Quote for the Day: Painters and Occasions of Sin

[Shin]

'O painters, who paint such arms and devices as are occasion of sin, knowest thou what is said of thee? Qui occasionem damni dat, damnum dedisse videtur. This is the rule of law: When one giveth an occasion of injury it is as if he had done the injury himself, and he is bound to make restitution, if satisfaction is not made for this injury by him who did it. Seest thou not how great injury thou doest? Thousands of creatures are lost by the making of this device, and first the man who has it painted, he who paints it, he who sees it, he who hath it in his house, he who loveth it; all go to the home of the devil. And therefore said Paul in his epistle to the Romans, chap, I, Propter quod tradidit illos Deus in reprobum sensum: Wherefore God gave them up to shameful affections. He allows them to fall through their desires into shamefulness and filth, and do the contrary of that which they should do.'

St. Bernardine of Siena

[Shin]

This applies to television as well.

If we wonder why so many people are shameless, and caught up in shameful affections..

[ChristianCatholic]

In the "Livre d'or des Âmes du Purgatoire", Fr. Benoit recounts the story of a devout painter that appeared to a religious after his death burning in the flames of Purgatory. The religious was shocked because this man had led such a holy life. When asked why he was in such a sorry state, the poor soul replied that in his youth he had painted an immodest painting and at the particular judgement, many souls in Purgatory accused him of creating the occassion for which they had to suffer in purgatory - many damned souls also cried out that he was deserving of hell fire because that painting was the cause of his damnation. But then the angels defended him saying that he had since made many devout and religious paintings. He was to remain in Purgatory until the immodest painting was destroyed. He told the religious to give this message to the owner of the painting, and as a sign of its verity, both of the owner's sons would soon die and he himself would follow if he did not destroy the painting. The religious finally found the owner who was terrified of the soul's message, indeed his two sons fell ill and died so he destroyed the painting and entered religion.

[Shin]

I remember this example well, I read it in Fr. F.X. Schouppe's book 'Purgatory', and it can come often to my mind.