By Fr. Andrew Lemeshonok
Fidelity
is the greatest family value. If a partner cheats on another partner, family
disappears. It is a breach of trust. People can continue to coexist, sleep in
one bed and eat at the same table but it won’t be a family if they don’t trust
one another.
You’ve got to fight
for your love and for family values. You’ve got to humble yourself down and
bear one another’s burdens. Let me give you an example. An individual might
think, “I like having fun but my spouse isn’t as lively and energetic as I am.
I would like him or her to be more entertaining. See how that other person is
having fun! I wish s/he was mine! I’m out of luck…” That’s all, the family is
devalued and starts to cringe at the edges. All it takes was one thought, just
one thought! If one doesn’t confess it, that thought will stuck in his or her
head. And then a Mr. Perfect or Ms. Perfect will appear out of the blue. The
person will look at him/her and think about him/her all the time. As far as the
former partner is concerned, his or her attraction dissipates, and everything
about him or her becomes gray and bland. How horrible it is: just one thought,
just one crack, just one brick out of the wall—and that’s the end.
Or take a person who
has a certain job. He is satisfied with his work. He is paid and treated well
enough, too. Accidentally, that person happens to see a list of his colleagues’
salaries. What does he see? It turns out that he earns less than everyone else.
There are other people who work less and earn more. Imagine that?! Just a day
before, that person was satisfied and said, “Praise the Lord, I’m so lucky.”
Now, he can’t sleep nor eat. He complains that he doesn’t want to work there
any longer because he doesn’t get the reward he deserves. See what envy does,
even if nothing has changed, in fact.
That is why it is
so important to examine ourselves, to control our own minds, and by no means
allow sins to nest inside us for a long time. We should go and confess
immediately. We should realize that it is wrong. Praise the Lord that others
earn more money. Praise the Lord that they are treated better than we are.
Praise the Lord that they have better working conditions. I shall thank God for
what I have. A grateful person always has enough, believe me.
November
30, 2018
St. Elisabeth Convent
CONVERSATION