Lose To Win

One day in a sermon in the church's pulpit, the Priest in utter conviction completes his homily with great expression when he says, "If I had all the beer in the world, I would grab it and throw it into the river!" With even greater prominence, he screams, "And if i had all the wine in the world, I would get it and throw it into the river!"

Then finally, he said, "And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I would get it and throw it into the river!"

Then the Clergy sits down. The Choir Master then gets up very watchfully and announces with a smile to his choral group, "For our final song, let us sing Hymn # 365: "Shall We Gather at the River".

Hilarious isn’t it, but that's how vulnerable we are as human when pleasure is almost there in the lead.

Beginning to sin is starting to lose.  Setting out to lose is missing a lot of opportunities because of grabbing the opportunity to sin.  It is the occasion that one gives in to sin that one gradually destroys his/her focus on journeying a good life.  This means that no one can juggle both good works and sin all at the same time because sooner or later we’ll fold up when sin matures because it’ll eat up our smart disposition.

Human has a lot of attachments and all of these give pleasure.  Nevertheless, not all pleasurable cause pleasures in the long run.  It’s painful to give up these attachments especially if one has been used to it for a long time but in this life one should only take a single choice whether we are for pleasure of sin whose end-point is despair and a not-so-peaceful state after life, or loyalty to God’s Word which is a daily tough challenge whose end-point is a peaceful life on earth and a glorious destiny in Heaven. 

Sirach 23:16 Two types of men multiply sins, a third draws down wrath; For burning passion is a blazing fire, not to be quenched till it burns itself out: A man given to sins of the flesh, who never stops until the fire breaks forth;

Because of being blinded by these pleasures and perverse attachment to certain goods, we tend to be irrational which derails our conscience resulting us a failure to love God and neighbor, which wounds our nature and injures solidarity with people around us.

Loving of these pleasures as a sin and and as a passion makes us self-centered and contemptuous of God than connecting with Him which is but repeating the history of disobedience of the past.

Matthew 16:26 What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life?

Timothy 6:6-9 Indeed, religion with contentment is a great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, just as we shall not be able to take anything out of it. If we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that. Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction.

Giving up these choices which gratification is temporal but with a long- lasting melancholy can be a difficult challenge because of its call to reform our attention which entails loosening our grip to the pleasure of sin.  It’s easier said than done but in any action whether good or bad, everything begins from step 1.  Surely we’ll lose pleasure of sexual infidelities when giving up extra-marital affairs, material gains of dishonesty, abated anger and bitterness on retaliation, comfort from goldbricking and idleness but what is its temporary pleasure that’s makeshift compared to winning face that genuinely smiles when we turn to Jesus because of life that is light-hearted, with inner peace, relaxed in every morning wake-up and serenity every in and out of the doorway, and tranquil night sleeps.  Amen!