Humility, Judging Others and Fear of Sin | Devil in the Castle Chapter 3 (Part 1)

You know, the other one that's taken out of context all the time is uh removing the plank from your brother's eye, >> right? >> I was reflecting on that scripture recently, and it doesn't say take the plank out of your own eye and leave the speck in your brother's eye. It says take the plank out of your own eye and then remove the speck from your brother's eye. >> Right? >> The greatest [music] trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. >> I didn't know this [music] was a fight. That's why you're losing. Today we are beginning either [music] to domesticate the devil or else to deny him. He is most powerful when he is denied. [music] >> Welcome to the devil is in the details. The devil may be in the details, but God is on the throne. >> Amen. >> We are moving into chapter 3, the battles of the third mansion in the series uh that we're doing on your book, The Devil in the Castle. people want to find or get yourself a copy of this book, spiritual direction.com/shop, there is a audio version that I narrated. If you'd [clears throat] like to get some time off of purgatory and listen to that, uh because you have to listen to my voice, not because of the book, because the book is, as I've said before, this is probably the best book that you've written in my opinion. >> Um but we've covered the first and second mansion already. Moving into the third, that's a lot about fear. >> Well, there's a bit about fear. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's interesting the the absence of fear can be a problem and the presence of fear can be a problem. Just depends different spectrum. >> The the um fearing the enemy is is not something that's properly ordered. Uh that's not a condemnation. You know, I'm I'm currently teaching a class at the Evil Institute, spiritual warfare and discernment of spirits, and a few of the students have said they're taking the class, but they're afraid. And I thought that's what courage is. So, God be praised. >> Um, and I told them, you know, he was in in you is greater than he is in the world, which is right out of scripture. It's a quote from scripture. Um and uh the fact that you know Satan himself is less powerful than your own guardian angel. >> I was going to bring that up. >> Yeah. Because it's a such a beautiful truth. Uh not in his natural state, by the way. You know, he was much more powerful, but because he's fallen, he's he's weakened. And so in Christ, as we walk with him, as we live in the sacraments, you know, at this stage of a person's growth, there, you know, habitual mortal sin is now exited, probably habitual venial sin is more likely. So the sin, sin is what gives the enemy a hold on you. Those are the handles. I think it's the best analogy ever, you know, is it's these bolt-on handles in your back and you can be jerked around. Mortal sin is a twofisted handle, you know, that you can really control somebody. Veneial sins, one-fisted uh imperfections or, you know, two-finger or something, you know. >> So, um, so as you're exiting from sin, you're exiting from the power of the devil. And and I don't mean that in a perfect sense, but I do mean that in a progressive and substantive sense. So, we're not to fear the devil. Uh but we are to fear two other things. And it's all over scripture and that is we need to fear God. And we don't fear him, as I say in the book, like a, you know, despotic ruler who's ready to slaughter and maim and, you know, kill. That's not why we fear him. I think it's really well depicted in in uh CS Lewis's uh Chronicles of Narnia and Alan, you know, uh where he's I think he's I can't remember the exact quote, but he's he's he's not tame, but he's safe, you know, something like that. uh we fear him because of his grandeur and his majesty and you know because we are like a grain of sand on the sea you know um but I think most of all and Jesus by the way said that's where our fear should be most of all we should fear ourselves you know we we should fear and I don't know I don't know like do you have any memory of coming to the place of fearing yourself. You're and what I mean by fearing yourself, I mean feel fearing your capacity to sin and thereby reject God and embrace the enemy. >> It's a really good question. Um nothing specifically. I mean I I realized pretty quickly in my reversion process that I couldn't trust myself. I don't know if it was necessarily a fear. Why did you figure out you couldn't trust yourself just because you had done so many things? >> Yeah. falling over and over again and the weakness and realizing like wow this is not I had to come to a place where >> because I think I had to come to a place where I I knew that I couldn't trust my own efforts in a way because one you have to make an effort but two if you're relying solely on your effort you're not going to succeed >> right I I think that's kind of the interesting balance of this entire conversation and most of the things in the spiritual life where you must make an effort but you cannot rely and your effort alone, >> right? That proper balance between all that >> and sometimes at all, you know, because our effort without grace won't do anything, >> right? >> You know, I remember I think I was reading Katherine of Sienna maybe in the dialogues that >> we don't have the ability to make up for one sin. A life of penance doesn't make up for one sin, >> right? >> In our natural limited, but with grace of course, >> right? But yeah, and there's also this thing in the spiritual life of it's it's normal to break our pride to cleanse us, purify us, for us to come to the end of ourselves. So it's it we must cooperate, but full energetic cooperation will sometimes lead us to just fall and weep because we don't make progress. >> Mhm. And then we're ready because now we're humble, if that makes sense. But it's but there's no shortcut to that, >> right? >> We have to experience that stripping. >> Yeah. Yeah. It's it it's interesting. I keep thinking about how, you know, God will permit you or allow you to to fail >> to bring you to a place of humility. And that's written I mean, all the saints have written about that in various forms or fashions cuz people strugg and I struggled with it. It's like why am I why why do I do not what I love but do what I hate? >> Yeah. Romans, >> right? It's and it's that's why because God is allowing you to realize, hey, dude, at any moment you could fail and you have to be humble. >> I had this interesting vision as we're talking about this because Stephanie was recently attacked by a tick uh in the mountains of Maine as we were on vacation. And um what's great is she got it off. It was on her face so she knew about it got it off really fast. >> But I have had a tick before that where once it's on for a period it gets all of its talons and digs into you. >> Mhm. >> And it and it's they're hard to get off. You you can use like a burning flame or a super cold spoon or a super hot spoon. You know, there's just ways that you get it in there ways to and then it will retract its talons or whatever you call them and then fall off. I think of the handles in in your flesh as the the sin that the enemy has worked into you. What's the thing that makes those handles just fall off? >> Grace and mercy and the sacraments. And >> what's the human virtue enabled by grace that makes the handles fall off? That comes through suffering and getting coming to the end of yourself. >> Humility. >> Yeah. >> Humility. That's it. That's the most powerful weapon. Again, Satan the um it's one of the reasons it's among the most important reasons why Mary is so powerful is because of her extreme >> humility. So the the process of purification that occurs as we head into this this mansion awakens us more to our sin to the power of sin and it makes us if properly responded to. We talked about in the last show improperly responded to we you know the devil will get us to focus on other people. Mhm. >> properly responded to it. It it [clears throat] brings us to our knees and to humility. Um yeah, and in in his care and protection, too. >> I think a key indicator of that or progress in that is when you see somebody fall due to some sort of scandal. >> Are you jumping on and dog piling or are you reflecting and saying, "Man, praise God that wasn't me because I have the capacity to do the same thing." >> Yeah. You know, it's interesting. Well, in Apostle VA community, one of the things that we hate and really are constantly on the lookout for is a critical spirit >> destroys community life. One of the things I challenged the community to last week was was count how many times for one week catalog how many times negative things come out of your mouth, critical things of other people, you know, under your breath directly, you know, whatever. And I'm cuz I've had a critical spirit. I don't think it dominates me anymore, but I'm I'm I'm keeping more aware and I'm like, uh, yeah, why why did I just say that? >> Yeah. no good came will come of it and it harms the reputation of another even if it's accurate, >> right? >> Even if it's just >> Yeah. And that's a hard thing too because you know we've had to have these conversations in terms of well I I guess I'll put it this way everything is contextual right like there if you're running a business and you're in a manager position [clears throat] you have to evaluate someone's performance and that may require you to say you have failed or you did not do these things which is by its nature critical. >> Yeah. But in that context, it's necessary in order to help them grow. >> Right. >> Right. I think can what you're saying, and correct me if I'm missing the point here, but I'm trying to add some some uh not leeway for people, but just to help them navigate this a little bit better. It's more specifically when there's no real cause or need to say certain things or think certain things, >> right? Particular way because this is >> what happened this morning. Okay, >> this maybe this is helpful. >> Yeah, >> we were talking about something that needed to be done in the property and cleaning up and there was somebody who used to live here left a big mess and did something really stupid. >> Yeah. >> I didn't need to mention who it was. >> Yeah. >> And I did. Right. >> And I shouldn't have done that. >> Yeah. >> Cuz I did it in front of somebody who didn't know they did it. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. I I what I was going to get to is, you know, cuz I've researched this a lot because I've always struggled with it, just helping people understand and helping myself understand, but the misunderstanding of do not judge. And and stop me if this is a rabbit hole that's unhelpful, but it how is that true? Do not judge when it also says in scripture, you'll know them by their fruits. Well, how do you know their fruits? >> Making a judgment call. Well, no, let's add more context. Right after that, it says, "Don't pull your pearls before swine." >> Right. Right. >> So, what it's saying is you need to know who the swine are. Which is an interesting contrast. It doesn't mean don't judge. It means don't condemn. >> Right. See, that's that was my whole understanding. So I I guess the whole point of bringing this up is I know that people are going to hear this and say, you know, when you say challenge not to not to say anything and you have people who are scrupulous and not that you, you know, lower the teachings to to meet those folks because they have to deal with it their own way, but >> we we have to bring up the context to help people properly navigate these situations. It's almost like, you know, the other one that's taken out of uh context all the time is um removing the plane from your brother's eye, >> right? I was reflecting on that scripture recently and it doesn't say uh take the plank out of your own eye and leave the speck in your brother's eye. It says take the plank out of your own eye and then remove the speck from your brother's eye. >> Right? >> What does that mean? It means that you're still supposed to help them. [clears throat] And in this case, it's hey, stop doing what you're doing. >> It's be humble, >> right? But I think that's the key. Well, there's another passage in in one of Paul's epistles about correcting someone but do it fearfully. Lest you fall into the same into the same sin. Well, back to that same analogy. I think it's so beautiful because I never realized this before and it ties in with the humility aspect. So, that whole scripture verse, removing the plank from your own eye before removing the speck from your brother's eye, it's one saying you have a plank. you're probably more sinful than them or at least treat yourself as if you are. >> Yeah. >> Just by the nature of the plank versus the spec. >> Then remove the plank. So get right with God and then help correct your brother. >> And I was thinking about it. Why every analogy that Jesus used was purposeful and had and it has incredible depth and meaning that some are still not revealed even to this day. I would venture to guess even with the greatest minds and hundreds of years that people have reflected on this. >> But I was thinking, what does it mean? Why would he use that analogy with the eye? Well, what do you do when you're removing a speck from somebody's eye? And I immediately thought of my daughter. >> You're incredibly careful, >> right? And if she had a speck in her eye, what would I do? I'd be trying to calm her down cuz it's painful for her, right? It's it's not easy to recognize there's something hurting internally. >> I'm being super careful, super slow, >> right? >> You know, >> but that's the humility aspect of it. So, so this blanket, which I think this is part of the attack of the enemy, too, is this blanket thing that says do not judge and leave it there. It's like, no, you have to do not condemn. That's a completely different thing. Right. >> Right. And in John, it says Jesus said judge with righteous judgment. >> Right. And with humility. >> Yeah. >> So, the whole bringing all this back is it's all rooted in humility and recognizing like the fear of self. I could fall into this. I am weak. I am I'm not above you. Yeah. I could be in your shoes and you can be doing this to me. >> I gotta use another example because you brought up the fruit in the tree thing. >> Yeah. >> I watched Don't ask me why, but last night for some reason I watched a ridiculous video of two Protestants criticizing John MacArthur who just passed away. God rest his soul. And MacArthur helped me to develop a love for the scripture and learn how to read it and study it. Protestant obviously we disagree a lot of things that he did but they they said well you know a fruit by they were criticizing him after his death you know a fruit the tree by its fruit and what's fascinating about that is that doesn't mean cuz you know what because they would they would say well he's done a lot of good things but there's this fruit they they have no understanding what Jesus was And you know how I know what it means now? >> Cuz their fruit is rotten. >> We have fruit trees. >> Oh yeah. [laughter] Oh no. I know. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> Right. So you can look you can look at like we deal with fruit trees every year and we have like a pear tree that's there's one branch that's broken because there's so many pairs that didn't produce anything last year. And you know as well as I do that 100% of the fruit from a fruit tree are not good. Right. Some of them come out deformed, come some come come out blighted. What he's not saying is if there's one ele one fruit that's bad, the whole tree is bad. >> Cuz it isn't true. That's not how fruit trees work. >> Right. >> What it means is what's the prepundonderance of what's happening with that tree? Because we do have some trees that are sick. The the tree itself is sick. And then so what do you do with that? You got to you got to prune it. You got to put nutrients in the soil. You got to care for it and see if it'll survive or you might have to cut it down, you know, throw it away. But it is so to your point, we got to be careful when we're reading Jesus words. But this is also to humility, >> right? You know, it's it's just I don't know. I and this is so like I wish you know there's certain things you wish you could just sort of one I wish I could do it to myself more is somehow open the lid and pour in some virtue [laughter] or clarity and realization but the greatest power we have against the enemy in Christ is humility >> right and it's it's hidden I've written a couple things on this point and specifically about use of language in correction of others and things of that nature because I I think [snorts] it's one of the preeminent means of which people are sending themselves to hell today and it's hidden because it's so second nature to us to it it is a it is a product of our culture a result of our culture >> in social media >> in social media part of the culture to see well that person said one wrong thing therefore I can't trust anything they say >> which is so intellectually dishonest And I've I've say that because I've had to struggle with it. >> Me too. >> You know, cuz you get the problem is we either put people on a pedestal, which is dangerous, or we throw the baby out with the bath water, which is also dangerous. >> What is the reality? And the truth is the truth is that we're human, >> broken. And you can have a good person who says the wrong thing. Yeah. >> There are plenty of people out there who I think are phenomenal. Let's say priests for an example who do really good work 90% if not more let's say 99% of their work is phenomenal and they get one thing really really objectively wrong >> right >> okay well >> so you know what I always what I always think I was I've said this a few times in meetings there's somebody in the world criticizing me >> Sure >> for the very thing that I'm criticizing somebody else for >> right >> and you know what they're probably right >> well and that's The whole point is because it takes the person who's the person who is discerning the fruit of the tree must have humility in order to properly discern because if anyone came out like just take the analogy and make it real. We have multiple pear trees, apple trees, fig trees, plum trees. We have a lot. If anyone came out and looked at our tree and said, "Uh, one of those has blight on it, but the rest of them are fine." And they said, "You're gonna have to cut down." Actually, we had someone suggest that. Said, "You have to get rid of all the trees." Like, "What do you mean?" >> Somebody really did tell. >> Yeah. They said, "We need to cut off cut all the trees and start over." Like, no. >> You just pull the blighted fruit, >> right? That's the normal process. Or we had two years where pears didn't produce on the property. Two years. Yeah. >> Because of a late frost or whatever. >> Yeah. >> Should we cut down the trees cuz they're not producing? >> No. Okay. What's happening now? We have so many pairs. We're not gonna I'm barely gonna be able to get We're probably gonna have to call people in and say, "Hey, come on." >> Neighbors. Yeah. >> Yeah. You don't You can't just assume. But anyway, all that is again to point to the aspect of humility because the person who's discerning has to recognize first that they're not above whatever the situation is. I have my own sins and I could easily be in the position of that person. And that also doesn't mean you don't get to say you you you don't you don't have to sit there and say nothing about the wrong that they did. >> But you have to be careful. Who are you talking to? What's the context? >> Right? >> You know what I mean? Is this somebody? If a prominent figure does something wrong and you have like something deeply wrong and you have someone who's followed them for a long time and they just put them on a pedestal, it's probably if you have the ability to speak into their life and they trust you or whatever, it's probably good to say you probably need to find someone else to listen to for a while because there's some rotten fruit. And that's the other truth of this analogy is that if one pair has blight it or in our case cedar apple rust, not to get too into the details, but that can transfer to the other pairs. >> Yeah. >> So you you do have to be discerning and say, "Okay, well, are they pruning the tree? Are they taking the steps? All right, it doesn't look like it. I probably need to move on to another tree for a while and see what happens." You know what I mean? So yeah, saying we're saying all this to to to provide the intellectual framework and context of how to navigate these situations cuz the vast majority just fly by the seat of their pants and and and go with whatever is suggested to them. I like kind of the cross's standard and and I obviously need to work a lot at getting to what he what he offered in the precautions in in his collected works published by uh Institute of Carlite studies is that he says do not pay attention in the in the monastery at what anyone else is doing. >> Yeah. So, as he's he's going he's going he's saying people are so naturally broken and bent this way. I want you to go way over to the other extreme and I want you to pay no attention to what anybody does else in the monastery. Just do your own mind your own business. Now he does make provision you know and he says if there's an issue that absolutely must be addressed you cannot address it to anyone you you must address it to someone who has the power to change it. You cannot address it to anyone else. >> Yeah. >> Cuz that's gossip, >> right? >> That's backbiting. That's you know stealing their reputation or whatever. Cuz the situation on the I need to go to confession now. I realize situation this morning that I where I named the person who did it. They're an exemplary human being. >> Yeah. >> It's not like they're a big problem and there's just no reason to share that with with anyone cuz they're harm now. They know thankfully the person I who was there knows all the good, you know, they they've even seen the good from this person >> uh because they were here recently. So So yeah. So, as and I think it probably be good to to end this and do another show on the next level of things in the third mansion. But the issue of fear is a big one. Number one, tactics to overcome the enemy. We need to fear our own capacity for sin. I I've always loved saying the human person [clears throat] has an infinite capacity for self-d delusion. We need to fear our own capacity to rationalize. I mean my heart aches like because we deal with thousands of people. There are people who are living in a nonstop demonic spin cycle of selfdeception because they don't listen to other people. They're not humble, you know. Um they're figuring out on their own. are having mystical experiences that there are people who have made it >> quote unquote mystical experiences. >> Yes. They've made it this far in their interior life in practicing mental prayer, but they they don't honestly assess themselves. They they they're too focused outside because they don't fear their own sin enough. >> Yeah. >> They're not humble, >> right? And so they're trapped in sin even though they've made it all this way. And you know this is the person in this mansion is in they're in the they're ready to get move to a contemplative realm. They're they're moving into the contemplative realm. That means they're moving into a space where saints are occupy. >> Right. >> Not everybody who's contemplative is a saint, but I mean it's it's the realm. >> Right. >> But they get stuck because they're just constant, oh that's wrong, you did this, you know. And one of the things that we we we said too in the meeting recently, we do formation second to four Saturdays every month, >> by the way, which you can join at 8:00 a.m. Central for free. The world can join anyone, >> which it does. We have people in so many other countries getting up at 3 in the morning just their time just to make it. >> You [clears throat] can find that all about that at apostleva.org. was that don't don't provide constructive criticism unless you're invited. >> Right. Yeah. That's that's a whole I just wrote a whole thing on that a few months ago. I think it was titled you uh you're not supposed to correct everyone and shouldn't >> right >> and it was walking through that entire process of do you and this is again a result of our culture and our nature one primarily which is this whole conversation has been about humility or lack thereof and uh anyway I I'll I'll put a link to that I don't need to go into all those details but it it's fascinating to me it's it's I don't think I mean you mentioned humility in this but it's It really is the key point I think anyway in this whole section before moving on to the second part which is which we'll cover in the the next show which is how the enemy moves a little bit more outside of manipulating our own pride. Right. >> Yeah. >> Uh but he it reminded me and this is probably exposing one of my bad habits but I really enjoy the the kitchen nightmare shows Gordon Ramsay [laughter] and the the hotel hell and all those things. It's that is my brain rot. And uh >> that's when you want to veg >> and it could be worse. But I've ever I've I've I'm constantly struck by these people who uh Kitchen Nightmares as an example. You know, they apply to be on the show. What does that mean? I need help. Something's not working. He gets there. They've been in business. One of them I saw recently. They've been in business for 30 years, but things are failing. They're going to have to close their doors. They say, "I need help." He starts suggesting help and they're like, "Well, we've been in business for 30 years and we're doing something right, [laughter] you know, every suggestion they b at and I and it constantly shocks me. It's a fascinating look into and it's reality TV. Some things are >> No, I've brother I've lived that in business, >> right, >> where I was brought in to take a division and sat around the table and it's a failing dramatically failing, >> right? they're going to close their doors. And just a arrogant bold assertion from at least one of the managers, we just need to keep doing what we're doing. >> Yeah. >> Because what we're doing is good. Like >> what you're doing is digging your own grave. >> Yeah. To you, it's good. Right. So, but there are people who decide whether or not it's good. And if you don't satisfy them, they go away. If they go away, you go away. >> And that's that's the point. I mean it's it's just and we should finish your three rules so people know and they probably well anyway human person has an infinite capacity for self-d delusion. We grade ourselves on what we desire to be, not what we actually are. Yeah. >> And we [clears throat] give ourselves >> credit for whether or not we achieve our desired >> ends. And that's the reality of it. And until we live that reality and put oursel in a place of true humility, I don't think we're even able to recognize what we're going to get into, which is the attacks of the enemy. >> Yeah. So [clears throat] on the next show, what we'll cover is the the transition from meditative to contemplative prayer and how the enemy works in that. That's that's a a a deep conversation in of itself. So I think we're good. So don't be afraid, be humble, uh and uh you'll be in good shape to uh combat the the ws of the enemy. Romans 16:20, the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Amen. Amen.