The Domino Effect of Our Sins
By Janisse Flores
Have you ever spent an inordinate amount of time setting up dominos only to see them fall in a fraction of the time you spent lining them up?
When I was a kid, the first time I saw the domino effect in action I remember thinking it was the coolest thing ever. The thrill of seeing the dominos fall one after another sparked excitement and was in a sense like an adrenaline rush! I become so awed by this short excitement of perfect synchronization that I would line up the dominos just to see them fall down over and over again. But let’s face it – after a while the domino effect can get really old. Sure the rapid fall of the perfectly synchronized dominos caused by one effortless push is exciting to see, but the aftermath mess of having fallen scattered dominos all over the floor to pick up and line up over and over again is not one bit of fun.
When seen in light of the life of the human soul, the “domino effect” has many parallels to the spiritual life. Similar to how the fall of one domino causes the others to also fall, everything we do in our life has an effect to our soul and the souls of those around us. We have the ability to decide whether we want this effect to be a positive one or a negative one. In terms of the spiritual life, the “domino effect” can be translated into two categories – 1) the “goodness effect” which occurs when we choose to live a life of virtue and righteousness, or 2) the “sin effect” which occurs when we choose to a live a life of vice and wickedness. It is a choice we make day by day with our minds, bodies, and souls. (See Psalm 1)
In this short video, we find a young girl who is led from one sin into another. She reaches a peak of great despair after allowing envy to be stirred into her heart as she skims through a Glamour Magazine. Without the proper guarding of the heart and mind, this seed of envy sneaks into her heart and begins to take root in her life. (See Proverbs 4:23) This small seed of envy then starts to take root and grow leading her into an attitude of distrust towards God. Her self-esteem is then attacked by a spirit of fear, vanity worthlessness, hate, anger, and finally despair. This is how sin grows slowly but surely – it takes over all the powers of our soul. When this happens we are left broken, alone, guilty, and full of shame. Sins build on one another; they start off small then begin to grow into even greater sins. When we repeatedly choose a sinful lifestyle we fall into the danger of allowing our intellect to be slowly darkened.
This article originally appeared on Catholic-Link. Reprinted with permission.
