week doing absolutely nothing new and everything exactly the way we always do!  How does every moment get taken up so thoroughly? Ordinary time is never ordinary.  We have added gardening back into the schedule.  Getting the dirt out from under our nails has certainly taken up some extra time.

Now to clean up the mess I've left with the last few posts.

One reader points out that I said mortal sin "kills the soul" and that the soul cannot be killed. The soul never dies.  She is 100% correct. I was being dramatic it seems.  Mortal sin kills one's relationship with God, shuts down the channel of grace.  The soul lives on, which is exactly why you don't want to find yourself in a state of mortal sin, because your soul will indeed  live on throughout eternity...in Hell.  No one wants that. Oddly, people do choose it.

Another reader thinks one can't die from the D.T.'s. Au contrare.  One certainly can.  Just another reason to not head down that road in the first place.


Dear Sr. MM....where to begin...... I worked on a drug that was genetically engineered to cure breast cancer. I also worked on a pediatric drug that was genetically engineered to immunize millions of children in developing countries. Now I am finding out I have committed 2 mortal sins.......so should I die tonight, according to the Church, I am straight off to hell!? Perhaps I am being slightly facetious, but not really.......Personally I think St Francis' example is all I need, but now all these new sins worry me somewhat......especially since I am not about to leave my field.......
No you haven't committed any mortal sins at all.  Thanks for your hard work! We all appreciate it. We're not Christian Scientists.  The Church is talking about genetic engineering of people: choosing the sex of a baby (if and when that becomes possible), say, or in vitro fertilization.
I do worry about thinking that the example of St. Francis is all you need. Although that is a lovely thought, if you really want to go there, you have to trade your clothes with a homeless person and not work at a job at all, just beg for what you need.  And, no shoes.... 
 Why is it impossible to pray for anyone or anything besides oneself when in a state of mortal sin?

Mother Teresa was on board with this line of thought.  You have turned your back on God.  It's as though, by committing a mortal sin, you've said to God, "Ha! I need to go ahead and do this and I really don't care what You think.  I think You're crazy to think what I'm doing here is even wrong! Okay, maybe it is wrong, but I just really want to do it and you can take a hike."

You've wished yourself into the cornfield.  Anything you do besides try to get yourself back in God's grace is futile. 

I hope this clears out some of our weeds!






6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Regarding mortal sin and praying: It sounds like a really good reason to prayer for our loved ones (and others) who are on a troubled path.
Beth

Natalia said...

Thank you Sr. MM. I love your posts, and dialogue - I am very thankful for your pragmatism and the ways through which you always bring us closer to Our Blessed Lord. I was hopeful that the Church did distinguish between types of genetic engineering :-) True, St Francis alone is not enough ...I love going to Our Lord through Our Lady, but your pithy comment was rather delicious to go un-observed. I find him to be very direct in his teachings, just like Our Lord - and also very hard to follow. Also love his eclecticism!

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Sister. Regarding thsoe who just want to follow the inspiring example of St. Francis ... they should read the Rule of 1221 that he set up for his lay followers of the day ... you can google it ... check out all the fasting, etc ... many people who find St. Francis inspiring in their own ignorance will be appalled at the way he expected his followers to live ... just sayin'

Victoria said...

I'm so glad you're back!

Natalia said...

Dear Sr.MM., I would like to thank the worthy Anonymous for the insightful suggestion of "google", but I am afraid, I have to decline. I do not look to google or wikipedia as reliable information sources, but others (Anonymous included) should feel free to base their theological and spiritual opinions and decisions on them.
I would also like to reassure Anonymous that by "just" following St Francis, it was clear to me that I was not only looking at the ascetic aspects, but from the point that Our Blessed Mother is central to the Franciscan philosophy, and that it is through His mother that we can go to our Lord. Indeed, that's why they have the Franciscan crown......but what I love about St Francis (read: why I think I need "just" him) is the constitutive element of social justice in the gospels which is a fundamental Franciscan tenet - as well as the emphasis on the anawim.....but I am sure you know all this already. I will cut it short here, as this is not my blog, but Anonymous, given your concern for my spiritual well being, please let me know if you need further clarification, and I will provide a more detailed answer.

Ren said...

This is a good site for a Catholic perspective on genetic engineering.

www.marymeetsdolly.com