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THE GIFT OF FAILURE
Article 1
What to Think of Failure?
This article is currently being written. Sections will be posted as they are completed. Please check back later.
Article 1
What to Think of Failure?
This article is currently being written. Sections will be posted as they are completed. Please check back later.
A Welcome to Failures!
Welcome to the page for failures! I hope you did not fail to find your way to this page for failures! A page dedicated to failures by failures! A page written by failures for failures! Welcome to the family of failures! First of all—let us raise a glass and toast our illustrious founding father and founding mother—Adam and Eve: the world’s first and foremost failures, of whose failure the Church sings in Her Exultet at the Paschal Vigil: “O happy fault!” which we could change to “O happy failure!” (O felix culpa). The phrase, of course, refers to the Original Sin (failure) of Adam and Eve that necessitated the coming of Christ to redeem us all from the consequences of that failure to keep God’s command concerning the “forbidden fruit”―“O happy fault that earned for us so great, so glorious a Redeemer” reads the phrase in its entirety.
Are you a failure? Have you ever failed? Is failure bad? Is failure opposed to success? Could you say that you are a successful failure? Could there be a success that is a failure? Can there be failure that is a success? Can success be failure in disguise? Can failure be success in disguise?
The Failure of Sin
We are all failures for we have all sinned! Sin is the greatest evil in the world—so says the Church through our catechisms: “Sin is the only evil upon Earth” … “Mortal sin is a great evil, the greatest evil in the world, a greater evil than disease, poverty, or war, because it separates us from God … [venial sin] is second only in evil consequences to mortal sin” (The Catechism Explained, Spirago-Clarke; My Catholic Faith, Bishop Morrow, STD). “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us … If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10).
Sin is the greatest evil in the world, we have all sinned, thus we are the greatest failures in the world—that is not imaginative phraseology, it is the objective truth. We can put all the cosmetics we want on top of that truth, in order to make it less ugly, but deep down beneath the cosmetics and excuses, we are the greatest failures in God’s creation—worse than animals, not one of whom has sinned! We were raised way above all animals and we act far worse than animals. We were given free-will and we have failed in the correct use of our free-will—time and time again.
The Parable of the Failed Success and the Successful Failure
“And to some who trusted in themselves as just, and despised others, Jesus spoke this parable: ‘Two men went up into the temple to pray: the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee, standing, prayed thus with himself: “O God, I give thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men―extortioners, unjust, adulterers, as also is this publican! I fast twice in a week! I give tithes of all that I possess!” And the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes towards Heaven; but struck his breast, saying: “O God, be merciful to me a sinner!” I say to you, this man went down into his house justified rather than the other: because everyone that exalteth himself, shall be humbled: and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted!’” (Luke 18:9-14).
If we place our trust in ourselves and the world—we shall fail. “Dreams have deceived many, and they have failed that put their trust in them” (Ecclesiasticus 34:7). “For he that did prevail hath failed, the scorner is consumed, and they are all cut-off that watched for iniquity” (Isaias 29:20). “Trust not in iniquity, and cover not robberies! If riches abound, set not your heart upon them!” (Psalm 61:11). “They trust in idols, which are without life” (Wisdom 14:29). “I will not trust in my bow: neither shall my sword save me!” (Psalm 43:7). “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses―but we will call upon the name of the Lord our God!” (Psalm 19:8).
God Will Not Grant You Success if You Steal His Glory!
All success is due to God—as Our Lord said: “Without Me, you can do NOTHING!” (John 15:5)—nothing but sin. God is very generous, but He is also very jealous: “God supplies all your wants, according to His riches!” (Philippians 4:14). “Adore not any strange god. The Lord His name is Jealous, He is a jealous God” (Exodus 34:14) … “Because the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, a jealous God!” (Deuteronomy 4:24). Many people have a mistaken idea of the word “jealous” or “jealousy”—they wrongly think it to be the same as “envy”. Envy is desiring what someone else has—jealousy is desiring to keep what you yourself have. If you are jealous of your possessions, then that means you want to keep for yourself. If you are envious of another’s possessions, that means you wish that you could have them. God is jealous of His glory—for God is ultimate Person behind everything that is good, holy and successful. We see this jealousy of God in His conversation with Gedeon, concerning the imminent battle against the Madianites—whose army were over 135,000 strong, against whom Gedeon could only raise a mere 32,000 Israelites—thus being outnumbered by just over 4 to 1.
“And the Lord said to Gedeon: ‘The people that are with thee are many, and Madian shall not be delivered into their hands: lest Israel should glory against Me, and say: “I was delivered by my own strength!” Speak to the people, and proclaim in the hearing of all: “Whosoever is fearful and timorous, let him return!”’ So twenty-two thousand men went away from mount Galaad and returned home, and only ten thousand remained. And the Lord said to Gedeon: ‘The people are still too many! [At this point they are no longer outnumbered by 4 to 1, but 13 to ]). Bring them to the waters, and there I will test them! And of whom I shall say to thee: “This shall go with thee!” let him go. Whom I shall forbid to go, let him return.’ And when the people were come down to the waters, the Lord said to Gedeon: ‘They that shall lap the water with their tongues, as dogs like to lap, thou shalt set apart by themselves: but they that shall drink bowing down their knees, shall be on the other side!’ And the number of them that had lapped water, casting it with the hand to their mouth, was three hundred men: and all the rest of the multitude had drunk kneeling. And the Lord said to Gedeon: ‘By the three hundred men that lapped water, I will save you, and deliver Madian into thy hand: but let all the rest of the people return to their place!’” (Judges 7:2-7).
At that point, having just 300 men against 135,000 Madianites, the Israelites were outnumbered by 450 to 1—nobody in their right mind could claim victory to his own strength with odds like that—all glory would clearly have to be given to God. That’s the way God likes it—for that is truth! By this we see that God will not choose for his instruments in great achievements―which depend purely on his grace and providence―such persons who, through pride and self-conceit, will take the glory to themselves.
Welcome to the page for failures! I hope you did not fail to find your way to this page for failures! A page dedicated to failures by failures! A page written by failures for failures! Welcome to the family of failures! First of all—let us raise a glass and toast our illustrious founding father and founding mother—Adam and Eve: the world’s first and foremost failures, of whose failure the Church sings in Her Exultet at the Paschal Vigil: “O happy fault!” which we could change to “O happy failure!” (O felix culpa). The phrase, of course, refers to the Original Sin (failure) of Adam and Eve that necessitated the coming of Christ to redeem us all from the consequences of that failure to keep God’s command concerning the “forbidden fruit”―“O happy fault that earned for us so great, so glorious a Redeemer” reads the phrase in its entirety.
Are you a failure? Have you ever failed? Is failure bad? Is failure opposed to success? Could you say that you are a successful failure? Could there be a success that is a failure? Can there be failure that is a success? Can success be failure in disguise? Can failure be success in disguise?
The Failure of Sin
We are all failures for we have all sinned! Sin is the greatest evil in the world—so says the Church through our catechisms: “Sin is the only evil upon Earth” … “Mortal sin is a great evil, the greatest evil in the world, a greater evil than disease, poverty, or war, because it separates us from God … [venial sin] is second only in evil consequences to mortal sin” (The Catechism Explained, Spirago-Clarke; My Catholic Faith, Bishop Morrow, STD). “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us … If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10).
Sin is the greatest evil in the world, we have all sinned, thus we are the greatest failures in the world—that is not imaginative phraseology, it is the objective truth. We can put all the cosmetics we want on top of that truth, in order to make it less ugly, but deep down beneath the cosmetics and excuses, we are the greatest failures in God’s creation—worse than animals, not one of whom has sinned! We were raised way above all animals and we act far worse than animals. We were given free-will and we have failed in the correct use of our free-will—time and time again.
The Parable of the Failed Success and the Successful Failure
“And to some who trusted in themselves as just, and despised others, Jesus spoke this parable: ‘Two men went up into the temple to pray: the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee, standing, prayed thus with himself: “O God, I give thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men―extortioners, unjust, adulterers, as also is this publican! I fast twice in a week! I give tithes of all that I possess!” And the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes towards Heaven; but struck his breast, saying: “O God, be merciful to me a sinner!” I say to you, this man went down into his house justified rather than the other: because everyone that exalteth himself, shall be humbled: and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted!’” (Luke 18:9-14).
If we place our trust in ourselves and the world—we shall fail. “Dreams have deceived many, and they have failed that put their trust in them” (Ecclesiasticus 34:7). “For he that did prevail hath failed, the scorner is consumed, and they are all cut-off that watched for iniquity” (Isaias 29:20). “Trust not in iniquity, and cover not robberies! If riches abound, set not your heart upon them!” (Psalm 61:11). “They trust in idols, which are without life” (Wisdom 14:29). “I will not trust in my bow: neither shall my sword save me!” (Psalm 43:7). “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses―but we will call upon the name of the Lord our God!” (Psalm 19:8).
God Will Not Grant You Success if You Steal His Glory!
All success is due to God—as Our Lord said: “Without Me, you can do NOTHING!” (John 15:5)—nothing but sin. God is very generous, but He is also very jealous: “God supplies all your wants, according to His riches!” (Philippians 4:14). “Adore not any strange god. The Lord His name is Jealous, He is a jealous God” (Exodus 34:14) … “Because the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, a jealous God!” (Deuteronomy 4:24). Many people have a mistaken idea of the word “jealous” or “jealousy”—they wrongly think it to be the same as “envy”. Envy is desiring what someone else has—jealousy is desiring to keep what you yourself have. If you are jealous of your possessions, then that means you want to keep for yourself. If you are envious of another’s possessions, that means you wish that you could have them. God is jealous of His glory—for God is ultimate Person behind everything that is good, holy and successful. We see this jealousy of God in His conversation with Gedeon, concerning the imminent battle against the Madianites—whose army were over 135,000 strong, against whom Gedeon could only raise a mere 32,000 Israelites—thus being outnumbered by just over 4 to 1.
“And the Lord said to Gedeon: ‘The people that are with thee are many, and Madian shall not be delivered into their hands: lest Israel should glory against Me, and say: “I was delivered by my own strength!” Speak to the people, and proclaim in the hearing of all: “Whosoever is fearful and timorous, let him return!”’ So twenty-two thousand men went away from mount Galaad and returned home, and only ten thousand remained. And the Lord said to Gedeon: ‘The people are still too many! [At this point they are no longer outnumbered by 4 to 1, but 13 to ]). Bring them to the waters, and there I will test them! And of whom I shall say to thee: “This shall go with thee!” let him go. Whom I shall forbid to go, let him return.’ And when the people were come down to the waters, the Lord said to Gedeon: ‘They that shall lap the water with their tongues, as dogs like to lap, thou shalt set apart by themselves: but they that shall drink bowing down their knees, shall be on the other side!’ And the number of them that had lapped water, casting it with the hand to their mouth, was three hundred men: and all the rest of the multitude had drunk kneeling. And the Lord said to Gedeon: ‘By the three hundred men that lapped water, I will save you, and deliver Madian into thy hand: but let all the rest of the people return to their place!’” (Judges 7:2-7).
At that point, having just 300 men against 135,000 Madianites, the Israelites were outnumbered by 450 to 1—nobody in their right mind could claim victory to his own strength with odds like that—all glory would clearly have to be given to God. That’s the way God likes it—for that is truth! By this we see that God will not choose for his instruments in great achievements―which depend purely on his grace and providence―such persons who, through pride and self-conceit, will take the glory to themselves.