Overcoming Obstacles to Interior Freedom
Game Plan Tools to Overcome Sin & Grow Spiritually
Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute: Father John A. Klockeman
“The light of heaven’s love has restored us to life: free us from the desires that belong to darkness”
(cf. concluding morning prayer, Divine Office, Vol. III, p. 733)
Saint Ignatius of Loyola: “There are few people who realize what God would make of
them if they abandoned themselves into His hands, and let themselves be formed by His
grace.”
There is a story out there: something larger going on all around us. In order to
understand the story you have to enter into it. You have a part to play; a purpose to
pursue; a calling to live; a sacrifice to give; a legacy to leave behind.”
Men by their very nature are directed outward. We are built to engage the world, to
compete, to challenge ourselves and others, to test our mettle, to leave our mark, and
confront the wider world. This is how God made us!
But, too often, these same impulses are dulled. Our lives become flat, domesticated, and
we are lulled inward into a world no bigger than ourselves. We can unknowingly permit
our greater calling to glory to be robbed!
Instead of fighting, sacrificing, and testing our mettle, we look for cheap substitutes for
real living. We are present but not in the game. We show up but not ready to play. And,
we numb our vocations, domesticate our true desires, and deflate our vigor as Christian
men.
Yet, we are called to be men of influence, men of action, men of vision, men of virtue,
and men of deep passion in prayer. But, to enter such an adventure we must reveal the
inner terrain of our hearts – to ourselves, to others, and, in particular, to God.
Lorenzo Scupoli, Spiritual Combat: “This is indeed the hardest of all struggles;
for while we strive against self, self is striving against us, and therefore is the
victory here most glorious and precious in the sight of God.”
A Christian is called to the heroic task of witnessing to the world the life of a
soul cured by Christ.
I.
Maladies of the Soul: The Eight Evil Thoughts
The Eight Evil Thoughts, or the Maladies of the Soul, cloud the immediate
knowledge of God and a person’s baptismal call to glorification in
communion with the Holy Trinity. In practice, the maladies of the soul are
idols one is tempted to serve – a cheap substitute robbing the fulfillment of a
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Overcoming Obstacles to Interior Freedom
Game Plan Tools to Overcome Sin & Grow Spiritually
Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute: Father John A. Klockeman
legitimate human desire – whose effect is to cloud and weaken the faculties
of the human soul, keep one bound and unhealed, and thereby limit the true
freedom of man – a freedom bought by the price of Christ’s own blood, and
by right, a freedom which is the inheritance of all the baptized!
The Eight Evil Thoughts: Pride, Vainglory, Acedia (Sloth), Anger,
Sadness (Dejection), Gluttony, Lust and Avarice (Greed)
Three Categories:
1. Thoughts of the Soul → Pride, Vainglory, & Acedia
2. Thoughts of the Mind → Anger & Sadness
3. Thoughts of the Body → Gluttony, Lust & Avarice
Sources of Thoughts or Suggestions (Logismoi): Three principle sources
sorted by the fruits they produce or the direction in which they lead the
soul (cf. Tools Matter, p. 7)
1. From our own memories, desires, or past experiences
2. From God as inspirations of the Holy Spirit
3. From evil sources outside oneself
Discernment of Spirits may also be defined more broadly: such
“spirits” as our fallen nature, our redeemed nature, other persons
who can lead us toward or away from God, angelic spirits, the
Holy Trinity, the demonic, fallen creation, and the beauty of the
created world.
Psalm 36: “Sin speaks to the sinner in the depths of his heart.
There is no fear of God before his eyes. He so flatters himself in
his mind that he knows not his guilt. In his mouth are mischief and
deceit. All wisdom is gone.”
Progression of Thoughts: Unsolicited thoughts, permitted to remain,
form into feelings, feelings attended to coalesce into desires; desires
evolve and arouse the passions; and the passions aroused lead to a
question to the soul: will you consent? (cf. Tools Matter, p. 6)
Aim of the Demonic: knowing one’s susceptibility to certain weaknesses,
seeks, through a suggestion or thought, to stir the passions (the eight evil
thoughts) and weaken the will to give permission for one to enter into sin;
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Overcoming Obstacles to Interior Freedom
Game Plan Tools to Overcome Sin & Grow Spiritually
Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute: Father John A. Klockeman
and thus, remain, to a degree, bound and unhealed, diminishing our
human dignity and our call to theosis of communion with the Holy Trinity.
One Tacit of the Evil One: Get you to fixate on a lesser good at the
expense of a greater good . . . also, to live in the past, avoid the present,
and distrust the future.
Avoid letting the strong emotion of regret controlling your life.
Follow the example of Saint Paul, who wrote these strong words of
admonition to the Philippians in chapter 3 verse 13: “But one
thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to
what lies ahead.”
1. Pride = an affliction of preoccupation with self
2. Vainglory = an affliction of preoccupation with what others
think that governs what you do and how you do it
3. Anger = an affliction to boil or stir up wrath . . . against one
who has given injury, or is thought to have done so
4. Acedia = an affliction of motivation and intention resulting in
a lack of satisfaction and consolation
5. Sadness = an affliction due to deprivation of one’s desires or
sensible pleasures
6. Gluttony = an affliction to give up asceticism in the short
order, even with small desires
7. Lust = an affliction to lust (covet) after bodies – often works in
tandem with anger and gluttony
8. Avarice = an affliction of concern, or shame, over potential
future outlooks and worry over things
In practice, when one consents to the passions, he/she forms supposed
coping mechanisms/habits of life to meet an emotional need or defense
that can easily mutate into compulsions and addictions . . . and forms a
condition of attachments with various degrees of strength (strong holds).
In the Greek, “passion,” is the basis for the English word “pathetic.”
Way to Master Thoughts: “The way to master thoughts is to notice them
early, often, and consistently, and respond to them deliberately.” (cf. Tools
Matter, p. 7, emphasis mine)
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Overcoming Obstacles to Interior Freedom
Game Plan Tools to Overcome Sin & Grow Spiritually
Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute: Father John A. Klockeman
Jean Galot, Vivre avec le Christ, 23-34: “By His calls, Jesus does not only
demand that a person believe in Him; He invites them to radicalize this faith to
the point of taking the risk of leaving all other goods and to place their trust
completely in Him. He is not content only with a love which consists in the
practice of the commandments. He wants a love which consents to live for Him
and with Him, in celibacy and poverty, the renouncement of family and other
material goods. Through this, the domain of God extends itself to what is most
profound in the human person, into his relationship with other human beings and
with the world.”
“The Fathers do not categorize people as moral and immoral, good or bad,
on the basis of moral laws. At [its] depth, humanity is differentiated
into [three categories]: (1) the sick in soul (those in need of healing), (2)
those being healed, (3) and those healed.” (Orthodox Psychotherapy: The
Science of the Fathers, Metropolitan of Nafpaktos Hierotheos, p 30,
emphasis mine)
Colossians 1:9b-11: “May you attain full knowledge of God’s will through
perfect wisdom and spiritual insight. Then you will lead a life worthy of the Lord
and pleasing to Him in every way. You will multiply good works of every sort
and grow in the knowledge of God. By the might of His glory you will be
endowed with the strength needed to stand fast, even to endure joyfully whatever
may come.”
The Christian Path from Sin to Virtue: Or, How to “Develop a Game
Plan” . . . (Avoid a “white knuckling” approach or repression of sin)
II.
Why is it that those who seem to give up everything for God seem to
possess everything in the end? Why, because they saw the need to suffer
the honest coming of truth about their own character!
Lorenzo Scupoli, Spiritual Combat: “This is indeed the hardest of all
struggles; for while we strive against self, self is striving against us, and
therefore is the victory here most glorious and precious in the sight of
God.” (cf. Psalm 116: 12-19)
1. Discern the context surrounding your fall into sin:
What are the habits/attitudes/thoughts/places/persons/or things that are
present?
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Overcoming Obstacles to Interior Freedom
Game Plan Tools to Overcome Sin & Grow Spiritually
Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute: Father John A. Klockeman
2. Remain attentive to how you permitted “thoughts” to enter, take root, and
grow: Again, examine the exterior and interior context and choices . . .
Way to Master Thoughts (Logismoi): “The way to master thoughts is to
notice them early, often, and consistently, and respond to them
deliberately.” (cf. Tools Matter, p. 7, Mary Margaret Funk, emphasis
mine). Do not let evil thoughts take root!
3. Seek to discern the root desire, or root sin, root motivation, or root wound
by which your passions are fed:
Look for the legitimate desire underneath the sin that you were seeking –
examine past confessions for insights and patterns of thoughts and choices
to expose any underlying legitimate desires
To discern, understand your temperament (+/- tendencies)
Pray and ask for guidance by the Holy Spirit for insight: “Where in my
past is the origin of this habitual sin?”
If it is a habitual sin, ask it, “What do you want of me/from me?”
4. If the sin(s) is habitual, then remain attentive to the ritual or stepping
stones that lead you toward temptation:
Identify the time cycles between the rising of temptations
What are the “red flags” that always appear prior to a fall?
What habits/attitudes/thoughts/places/persons/or things that increase a
weakness of resolve against temptation?
What aids in the stoking of the passions fire?
5. Develop a “game plan” that seeks to meet the underlying, legitimate
need/desire to avoid the “near occasion of sin”:
Find creative, holy, non-sinful ways to “feed a legitimate underlying
desire”
Broadly define you legitimate desire; ie. Lust and search for Intimacy
Incorporate into your rhythm of life tasks/activities that refresh you, that
give you life, energy, and direction
Become accountable to a confessor and/or spiritual director or close friend
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Overcoming Obstacles to Interior Freedom
Game Plan Tools to Overcome Sin & Grow Spiritually
Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute: Father John A. Klockeman
The Cloud of Unknowing: “He need have no fear or error in believing
that God is calling him to contemplation, regardless of what sort of person
he is now or has been in the past. It is not what you are nor what you have
been that God sees with His all-merciful eyes, but what you [deeply]
desire [in the core of your being] to be.” (additions mine)
6. Exercise the practice of a daily Examen of Consciousness
III.
Other Tools to Combat Sin as Part of a Game Plan
Frequent practice of the sacraments and use of sacramentals
Reception of Indulgences
Ceaseless prayer, such as “The Jesus Prayer”
Fasting, Almsgiving, Spiritual Reading & Prayer Vigils
Daily prayer and daily examen prayer
Saint Katherine Drexel: “I looked up in wonder at God’s wonderful
ways and thought how little we imagine what may be the result of
listening and acting on a desire God puts into the heart, . . . Yes, Jesus in
the Blessed Sacrament is with you . . . nourish before Him great desires.”
Manual labor/exercise . . . a means to extinguish the flames of inordinate desires
Awareness of thoughts . . . a gatekeeper from letting thoughts settle in the heart
Watchfulness . . . remaining sober & alert (cf. 1 Peter 5:8-9)
Practice generosity of self . . . a magnanimous life undermines the temptation
toward the self-indulgence of sin
Romans 12: 9-13: “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to
what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another
in showing honor. Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, [and] serve
the Lord. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in
prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality.”
Rid undermining habits
Live life intentionally
Learn to incorporate the “game plan” into your weekly/monthly rhythm of life
Learn to “slow down”
Use of SILENCE – in both outward activity & inner stillness/simplicity of life
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Overcoming Obstacles to Interior Freedom
Game Plan Tools to Overcome Sin & Grow Spiritually
Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute: Father John A. Klockeman
Blasé Pascal: “I have often said that the sole cause of man’s
unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room.” –
lack of inner stillness is a desperate diversion from self, blocking interior
awareness, and is a resistance to the call of discipleship to live within.
One will find it difficult to hear their heart, discern legitimate desires and
the need for healing, much less discern the voice of God or those
movements of the heart seeking to move one away from God.
Use of righteous anger against one’s sin and the enemy
Practice of asceticism – aided by contemplation
Romans 12:9-13: “Let your love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to
what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another
in showing honor. Never flag in zeal, be aglow in the Spirit, serve the
Lord. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in
prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality.”
Practice of Penthos = a recognition and compunction in the soul over choices of
sin and our tendency to sin over the pursuit and love of God – practices such as:
the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary, acts of contrition, penitential rite at Mass,
the Way of the Cross, the gift of tears, meditation on the wounds of Christ before
the crucifix, etc.
Colossians 1:28-29: “Him we proclaim, warning every man and teaching
every man in all wisdom, [so] that we may present every man mature in
Christ. For this I toil, striving with all the energy which He mightily
inspires within me.”
IV. Scripture and Quotes by Saints for Further Contemplation
1 Thess. 4:1,7: “My brothers, we beg and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, even
as you learned from us how to conduct yourselves in a way pleasing to God –
which you are indeed doing – so you must learn to make still greater progress.
God has not called us to immortality but to holiness.”
Romans 12:1-2: “I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to
present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is
your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by
the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is
good and acceptable and perfect.”
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Overcoming Obstacles to Interior Freedom
Game Plan Tools to Overcome Sin & Grow Spiritually
Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute: Father John A. Klockeman
James 4:7-8,10: “Submit to God; resist the devil and he will take flight. Draw
close to God, and He will draw close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners;
purify your hearts, you backsliders. Be humbled in the sight of the Lord and He
will raise you on high.”
Joel 2:12-13: “Return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping,
and mourning. Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your
God. For gracious and merciful is He, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and
relenting in punishment.”
Saint Therese: “When we surrender to discouragement or despair, it is usually
because we are thinking too much of the past or future.”
Saint Therese: “Be disposed to receive the benefits of His consuming and
transforming love working within us.”
Saint Paul of the Cross: “Where there is no love; plant love, and therefore, you
will draw out love.”
Saint Therese: “If only everyone weak and imperfect like me felt as I do, no one
would despair of reaching the heights of love, for Jesus does not ask for glorious
deeds. He asks only for self-surrender and for gratitude.”
C.S. Lewis: “No possible degree of holiness or heroism which has ever been
recorded of the greatest saints is beyond what He is determined to produce in
every one of us in the end. [For] God is forcing us on, or up, to a higher level to
place us in situations where the mettle of our person is tested, strengthened, and
developed so that the person and the saint He means to make of us bursts
through.”
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