Verbum Dei UK

MONDAY: Galatians 5:13 .22-24

"You were called to enjoy the freedom... not that which gives free rein to the desires of flesh, but of that which makes you slaves of one another through love... The fruits of the Spirit are... self-control... those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its vices and desires."(Gal 5:13 .22)

The virtue of temperance governs our appetites for pleasure. By nature we desire the pleasure that is suitable to us. Since the human being by definition is rational, the pleasures that are in accord with reason are suitable to man. Temperance does not restrain us from the pleasures that are reasonable, but from those that are contrary to our reason. Temperance does not act against our natural human inclinations, but works with them. Temperance is opposed to the inclinations of nature when they are like a beast that is not ruled by reason.

Instead of oppressing us from our free will, the virtue of Temperance helps us to be really free, so to act according to what will lead us to real peace and happiness.

TUESDAY: Matthew 6:16-21 ; 1Cor 9:24-27

"When you fast, wash your face and make yourself look cheerful... and your Father who sees what is kept in secret will reward you..." (Matthew 6:18 )

The virtue of temperance also requires us to prepare ourselves. There is a place for asceticism in daily life. Temperance requires us to train ourselves and prepare ourselves even when we are not faced with an immediate temptation. For this reason, Thomas Aquinas teaches that fasting is not merely a religious custom, but it is part of the natural law. All people are required to develop the virtue of temperance and govern their desire for pleasure by reason, and so all must take the necessary steps to prepare themselves. The purpose of fasting and other ascetical practices is not to destroy our natural inclinations, but to become master of them.

"Have you not learned anything from the stadium? Many run, but only one gets the prize. Run, therefore, intending to win it, as athletes who impose upon themselves a rigorous discipline. Yet for them the wreath is of laurels which wither, while for us, it does not wither." (1 Cor 9:24-27 )

I find this reading very inspiring, as if we can be very self controlled so to gain a competition, why can we not be self controlled so to gain the fullness of life that God wants to give us? That is the example Jesus gave us and which we celebrate today, the exaltation of the cross.

WEDNESDAY: Matthew 6 22-23

"The lamp of the body is the eye, if your eyes are sound, your whole body will be in the light..." (Matthew 6:22 )

A lack of temperance undermines prudence, and if prudence is destroyed, all the virtues are undermined. Temperance itself needs to be nurtured, and this is part of the role of culture. If we are surrounded by images of self-indulgence and appeals to our senses, our reason is undermined. The mass media deliberately exploit our desires, but there is a saying: no injury is done if the other party was willing. We can select what we want to watch, and when we watch television or use the Internet, we can choose to reflect upon what we see or to surrender our judgment. A culture of temperance will be reflected in the way we speak and act as well.

The NT mentions "concupiscence of the eyes", curiositas as it was called in Latin. Bit of a weird name, but it refers to an unbridled desire for knowing and experiencing as much as possible, simply for the sake of knowing it. It short, it is an abuse of the desire for knowledge that also needs has to be restrained in a certain sense because it, too, can become disordered. One of the curious things of the internet is that we may end up surfing more and knowing less! God has given us the capacity to "see" to be able to perceive the reality of the world around us. "Concupiscence of the eyes" however, is shallow, and does not seek to know see "deeper realities".

The destructiveness of this disorder lies in the obsessive addiction it can create to know more and more without ever being satisfied by what it sees, producing a certain "restlessness of the spirit" within. Yet it actually stifles our basic power of grasping reality, making us progressively less and less capable of coming to know either ourselves or others (superficiality of relationships) and also of reality itself. The disorder it can create is more an uncontrolled frenzy to try to satisfy a restless spirit by entertaining itself to no end; but that doesn't mean coming to know the truth.

Studiositas, on the other hand, means learning to put the brakes onto this seemingly endless desire to see new things and be entertained. Excessive amounts of television and internet, for instance, can make a person very passive; but it also affects the person's perception of the reality of God, which reveals itself only in silent contemplation of things.

THURSDAY: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

"Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is to my profit..." (1 Cor 6:12 )

While temperance primarily concerns tactile pleasures, it also concerns our emotions. Part of temperance is to control our anger. Part of temperance is to govern our sexual desire, and temperance in that department is generally called chastity. Chastity is not synonymous with celibacy, but it means governing our sexual desire in accordance with our state in life. Temperance also concerns our desire for knowledge. An uncontrolled desire is curiosity, exemplified as Ulysses who took ten years to return home because he was always seeking new adventures and experiences. The right measure is called studiosity or studiousness, which is the disciplined search for the truth. It is also possible for our natural desire for the truth to be dulled because of a life of comfort and pleasure, and then we may suffer from a dullness of the intellect for which we are morally responsible.

Chastity is (but) one of the areas of the virtue of temperance. It certainly isn't a very popular word in everyday conversations, and the situation certainly isn't getting any better! But perhaps that is because we don't understand what chastity is, or maybe we in the church have contributed to an exaggeration of sins against chastity and even a false ordering in its importance among the other virtues to be practiced! Our sexual powers are certainly not "a necessary evil" but really something good and wholesome. However, the more powerful and necessary the thing is, the more we have learn to use it well. Chastity is the virtue that aims at putting our sexuality in order, to making sure the river stays within its banks.

FRIDAY: John 17

Today, I invite you to pray for the coming of the Pope to England this weekend.

"We give thanks for his courageous and consistent witness to the abiding and central truths of the faith in a climate so often marked by indifference and ignorance about Christian truth. Our hope and prayer is that this visit may inspire us to greater energy and imagination in that shared mission. Pope John Paul wrote in his encyclical Ut unum sint in 1995 of how the papal office could and should be a ministry of unity in the gospel that would serve all Christians. We pray that in this visit, Pope Benedict will draw us closer together in the love of God and the service of Christ, so that the transforming power of the gospel will be proclaimed more effectively to all in our society." (words from Rowan Cantuar, Archbishop of Canterbury)

May his presence and meetings with the Queen, the difference political and religious entities be a source of unity and inspiration, also for the concern of justice in the world.

We also pray for his time shared with the youth on Saturday, may he encourage all of us to continue giving witness of Christ's light and love.

"Dear young people, Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive hundredfold in return. Yes, open wide the doors to Christ and you will find true life." (Pope Benedict's words in 2005)

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