Speaker: Fr. Glenn Paul Gomez , Spiritual Director, The Lord's Flock Catholic Charismatic Community

" Understanding the Importance of Discipline "

Meanings of Discipline

Discipline comes from the Latin words “ disciplina ” and “ discipulus ” which means learner.

Discipline means training (practicum), and education. It also means punishment inflicted for the sake of correction and training. It refers to correction [e.g. when parents discipline their children whom they love]; it also refers to chastisement when the punishment is sustained as a means of correction.

The Fall of Man Due to Disobedience

When God created man (Genesis Chapters 1 and 2), man was complete with his physical body, emotion, mind, spirit and will. There was unity – the body was in union with the soul, and the soul was in union with God.

The disobedience of Adam and Even is known as the Fall of Man. (Genesis Chapter 3). The harmony that God created was disrupted. Malice set in the hearts of men and women.

Negative Effects of Malice

After the Fall of Man, malice brought about negative consequences:

•  Negative emotions instead of pure ones became dominant.

•  Man's will had many choices, i nstead of one.

•  Man's mind suffered loss of knowledge of God and spiritual death.

•  Man felt neglected and rejected.

•  Man's feeling of being safe and secure became a feeling of guilt and shame.

•  Man lost his significance and became weak and helpless.

Disastrous Effects of the Fall of Man

The effects of man's sin of disobedience are disastrous.

•  Man becomes a fleshly person – living a life according to the flesh (1 Corinthians 3:3). This condition leads to manifestations of sickness such as headache, asthma, arthritis, respiratory ailment, stomach problems, heart palpitations and other diseases.

•  “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God .” (Romans 8:8). Such separation from God results in sickness , double-mindedness, unstable emotions, and other serious health problems.

•  “Those who do such things [works of the flesh are listed in Galatians 5:19-21] will not inherit the kingdom of God .”

•  Man can longer focus on God; he sinks into immorality, impurity, and other sins of the flesh . [e.g. Peter sank into water when he lost focus on Jesus while trying to walk on water with the Lord.]

•  Man becomes a natural person who does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God. He lives a life in the flesh. His emotion exhibits bitterness, anxiety and depression. His mind is pre-occupied with obsessive thoughts and fantasy. His will remains but his spirit is dead to God.

•  Separated from God, man sins inevitably and fails to fulfill the divine purpose for which God created him. (Ephesians 1:11).

Avoiding the Effects of the Fall of Man

The main solution in order to be protected from the disastrous effects of the Fall of Man is to be transformed from being a natural person into being a spiritual person.

•  Let us lead a life in the spirit and allow the Spirit to empower us.

•  Let our body become the temple of God (1 Corinthians 10:16) and offer it as a living and holy sacrifice to God. (Romans 12:1).

•  Let us die to ourselves by crucifying the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:24)

•  Let us think of ourselves as being dead to sin and living for God. (Romans 6:11).

Results of Our Transformation Into a Spiritual Person

Our transformation from a natural person to a spiritual person will have the following results:

•  Our emotion shall have peace . (Colossians 3:15).

•  Our mind is transformed. (Romans 12:2).

•  Our will lives by the Spirit. (Galatians 5:16); immorality and sensuality are gone.

•  There is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness , generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23).

•  Our spirit is safe and has salvation. (1 John 3:9)

•  There is forgiveness of our sins. (Acts 2:38).

•  There is assurance that we are children of God. (Romans 8:16).

•  The spirit has security (Ephesians 1:13-14).

•  The spirit has acceptance. (1 John 3:1).

•  The spirit has worth. (Ephesians 2:10).

The Importance of Discipline

Self-discipline is required for our natural being to change into spiritual being . Such a discipline must be seen from a spiritual perspective for us. It is necessary to deepen our insights of holiness and to develop spirituality.

Without self-discipline, there is the danger for a natural being to be swayed by the devil into a fleshly being.

A fleshly person leads a barren life filled with rejection, rebellion, fear, unforgiveness, and a false belief system . A spiritual person has a fruitful life – fertile yet ready for pruning and at the same time challenged and encouraged. Like a fruitful tree, he receives feeding (instructions on the word). There is life filled with acceptance, freedom, forgiveness, and a true belief system.

Discipline also enables us to accept our weaknesses. St. Paul teaches us not to be discouraged. (Romans 7:7-25).

Man has three natures – the animal, the human, and the divine. Discipline helps us turn the “animal” in us and help us go up to the divine nature. With discipline, we can turn our weaknesses into strengths.