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The Sin of Foolishness

Foolishness is “a slowness and darkness of mind due to moral defect, that makes it difficult to
judge rightly about the Last End of things and the chief Good.”
Slow and darksome is the contrary of Wisdom which is alert and discerning.
It is an error of judgement about the chief concerns of life and the things of greatest value. This is
not the same as the innocent simplicity of those whose judgement is not sound in worldly things.
Foolishness is caused by moral fault. It is a sin!
True Wisdom seems Foolishness to the world, and true Foolishness seems Wisdom to the
world: “Let no man deceive himself: if any man among you seem to be wise in this world, let him
become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is
written: I will catch the wise in their own craftiness. And again: The Lord knoweth the thoughts of
the wise, that they are vain” [I Corinthians 3:18-20].
It is counterfeit wisdom which places its last end in some created good and is therefore
foolishness before God. “For this is not wisdom, descending from above: but earthly, sensual,
devilish” [James 3:15]. This expresses three classes of worldly wisdom: a) Some worldly—wise
aim above all things at increasing wealth or external possessions (earthly wisdom). b) Others seek
chiefly pleasure, health, comfort, or other bodily goods (animal or sensual wisdom). c) Still others
imitating Lucifer, who “is king over all the children of pride” [Job 41:25], devote their whole lives
to the pursuit of some kind of inordinate excellence, selfish domination, or honours, or glory...
(devilish wisdom).
Foolishness is sinful because it is a voluntary choice of evil, a violation of the
commandments and the ruination of man. “The fool hath said in his heart: There is no God, They
are corrupt, and are become abominable in their ways: there is none that doth good, no not one”
[Psalm 13,1].
Foolishness is a voluntary choice of evil because it consists in turning away from spiritual
things and becoming completely absorbed in the things of this world. The result is that one cannot
judge rightly concerning the values of human existence “the sensual man perceiveth not these things
that are of the Spirit of God; for it is foolishness to him, and he cannot understand, because it is
spiritually examined” [I Corinthians 2:14]. His taste is perverted, and he has no relish for the
spiritual, because of his own deliberate rejection of good and cultivation of evil.
Foolishness is a violation of the commandments about the knowledge and employment of
truth. The Church has a mission “teach all nations”. “He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that
despiseth you, despiseth me; and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me” [Luke 10,16].
We must make an effort to understand and remember what the Church teaches. “See how you walk,
not as unwise, but as wise” [Ephesians 5.15-16].
Foolishness leads to perdition. Being defective in its judgement it barters away the future for
present satisfaction and sells its birthright for a mess of pottage: “the prosperity of fools shall
destroy them” [Proverbs 1:32].
“And he spoke a similitude to them, saying: The land of a certain rich man brought forth
plenty of fruits. And he thought within himself, saying: What shall I do, because I have no
room where to bestow my fruits? And he said: This will I do: I will pull down my barns,
and will build greater; and into them will I gather all things that are grown to me, and my
goods. And I will say to my soul: Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years take
thy rest; eat, drink, make good cheer. But God said to him: Thou fool, this night do they
require thy soul of thee: and whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?” [Luke
12, 16-20].

Foolishness is caused by a wrong and sinful view of life which makes men judge all things
by the standards of gain or pleasure or power, rather than by the standard of God, the First Cause. In
comparison with God all lower goods are trivial and worthless. Among the vices that lead men
away from Wisdom, the chief is Lust, for its attraction is greater and its hold on the soul more
complete. Chastity disposes a man for heavenly contemplation and for Wisdom by the refinement
and elevation and spirituality it gives the mind, so sensuality especially indisposes a man for these
goods by the coarseness and degradation and materialism that follow in its wake.
“The number of fools is infinite” [Ecclesiastes 1:15].
The saints have all said this, but most do not call it the Sin of Foolishness.
St. Ignatius of Loyola:
“Brethren, remember that, if you save your souls your failure in every worldly transaction will be of
little importance: for, if you are saved you will enjoy complete happiness forever. But, if you lose
your souls, what will it profit you to have enjoyed all the riches, honours and amusements of this
world? If you lose your souls, all is lost! ‘For what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world,
and suffer the loss of his own soul? Or what exchange shall a man give for his soul?’ [Matt. 16,26]
... it is necessary to save our souls, because unless we gain Heaven: we shall be condemned to Hell:
there is no middle place: we must be either saved or damned. God has not created us for this earth;
neither does he preserve our life that we may become rich and enjoy amusements.”
St. Philip Neri:
He who does not seek above all things the salvation of his soul is a fool... O fools that you are! You
have it in your power to obtain the immense and eternal goods of Paradise, and you lose your time
in procuring the miserable goods of this earth, which will end at death. And for these you expose
yourselves to the eternal torments of Hell. We are all immortal, and each of us shall either be
eternally happy or eternally miserable in the other life. But the misfortune of the greater part of
mankind is that they are solicitous for the present and never think of the future. “O that they would
be wise and would understand, and would provide for their last end” [Deuteronomy 32,29]. Oh!
That they knew how to detach themselves from present goods, which last but a short time, and to
provide for what must happen after death—an eternal reign in Heaven or everlasting slavery in Hell.
St. Teresa: “One soul, one eternity.” “When a person loses a trifle through negligence his
peace is disturbed by the lost having lost it through his own fault. O God what shall the pain of all
the damned be on entering Hell, at the thought of having lost his soul—his all—and of having lost it
through his own fault!”
Let us pray to Jesus Christ and to His Holy Mother to help us to save our souls. That we may me
enlightened to realise that this is the most important of our affairs.
This Lent we should abandon the foolish trifles that occupy our minds and our time and turn our
efforts to the salvation of our souls. Some of these are: Electronic entertainment—games, movies,
videos and the like; Sports—Professional sports, paying men to play games, are foolishness; TV—
this vice is 75 years old and still corrupting souls; the News—this deceives the viewer corrupting
his mind; shopping, including online shopping—especially those who have to have the latest
gadgets...
If you are spending hours playing video games; watching movies or sports or TV; if you are
addicted to the News; to shopping, or to gadgets.
This Lent is the time to amend your life and consider eternity.