the final say
One of the reasons why I accepted the position of spiritual director last year was the realization that our sole reliance on psychology and the way it explains the complicated human behavior has made us wimps and weaklings unable to free and extricate ourselves from our present state. We observe behavioral patterns in ourselves and we dismiss them by explaining that these behaviors are part of growing up, or make excuses by blaming our upbringing and childhood formation, or escape responsibility by pointing our fingers to our parents or formators as the sources of our bad behavior. Sometimes we even use psychology to stifle the cry and protest of our conscience and even to justify the prevailing bad behavior we do not like to stop in the first place. Psychology can be used as a good and ready excuse to justify our addictions and negative compulsions. It can be used to soften the impact of sin and its accompanying guilt. It can be used as a reasonable excuse to go on doing whatever we want to do, a license to do what we want and later blame our past, our environment our background, our age and everything else except ourselves. So we hear reasons like ti kay lalaki mo, or ti kay sa seminaryo nagdaku mo, or ti kay ang ginikanan abi ka domineering, or kay indi nami ang formation.
I am not discounting the fact that these things do affect the way we behave. That these things do affect the way we act today. But until when can we make these things as reasons and justifications, how far can we blame these situations? Should we be forever held hostage by these experiences? Can we escape accountability and responsibility merely by making these as excuses?
In the gospel today we see a very important dimension in our life which completes the whole picture of psychology. The gospel is telling us that there are two forces in this world – the force of good and the force of evil. The gospel is also telling that these forces are in constant confrontation. We are witnessing a collision of opposites – good against evil and evil against good, God against the devil, the evil one against the holy one, the spirit of Christ against the spirit of the world. The gospel is inviting us to see the world as such – a constant conflict, a constant struggle for control and dominance. It is very important for us not to lose sight of this struggle. It is very important for us to be constantly aware that this is what is happening outside us and inside us. To possess a consciousness that can perceive these events even in the little struggle that we have to control our desires and inclinations. It is only in acknowledging this that we will become aware as to who has the final say regarding who among the two control and dominate. It is only in acknowledging this fact that we will be conscious once more of our faculty and therefore our ability to decide who wins. It is only by acknowledging this that we will be aware that we have the authority, the power to say yes to one and no to the other. Let us not forgot that. It is not tungod kay lalaki ako – we can decide. It is not tungod kay pigado formators ko – we can decide. It is not tungod kay wala na ako may mahimo sa akon upbringing ukon sa akon nagliligad – we can decide who wins and who loses. We can decide who controls and who dominates. We have the authority, we have the final say. Indeed we need psychology to know the what, where, why and how of our behavior. But we also need to see the world as a spiritual order, a spiritual struggle. And in this struggle we have the final say.
I am not discounting the fact that these things do affect the way we behave. That these things do affect the way we act today. But until when can we make these things as reasons and justifications, how far can we blame these situations? Should we be forever held hostage by these experiences? Can we escape accountability and responsibility merely by making these as excuses?
In the gospel today we see a very important dimension in our life which completes the whole picture of psychology. The gospel is telling us that there are two forces in this world – the force of good and the force of evil. The gospel is also telling that these forces are in constant confrontation. We are witnessing a collision of opposites – good against evil and evil against good, God against the devil, the evil one against the holy one, the spirit of Christ against the spirit of the world. The gospel is inviting us to see the world as such – a constant conflict, a constant struggle for control and dominance. It is very important for us not to lose sight of this struggle. It is very important for us to be constantly aware that this is what is happening outside us and inside us. To possess a consciousness that can perceive these events even in the little struggle that we have to control our desires and inclinations. It is only in acknowledging this that we will become aware as to who has the final say regarding who among the two control and dominate. It is only in acknowledging this fact that we will be conscious once more of our faculty and therefore our ability to decide who wins. It is only by acknowledging this that we will be aware that we have the authority, the power to say yes to one and no to the other. Let us not forgot that. It is not tungod kay lalaki ako – we can decide. It is not tungod kay pigado formators ko – we can decide. It is not tungod kay wala na ako may mahimo sa akon upbringing ukon sa akon nagliligad – we can decide who wins and who loses. We can decide who controls and who dominates. We have the authority, we have the final say. Indeed we need psychology to know the what, where, why and how of our behavior. But we also need to see the world as a spiritual order, a spiritual struggle. And in this struggle we have the final say.
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