Media

[Shin]

One of the things I had to do in my trip upstate, to my little old house, was to clear out a lot of trash.

What trash was this?

Well over the earlier part of my life, my 'youth' so to speak I was a great collector. I collected everything I found beautiful or interesting.

So I collected VCR tapes, music, books.. I had forgotten about the tapes in boxes in the cellar. And I had a very few thousand books especially, and of these the vast majority to throw away -- not to sell, but to throw away. Earlier in my life, it would have been painful, difficult, unthinkable.

Now I have some simple moral rubrics that clear out the rubbish. There are more than these, which I am only just learning.

But here are some:

If a book has a single line in it, a single line that intends to provoke impurity, that views it acceptably and empathizes with it and so wishes the reader to do so: That is a near occasion of sin. It is a moral evil, that makes the entire work as a whole a moral evil. A single sin, makes the whole a moral evil. It is not something you can sell, share, or read yourself. It is to be discarded.

That causes a lot of books that while in their majority are 'fun' because of a little 'spice' the authors saw fit to add in, to be morally corrupt and not pleasing to God -- and so disposed of.

Immodesty in clothing, in pictures -- dispose of it.

If a book takes the Lord's name in vain, or uses euphemisms to do so, this too is a sin.

Just applying the tests 'takes the Lord's name in vain' 'intends to incite impurity' and 'immodest' and you will throw out the majority of your books, and find television as a whole (because of the commercials, and vast majority of the programming) unacceptable.

These aren't optional standards I might add. It is a mortal sin, to fully and willfully enter into a near occasion of mortal sin. It is also unacceptable to share sinful material with others that will provoke them to sin, to recommend it, etc.

And the corruption of the world this way leads so many to treat it as acceptable before God, impurity, immodesty, and taking the Lord's name in vain. So with a positive love of respect of the Lord's name, His Sacred Name, and of purity and modesty, you can carve yourself out and restore and revitalize your spiritual life -- pass by the barriers the world the flesh and the devil have placed, that you may have become complacent with, and not understood as the reason why you did not make progress towards Communion with God.

So much of these entertainments are, even when not containing problems, simply wastes of time -- And wasting one's time in this brief life, time made to be spent for God and Heaven, that too is a sin. We have to utilize entertainment only to responsible extent considering what is important in life.

So, I hope everyone who reads this tries to take it to heart and put it more into daily life. The good effects of getting rid of worldly entertainment are beyond measure, and immediate.

I truly have learned more how all must:

'Get out of the filth of the horrible torrent of this world, the torrent of thorns that is whirling you into the abyss of eternal perdition. . . This torrent is the world, which resembles an impetuous torrent, full of garbage and evil odours, making a lot of noise but flowing swiftly passed, dragging the majority of men into the pit of perdition.'

St. Jean Eudes

[Patricia]

So I collected VCR tapes, music, books.. I had forgotten about the tapes in boxes in the cellar. And I had a very few thousand books especially, and of these the vast majority to throw away -- not to sell, but to throw away. Earlier in my life, it would have been painful, difficult, unthinkable.

I remember my brother throwing out all the music he had collected as a youth in just the same way, something he had spent a lot of money over.

[Shin]

This is great to hear and makes me think!!  

You know, music is sometimes more ephemeral, it's more difficult to tell people to set it aside than say, things that are more clearly containing sin.

While you can tell people, 'thy lyrics are bad', or 'the music incites the passions' and some people will begin to realize that this is sinful and detrimental to the spiritual health, I just want to say that it's not just stuff you can see that has problems that have problems..

Often times with entertainment of all kinds, we aren't going to find out what is wrong with what it is specifically. And that's OK!!!

We still have to give it up! And we can still tell we should give it up! By the simple test of life being better without it, and it being an 'attachment' we don't want to give up. If these too apply.. it's in the way!

For example, I've done away with a lot of popular music and focused on classical and sacred music. I've found that the more music directly excites the passions (something we would often listen to it for) the more distracting it can be towards the spiritual life. In other words, that more complex, artistic and less dramatic music of earlier times.. people back then often did know what they were doing in not going for the instant gratification, the instant passions with it.

Well, I don't know if I am getting it across correctly. Let me put it this way. Simply try it, embrace silence and only classical or sacred music for a time, and see what difference it makes in your spiritual life. I feel I can say solidly, I guarantee the difference will be positive if you put the popular music aside, even after culling it for the directly offensive and inciting.

A few weeks like that, and the peace in your life will be so visibly increased I feel!

[Bailey2]

Oh boy, I'm in big trouble!   

[Shin]

If there is someone here who at some point in life has listened to more music, watched more tv, more movies, read more books than I..

I would be surprised that person survived it!

So anyone can flip 180 degrees! 

 

[Bailey2]

You forget I'm a hockey mom! 

PS.  and where is that hockey smiley!   

[Shin]

You forget I'm a hockey mom! 

PS.  and where is that hockey smiley!   

With my vacation I forgot!

I found one however.. you will have to wait for me to find where I put it, like a lost puck! 

[Bailey2]

 

[Shin]

 

I hope you like this special delivery!

It's called 'hockey saint'! A custom smilie!  

   

Hello hockey saint!

[Bailey2]

Oh my ****!  Oh my ****!   I am sooooooooo happy!  A smily that reflects me.... and my family!  (sorry Saints, sorry prayerful smilys,  hockey is life to some of us!)........well, that can be a prayer too, no?  Come to think of it (thinking about all the tournaments I've been to), na... rates right up there with bad-mouthed TV.   

But.   

Thank you thank you thank you Shin!

[Shin]

Oh my ****!  Oh my ****!   I am sooooooooo happy!  A smily that reflects me.... and my family!  (sorry Saints, sorry prayerful smilys,  hockey is life to some of us!)........well, that can be a prayer too, no?  Come to think of it (thinking about all the tournaments I've been to), na... rates right up there with bad-mouthed TV.   

But.   

Thank you thank you thank you Shin!

Notice the little halos! 

With enough of your prayers hockey can become holier too!

Let the games begin!!

 



                         



 

Now that looks like a tough team to get the puck through!!!

[Shin]

That said though dear, be careful! if there's immodest dress and near occasions of sin for the boys there because of it, you shouldn't have your boys there if they'd be at all troubled by it!  And I can't change on that one!

Because that's the Faith!

You have to teach them to be pure!  

Holy hockey!  

Have to get my disclaimer in there!!!

[Brigid]

I hadn't noticed the little halos on the hockey smilies. That's good to know!

[Shin]

I hadn't noticed the little halos on the hockey smilies. That's good to know!

Holy hockey! I am making up for the NJ home team.     

[Bailey2]

That said though dear, be careful! if there's immodest dress and near occasions of sin for the boys there because of it, you shouldn't have your boys there if they'd be at all troubled by it!  And I can't change on that one!

Because that's the Faith!

You have to teach them to be pure!  

Holy hockey!  

Have to get my disclaimer in there!!!

No worries.  The poor child had the most horrid experience at his first homecoming (used by the girl to get to another boy, bee-bop dancing, and a panic attack because of it all).  Found him in the corner of a large hotel lobby.  He says he is done with girls till college.  His only focus is hockey and school.  But he came back from his second day of hockey day camp so "sore on top of sore" that I wonder how long it will be before he takes up something else. 

[Shin]

Wow! Well, good out of evil! I know I've learned a lot myself from tough experiences! 

Life is like hockey!