Episode Transcript  

One

If Your Eye Causes You to Sin

We are making our way through the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus teaches us how to live the Christian life. One essential part of that life is learning to remove sin and the habits that lead us into sin. Today, Jesus shows us how. He says, "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell."

Those are startling words. What does Jesus mean? And how do we put them into practice?

Two

Avoiding Near Occasion of Sin

Jesus says that if your hand causes you to sin, you should cut it off. And if your eye causes you to sin, you should pluck it out. We all have to cut certain things out of our life, certain things that aren’t bad in themselves, but which, for us, are near occasions of sin. We have to cut those situations out, and it’s going to be really hard. It might even feel a bit like an amputation. But it’s worth it.

Our habitual sins and vices are nearly always connected to particular situations. Those situations act like triggers. They don't force us to sin, but they awaken our temptations and make us far more likely to give in.

Take, for instance, the use of foul language. Almost none of us would erupt into loud, uncontrolled vulgarity in the middle of Mass or during an important business meeting. But many of us struggle with it when we're angry, frustrated, or driving. Mental health specialists have observed that many addictions are strongly influenced by environment. Put someone in a certain environment, and the temptation is often triggered. Remove that environment, that trigger, and the temptation frequently loses much of its power.

This is exactly what the Church has always taught: avoid the near occasion of sin. Jesus is telling us to identify the triggers that repeatedly lead us into sin and remove them. The eye we need to pluck out and the hand we need to cut off is often the situation that repeatedly triggers our vice.

Three

So, what is your vice – and when does it usually occur?

When it comes to our deep vices and addictions, willpower isn't primarily about resisting temptation when it happens. By the time temptation hits, we're usually too far gone to resist very well. Real willpower means planning ahead. It means identifying the situations where we're tempted and removing them before temptation arrives. Every vice has a trigger. Find the trigger before the temptation finds you. Name the vice. Find the trigger. Remove the trigger.

Four

Identifying Your Triggers

Ask yourself: Does lust usually begin with isolation, boredom, late nights, or an unguarded smartphone? Does anger appear when you're tired, hungry, stressed, driving, or in conflict with family? Does gossip happen with certain friends, during lunch breaks, over text messages, or at family gatherings? Does pride surface when you're praised, corrected, competing, or trying to prove you're right? Does envy grow when you're scrolling social media or comparing your life with others? Does anxiety feed on constant news, doom-scrolling, and imagining worst-case scenarios instead of trusting your Father? Does sloth thrive through endless entertainment, procrastination, or wasting hours online? Does gluttony begin with stress, fatigue, parties, or simply keeping unhealthy food within easy reach? Does greed grow through constant shopping, checking investments, or thinking about money all day? Does vanity feed on appearance, status, or the approval of others? Does impatience usually appear when you're rushed because you didn't give yourself enough time? Does discouragement usually come after spending too much time alone, consuming negative media, or rehearsing your failures instead of turning to God in prayer?

Jesus isn't simply telling us to resist temptation. He's telling us to remove the triggers that ignite our vices.

Five

Resolution

The resolution for today is simple. Name the vice: what is your dominant fault? Find the trigger: what situation, environment, person, or time of day most often leads you into that vice? Remove the trigger: what one practical change can you make today to avoid that near occasion of sin?

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