Byte-Sized Virtue S06E01 – Giving Up Goods
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Podcast Topic
Christians take on “penances” during the season of Lent; these often — though not always — take the form of giving things up for the duration of the season. Ideally, the things given up shouldn’t be vices (things we shouldn’t be doing anyway); to take that route is to miss the point. Instead, what should be given up are goods, things which are beneficial or which bring us legitimate, licit joys.
The reason for this is reflected in the wisdom that “man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God”; by casting off these goods for a while, we are reminded that even though they are good things, we shouldn’t cling to them so tightly that they become a distraction from more important things.
It’s a lesson in humility, in a way…a reminder to always see things as they are, rather than as pride or affection present them to us as. And in casting off these goods for a time, we may often be surprised to find that what results is something even more fruitful, even more joyous.
Music
New Magincia, from the Ultima 9 Soundtrack
A key point of Lenten penances is to give up things that are good…and to welcome with joy the fruitfulness that resuts.