Most Christians correctly feel that sin is to be avoided if their souls are to avoid eternal agony. Catholics, as usual, define sin more precisely, dividing it into “Mortal” and “Venal”. This division is accompanied by the admonition “Avoid the near occasion of sin.” Catholics understand that sin begins with temptation. In those six words, they tell us all we need to avoid it.
Catholic Fundamentalism consider sins as spiritual viruses. They are living beings whose depraved mission in life is to corrupt our programs. They try to make us stray from God, The Loving Programmer; Jesus Christ, the Living, Loving Program Who came among us in human form and later will be our Judge; and the Holy Wireless Connector who joins, us, according to how well we ask, with the total forces of Good. The viruses wish to replace the little bits of good that we do with bits of bad, error messages, so that our entry into Heaven may be replaced with our being sent to Hell.
Aquinas tells us that there is no hierarchy among the fallen angels. When they chose to fall, they fell from not only grace, but, also from order.
The only thing in which they are united is their encouragement for us to sin so completely that they may feast endlessly and ravenously upon our souls.
Each fallen spirit may be understood as a virus waiting to attack. Uncounted millions of them live within the words or pictures of usually unopened books, in a lonely state of suspended animation. As soon as sin-encouraging words and images can, they leap from those pages, and ride our optic nerves right our minds. At that second, we may be close to a “near occasion of sin”. The virus immediately attempts to pollute our mind, wanting only to infect us with itself so thoroughly that we are brought low.
It’s goal is to get us to first think about the sin. Then, to think about it, more and more and more. Then, to justify it. Then, to talk about it. Then, to commit it. Each step involves erasing ever more of the Operating Instructions that The Loving Programmer has provided.
Our main job on earth is to work very hard to see that doesn’t happen.
