Four Degrees of Evil

About a dozen or so baby alligators showed up at athere is sorrow. Laughter blinds the heart and allows
pond that Janet and I visit occasionally. Mama alligatorit not to consider things and ponder them, but
kept watch nearby because the pond is also homesadness makes a man open his eyes.
to some otters, and otters love little alligators! But"It is therefore a vanity for a woman or man to set
she allowed her 8 inch long offspring some freedomtheir hearts on each other instead of God, or on their
to enjoy the fall day.children or on worldly things. If the soul sets its
When we visited the pond a week later, however,affections of the will on worldly things, the evils are
the baby alligators were gone. Perhaps mama alligatoruncountable . . .
moved them, or perhaps the otters had their way"The first degree of evil, when the soul rejoices in
with the little alligators. When an otter, which hascreatures instead of God, results in the blunting of
very sharp teeth, captures a baby alligator, thethe mind and darkening of the judgment.
alligator cannot get loose. The more it struggles, the"The second degree of evil is when the soul is now
more the teeth dig in, and the more painful itswollen with worldly desires and causes the soul to
becomes.withdraw itself from things of God and holy practices
As I thought about the fate of these baby alligators,and take no pleasure in them anymore and lose their
I couldn't help but reflect on something that St. Johnconcepts of truth and justice and become lukewarm
of the Cross said back in the 16th century,and careless in practicing truth and justice. They
something about how the world grabs us, and once itpractice spiritual things from habit and formality, not
does, how our fate is sealed.conviction.
St. John of the Cross has been described as a"The third degree of evil is a complete falling away
mystic. He was born in Castile, Spain in 1542 and diedfrom God and a relapse into mortal sin from
in 1591. He was imprisoned for his writings (as manycovetousness for he forsakes God. The faculties of
visionaries seem to be), but later in 1675 he wasthe soul are completely absorbed into the world and
beautified by the Catholic Church and canonizedin riches and business and commerce and has great
(sainthood) in 1726. He was eventually named Ashrewdness as to things of the world and a great
Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XI in 1926.love. They have such an affection for worldly things
This is what St. John had to say:that they cannot be satisfied -- on the contrary, their
"Although worldly blessings do not necessarily ofdesire and their thirst grow all the more because
themselves cause sin, yet, through the frailty of thethey are further from God, the only source that
affections of the heart of man, man habitually clingscould satisfy them. And thus it is with the covetous
to these worldly blessings and fails God. Christman who finds nothing among the creatures that can
described riches in the Gospel as thorns. Those whoquench his thirst, but only that which increases it.
touch them become wounded. David said, 'let usThese men fall into countless kinds of sin through
have no envy when our neighbor becomes rich, for itlove of worldly things and the evils which afflict them
will profit him nothing in the life to come (meaningare innumerable.
that we should have pity on him). Christ said: 'If a"And the fourth degree of evil that comes from joy
man gain all the world, he may yet lose his soul.'of worldly things is: And he departed from God, his
"Wherefore even though all things turn outsalvation. This man has made money and things of
prosperously for a man regarding wealth, status, andthe world his God, and David said, 'Be thou not afraid
family, he ought to have misgivings rather than towhen a man shall be made rich, for when he dieth, he
rejoice, for these things increase the likelihood of hisshall carry nothing away, neither riches, nor joy, nor
forgetting God. The heart of a fool, it is said, isglory.
where there is laughter, but of the wise man where