The Church has taught that God is loving and merciful. His mercy knows no bounds. Deuteronomy 4:31 "For the Lord your God is a merciful God." Nevertheless, we can’t fly in the face of God’s mercy and disregard all forms of goodness and still expect God to embrace us. One cannot sin simply because God is forgiving. Salvation is gained not through one’s own efforts, but through God’s grace, mercy and love. Yet, we should not forget that God is a just God. “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.” (Psalm 89:14). God is just. It is part of His character, which means He is always just. He cannot be unjust, and He defines and sets the standard for justice. What is presumption? Presumption is a sin against hope in that it takes for granted God’s mercy. It's when we take things for granted. The theologians will tell us that it's not a clever idea to presume the mercy of God. It is a rash expectation of salvation without making proper use of the necessary means to obtain it. How may we be guilty of presumption? A. We may be guilty of presumption: 1. By putting off confession when in a state of mortal sin; (e.g. Let’s wait, I can always go confession next week. Do we know if we will see tomorrow?) 2. By delaying the amendment of our lives and repentance for past sins; (Oh God is always merciful.) 3. By being indifferent about the number of times we yield to any temptation after we have once yielded and broken our resolution to resist it; 4. By thinking we can avoid sin without avoiding its near occasion; (Avoiding curious searches on mobile devices when one is inclined to pornography.) 5. By relying too much on ourselves and neglecting to follow the advice of our confessor in regard to the sins we confess. The sin of presumption starts out with committing small sins presuming that God will forgive them. But over time our conscience will become dulled to sin and we will be led to presume that God will forgive our mortal sins. However, at that point, because of our presumption, we will be missing the necessary condition for the forgiveness of mortal sins: sorrow for our sin and a good confession. Presumption is a dangerous sin. It’s dangerous for two reasons. First, when people are presumptuous, they are living in denial of the truth. In regard to God, presumption means that the persons act as if they are in a good relationship with God when they are not. They may say holy things, act holy and even believe they are holy, while in fact they do not know our Lord at all. Thus, presumption is when one lives in denial of the truth. Second, presumption is dangerous because the presumptuous person will not repent of his or her own sin. This is because their denial makes it impossible for them to admit their sin. Without admitting their sin, they cannot subsequently admit their need to change. They remain steeped in their false thinking and their sin. “Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!’” Luke 13:27 Jesus makes it clear that there are some who will come to Him presuming their entrance into Heaven but their presumption will be met with these frightening words: “I do not know where you are from. Depart from me,...” Jesus presents this teaching not to reveal that He is harsh with those who are presumptuous; rather, He presents it as an act of great mercy for those stuck in this sin. It takes this startling revelation to shake a person free of this sin. In this case, it is the fear of one day hearing these words from Jesus that will help those who are stuck in presumption to break free and to face the truth. Amazingly, man frequently presumes to act, teach, and promote beyond what the Lord has written. We frequently see the following rationale offered to justify man's action, soothe his own conscience, and silence the inner plea to submit to God’s Word:
These common questions embody the very spirit of presumption, because they set aside what God has said in favor of man's rationalization. The true servant of God will move as close as possible to what God has written. The more one struggles to move away from the clear writing of Scripture, the more he betrays his own heart's secrets. True, God is our heavenly Father, and He dearly loves us; however, He seeks our best interest, which is not always what we want, what satisfies for the moment, or what makes us happy in this instant: Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! (Matthew 7:9-11 NKJ) God has promised to give us "good things". When we look to such passages to prove that God gives us what we want, we are assuming that what we want is always good for us. We are assuming that we have judgment, clarity, foresight, knowledge, and wisdom paramount to God! Age and maturity teach that negatively answered prayers (in other words, not giving us what we want) is one of God’s greatest blessings that can often only be understood after much time has passed. Since what we want and what God wants for us are often two distinct paths, only presumption would ignore God’s revealed will for us in exchange for satisfying our ever wanting desires. Although the justification of the New Covenant is based on God’s love, God’s mercy, and our faith, we should not assume that we are free to haphazardly give God the leftovers, after we have done what we think He may want from us. Other Bible verses on presumption: To be self-willed is to be presumptuous. It is presumptuous for anyone to think he can best serve God outside the confines of His holy government. Those who despise God’s government despise the God who ordained it. Deuteronomy 17:12-13: And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the LORD thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel. 13 And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously. In the following below, we read of a company of self-willed soldiers who went presumptuously into battle. Deuteronomy 1:41-45: Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill. 42 And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies. 43 So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill. 44 And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah. 45 And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you. These soldiers were not lacking in weapons of warfare, nor were they lacking in zeal. Their lack was in obedience. They failed because they “went presumptuously up into the hill.” Zechariah 4:6b declares, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” Yes, the testimony of Romans 8:31 is true: “If God be for us, who can be against us?” But let us never presume that God is for us! If our cause is not the Lord’s cause, our striving will be in vain. James 4:13. Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin. James 4:14. whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Proverbs 27:1. Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth. In conclusion.. There is a lovely saying that is popular among Christians today: “What would Jesus do?” This is fine and proper in its true context. Our Lord left many wonderful examples for us to follow. But we must not misinterpret this saying to suggest that we should try to figure out the proper Christian response to a situation at hand. Imagine walking into a church that seems more preoccupied with the sale of religious goods than with true worship. You ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?” Well, on one occasion, he overturned all the tables and drove the merchants out of the building! Is that what the Lord wants you to do? You’d better be sure! When you ask, “What would Jesus do?” who are you asking? If you are asking yourself, you are asking for trouble! Rather than ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?” ask, “Lord, what would you have me to do?” The best response to the query “What would Jesus do?” is that he would seek the will of his Father. John 5:30b: ... I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. Knowing one’s Catechism and applying the knowledge in one’s life are two different things. Unless you are able to apply it, to live a humble life like the Saints, to have the right attitude and being docile to the graces that God blesses you with, then you will more likely be doing the will of God. The first thing to discover is always God’s will. If a young man received a calling to become a priest, he does not consult his spiritual director (priest) instead he presumes he is unworthy, does not have the integrity or intelligence to be one, decides to explore the working world first and then only consider the priesthood if he does not succeed in the world. Do you think after being exposed to the temptations of this world, that young man would still want to be a priest? To do God’s will is to answer to His calling first, in this case, to the priestly vocation, and only if it’s not for him then only explore the world. Not the other way around. Our faith is supernatural, we live faithful to God thus living a life that depends on God for wisdom and strength. A calling, to a religious life, is a special grace from God, when one recognizes it, one should will to fulfill it. God’s will comes first and when in doubt seek priestly advice. God does not want us taking chances, acting presumptuously and calling it faith. He doesn’t want us meddling in situations that are not our business. Therefore, we should pray for wisdom, that we be kept back from presumptuous sins and instead enjoy the victories that have been set in front of us. Without humility one would not be docile to the inspirations or graces from the Holy Spirit. Psalm 19:13: Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. No one knows when they are going to die. No one knows. In Genesis 27:2, Isaac said to his son, Esau, “Behold now, I am old. I know not the day of my death.” But have you given any serious thought as to when you will die? You will one day leave this life. It could be today. But whenever it is, it will be forever, either in Heaven, or in Hell. What are you going to do about it? Will you die in your sins, unprepared? Or quickly avail yourself to the Sacrament of Penance (Confession) to reunite with Our Lord in sanctifying grace. Reflect, today, upon any way that you are not being honest with yourself or with others. Let the realization of any presumption in your life shake you free of this sin so that you can humble yourself before God now, before it is too late. Do not continue to take God’s graces for granted. Remember how deeply our Lord loves you and let that love help you to face your life with honesty and integrity. Loving Him faithfully in all that you do. Pray that God in His good pleasure will grant you the grace to abandon the ways of sin and follow the path of Christian perfection. Prayers:
Lord, I love You deeply and pray that my love may always be honest, genuine and complete. Help me to see, in my life, any ways in which I fail to love You with my whole heart. I give my life to You, dear Lord, without reserve. Jesus, I hope and trust in You. Sacred Heart of Jesus have mercy on me. ….……. My crucified Jesus, my Redeemer and my God! Behold a traitor at Thy feet. I am ashamed to appear before Thee. How often have I mocked Thee ! How often have I promised to offend Thee no more! But my promises have been so many treasons; for when the occasion of sin was presented to me I have forgotten Thee, and have again turned my back upon Thee, I thank Thee that I am not now in hell, but at Thy feet, where Thou enlightenest me, and callest me to Thy love. Yes; I wish to love Thee, my Saviour and my God! and I wish never more to despise Thee. Thou hast borne with me long enough. I see that Thou canst bear with me no longer. Unhappy me, if after so many graces, I offend Thee again! Lord, I sincerely wish and resolve to change my life: I wish to love Thee as much as I have offended Thee. It consoles me to have to deal with Thee, who art infinite goodness: but I am sorry above all things for having so much despised Thee, and I promise Thee all my love for the future. Pardon me through the merits of Thy Passion; forget the injuries I have done Thee, and give me strength to be faithful to Thee during the remainder of my life. I love Thee, O my Sovereign Good! and I hope to love Thee forever. My dear God! I will never more abandon Thee. O Mary, Mother of God ! bind me to Jesus Christ, and obtain for me the grace never again to depart from his feet. In Thee I trust. Amen By St. Alphonsus Ligouri |
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January 2024
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