Inclinations
“Our free will gives us either a propensity to virtue, or an inclination to sin…humans are aligned either with mortal Adam or the crucified and risen Christ…Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self.” (St. Ambrose of Milan, Edith M. Humphrey, Francis of Assisi)
“Sin and passion are inextricably linked, but they should be considered separately. We call sin a person’s action which violates one of God's commandments: when someone judges his neighbor, tells him a lie, steals something, offends someone, and so on. Passion is a person’s propensity for a particular sin. If we compare sin with illness, as the saints often did, calling sins “illnesses of the soul”, then sin is a one–time illness, while passion is a chronic one. Each one of us has his own passions. Some are susceptible to lying, others to lust, others to drinking, pride, jealousy, etc. According to the Holy Fathers, there is a tempter next to each one of us, who, figuratively speaking, constantly whispers in our ear, enticing us into sin. And if for some it is only an occasionally passing thought, for others it is a temptation, a real passion, which eventually becomes a problem, maybe even an addiction.” (Priest Alexei Taakh)
“St. Paul wrote that “the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly; and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” That is true not only in terms of offering our material resources to God, but also true about investing ourselves spiritually. We will never gain the strength to direct the desires of our hearts for fulfillment in God if we do not keep a close watch on our thoughts and refuse to welcome those that lead us away from sharing more fully in the life of Christ. Tempting thoughts and inclinations of various kinds will be with us until we die. We cannot change that, but we can change how we respond to them, remembering that “God is able to make all grace abound to you; that you, having always all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” (Fr. Philip LeMasters)
“A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart. (Proverbs 18:2)….The Internet and social media have given platforms to every fool to broadcast their lack of insight so that those with similar inclinations can unite in a like-minded community (referred to as homophily by those in the know). Folly is considered a sin in Christian tradition because it is not just a ‘mistake’ but involves intentional behavior.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)
“Even after being washed clean in water mingled with Spirit in holy baptism, we still carry within ourselves the inclination and habit to return to our former condition. If we do not preserve, guard and cultivate the seed of Grace given to us, we will be deprived of its vivifying power…In our struggle for a true spiritual life…we must act together to change the negative social and cultural environment around us, to stop activities contrary to the Gospel, and to cleanse the thoughts and inclinations of our own hearts. We must gather with the People of God for worship, instruction, support, and grace.” (Hieromonk Damascene Christensen, Dynamis 9/23/2019)
“At the root of the experience of sin are the passions, which incline us to “miss the mark” and can develop into spiritual disease or sin. The understanding of sin as illness conforms to the spirit of Christ . Speaking to the Pharisees who were mocking Him, He said: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” (Mt 9:12)” (Fr. George Morelli)
“Ever since Adam and Eve took that fatal bite of forbidden fruit, our natural human inclination has shifted toward sin…it would not be inaccurate to say that forgiveness summarizes the whole relationship between God and man since the ancestral sin of our first parents which broke mankind’s union with God and expelled them from Paradise. Since then, we suffer the brokenness of disunion with God and inclination to sin.” (Carolyn Mahaney, Fr. George Morelli)
“…denial of bad inclinations may be accomplished by human will power at first. After all, we need to exercise our will to seek God and His ways. However, at some point in this process, we yield more and more of own our will to God’s and let Him do the directing…I need God’s grace in my heart to keep it inclined in the right direction; toward Him. His grace can do that.” (Sacramental Living, Sr. Dr. Vassa Larin)
“The process of deification (salvation) is when we let the Holy Spirit within our heart take more control of our bodily behavior and our thoughts. Out of habit and pride, our soul’s and body’s faculties are not inclined to follow the spirit within us. Hence we typically find a battle of the faculties of the body and soul against the spirit within us.” (Father David L. Fontes, PsyD)
“The Greek word translated as “made perfect” is teleiotheis, which means “to be completed.” Being completed as a human person is a labor of restoration, a process of reassigning thoughts, inclinations, desires, and actions to their rightful place and function. And who does this for us? We look to God, of course, for He can make perfect even “in a short time”... He is ready to complete us if we will work with Him.” (OCPM 12/9/2016)