Spirit of Temperance

In order to do and live God's Will we must first reign in our own passions, this means controlling those elements within ourselves that draw us away from God and creates a chasm between His Divine Will and our own self will. It is important to not only practice self control over our carnal natures it also means controlling all aspects of our life that we have placed as obstacles towards our quest for holiness.

If our inner lives are out of control, this will exhibit itself in one's outward life, in that what comes out of a person's mouth is a good barometer to what lay in the heart. A sound heart that is centred on Christ speaks with due courtesy and good will towards others, they also caution those who have gone astray with good grace and gentleness. A person who lacks this Spirit of temperance is quick to anger and rash in their judgment of others, they also lack in all the other virtues, for every other virtue springs from self discipline.

A person that is out of control is also outside of God, for the Triune Spirit cannot live in a temptuous or extreme nature that is living for itself over and above everyone else. This does not mean that this state is permanent for if we realise our faulty nature we can once again restore a healthy relationship with God through the Sacrament of Penance which then allows God to fill our Hearts with His Grace.

In order to maintain this state of Grace, we must practice moderation in all our activities, in other words to live a life of deliberate discipline with full knowledge of our own inadequacies and failings. We all long to be happy but unless we practice temperance in all areas of our life then happiness will elude us, for holiness and egoism cannot exist side by side with one another, as St. Augustine says, "all persons want to be happy; and no persons are happy who do not have what they want." We can only be happy when we live to do God's Will, this means placing God at the centre of our lives and not on the periphery. For God gives us what we need and not always what we want, therefore to be truly happy is to want what God wants for us.

When we do anything in an excessive manner it is displeasing to God, even when it comes to prayer or mortifications. So if our motive is to impress others with our outward behaviour of feigned holiness no matter how many hours of prayer one undertakes all is loss if one looks for self gratification, and the applause of others. Once again as St. Augustine teaches us, "What is not loved in its own right is not loved." This tells us to love God for His sake and not for His Goods, and when we do love God for who He is, then we truly love the Beloved.

To practice self discipline in a healthy manner requires detachment from love of others and also a love for the luxuries of life, it is our neediness to be accepted and found lovable that is the driving force within our natures. But it is when we inordinately love that which is temporal over and above that which is Eternal that our vision of love becomes distorted and eventually dysfunctional. As St. Augustine said, "It is beyond doubt that the one cause of fear is either that we will lose what we love after attaining it or that, despite all our hopes, we will never attain it at all."

We need also to understand that detachment is not remaining aloof or displaying an attitude of coldness towards others. Some of our greatest Saints were passionate people but their love was directed totally towards God, this then allowed them freedom to love others as God does. For all love is but a spark from the Divine which ignites the hearts of those whom are consumed with an all encompassing love for God and for those whom God Loves. We attain this by recognising our own worthlessness and how much has been given to us by a loving God, in the words of St. Teresa of Avila, "We shall never learn to know ourselves except by endeavoring to know God; for, beholding His greatness, we realize our own littleness; His purity shows us our foulness; and by meditating upon His humility we find how very far we are from being humble."

Our lives cannot embrace this humility if it lacks self control in all area's in that if we lack in caring for our bodies, how then can we serve the Lord if we are serving ourselves? This is also true of our emotions, if we lack self control of our emotions, and take offense at the slightest remarks which then leads some to anger how then does this serve the Lord? If we allow our senses to be aroused by indecent subject matter, how then can any maintain a pure relationship with the Triune Spirit? Once again St. Teresa tells us, "Be gentle to all and stern with yourself."

If we truly long for a loving and healthy relationship with our Loving God we must practice self discipline in a spirit of temperance in all things. To acquire a spirit of detachment is also crucial to our spiritual well being, in that our focus is totally centred on our Creator and not the created. This degree of loving God for who He is will lead us to the peace and happiness that only Christ can give, St. Teresa knew this when she said, "Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All thing pass; God never changes Patience attains All that it strives for. He who has God finds he lacks nothing: God alone suffices."

In order to live a life of temperance we need to surround ourselves with all that is holy and pleasing to God, and disregard that which may create a stumbling block to our own spiritual growth.

In conclusion we reflect on the words by St Basil the Great, "The wise man must not boast of his wisdom, nor the strong man of his strength, nor the rich man of his riches." What then is the right kind of boasting? What is the source of man’s greatness? Scripture says: "The man who boasts must boast of this, that He knows and understands that I am the Lord. Here is man’s greatness, here is man’s glory and majesty: to know in truth what is great, to hold fast to it, and to seek glory from the Lord of glory. The Apostle tells us: The man who boasts must boast of the Lord. He has just said: Christ was appointed by God to be our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification, our redemption, so that, as it is written, a man who boasts must boast of the Lord."

Peace of Christ to ALL

Copyright © 2006 Marie Smith. All rights reserved.