ANNIE HATES THE WORD "SIN!"

 You must know that the Catholic Church, and many New Testament passages, love the word "sin." In the C.C. often at the start of Mass, we pray the "Confiteor" where we confess our sins.

 Some beat their breasts 3 times during this. I usually participate but actually prefer the old Confiteor when we did not beat our breasts. That was in the changes to the Mass in 2011 which I think were dreadful. Thanks, Pope Benedict!

 When Rick and I were discussing the use of the word "sin" and saying we hated it, he told me of another way of phrasing this that he read about. Instead of the word, "sin," use the word "anti-life." 

And then we can use the word "For-life" for actions and words which support the flourishing of life. Isn't this WAY WAY better?

  So then, the C.C. rightly considers gossip to be a sin. But let's call it "anti-life" because it breaks the bonds of a relationship. It tears people down instead of building them up. It also harms the bond of love with God who loves those we are trashing, even if we do not.

 

  Then, adultery is obviously a sin, but it is also anti-life because it crushes the bond of love in marriage as well as destroying the love connection we have with God during that act, who had held us in her arms as we plighted our troth.

 If we are looking at the 7 deadly sins, let's not forget greed. I recall one priest who said that in all his decades of hearing Confession, he had never heard anyone confess to greed. I would have to say that with some guilt, as I continue to over-shop for food (thanks Instacart!) and buy too many clothes from Stitch Fix--and where will they go once you are done with them? I remember reading that we bury over a ton of used clothes in landfills each year. 

And here is something to ponder: the wonderful Jane Goodall (a vegetarian) told us that every day we each make decisions which affect the quality of life for everyone in our world. I take this as For-life and try to remember it when ordering food. And clothes. (No question that I do retail therapy when my health issues or political worries get me down.)

  Are we up for lust? I am rather fond of this one and am happy to say I have not fallen down in my years of marriage, which is not to say I do love a handsome man, preferably silver-haired, with a fine butt. But if we fall into the hot and hairy arms of lust, we are forgetting that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, so God tells us. Thus, we are trashing that temple and harming the Holy Spirit "...whom God has given us." (Romans 5:5) It took me a long time to come to this truth.

  Oh, God, then we are in the arms of pride, which may be the most telling of all anti-life positions. I believe that in Dante's Hell, pride is at the very bottom with Satan stuck in the ice, unable to wipe away his freezing tears. 

When I look at Trump, Bannon, Vance, and many others, I really think there may be either a fiery or freezing hell. Pride is clearly the anti-life position of Elon Musk and Thiel. N.B.: If you are interested in reading about "Aspie Supremacy," where folks on the Spectrum claim only to have Aspbergers (no longer in the DSM  manual) because that makes them superior, check out how Elon describes himself. During the Inauguration, he was caught "Stimming," rolling head and eyes to calm his nervous system. This is not to shame ANYONE on the Spectrum, it is just to call out Elon for his hypocrisy.

 I think I have forgotten some significant things, but surely this is enough to go on with. Next time I go on Stitch Fix to pick out something festive, will I consider; is it anti-life? (And will it fit?) Maybe, maybe not. It all depends on if I have read the news, seen what Trump is doing, and am mourning our democracy. Although, I have to put in a bit of hope here. When Pastor Mark delivered fabulous food to us today, he said something like,. "This is the time the church has been called for." Amen, brother. And one other pop of hope: Bishop Budde's book on learning courage and hope has sold out on Amazon!