By: Sister Laetitia Therese, OCD
This summer I participated in classes at Christendom College through the Vita Consecrata Institute, dedicated to helping to strengthen religious in their vocations. The program was fantastic. One class was with our dear friend Father Brian Mullady, O.P. It was largely based on his book St. Thomas Aquinas Rescues Modern Psychology and focused on the philosophy of human nature, the roots of psychological dysfunction, and the importance of education in the practice of virtue.
One of my takeaways has been that emotions are not bad. I think many of us learned our emotions can be very dangerous and should be viewed with suspicion. For example, we should never feel anger. In reality, emotions are morally neutral. They are a gift from God meant to move us toward good and away from evil. Take, for example, Jesus who felt anger at seeing the Temple being dishonored. This moved Him to action to correct the wrong.
We must remember that the original integrity of human nature was wounded as a consequence of original sin. Before the Fall, body, mind, and spirit readily cooperated. Now, education in virtue is needed. While it may be natural to feel every emotion, they do not always need to be expressed. This does not mean suppressing them, but guiding them through the intellect and will to choose the greatest good. This is also why education in the formation of conscience is so important. Accepting our emotions as part of our humanity can help us to grow in self-knowledge which can lead us to a deeper humility of understanding who we are before God. Let us thank God today for the gift of our emotions.