Shyness Is A Sin

[st-annes]

[quote name='dairygirl4u2c' post='1151954' date='Dec 30 2006, 01:36 AM']so are all you guys saying someone who is shy has no duty whatsoever to overcome their shyness?[/quote]

Yes. You're the first person I've ever heard refer to it as a sin.

[quote name='dairygirl4u2c' post='1151954' date='Dec 30 2006, 01:36 AM']btw.. the title of this thread is just to catch attention. i don't believe shyness is a sin or even considering it.[/quote]

Then it shouldn't have been posted.

[quote name='dairygirl4u2c' post='1151954' date='Dec 30 2006, 01:36 AM']i am only considering that it is sometimes. or that is, not acting to go beyond your tendency more accurately is.[/quote]


What? That doesn't make any sense.


If shyness is a sin, every person who ever lived in a monastery or a convent that has rules about silence is in big trouble. Every saint who was a hermit... you get the picture. Not to mention that I can't think of anything in Scripture or tradition that even comes close to the gist of the thread.

Waste of time, really.

[dairygirl4u2c]

surely shyness is a sin, if God is calling you to evangelize or something.
do you agree with this or not, and why? if you can't respond to this meaningfully then your post is a waste of time. this is the core issue.

if God is calling you to socialize to be able to spread hsi ways, or become married etc, then it can be a sin.

the title was just to stir things up. if you read my initial post you would've seen that.

Edited December 11, 2007 by dairygirl4u2c

[cathoholic_anonymous]

[quote name='dairygirl4u2c' post='1432998' date='Dec 12 2007, 12:32 AM']surely shyness is a sin, if God is calling you to evangelize or something.
do you agree with this or not, and why? if you can't respond to this meaningfully then your post is a waste of time. this is the core issue.

if God is calling you to socialize to be able to spread hsi ways, or become married etc, then it can be a sin.

the title was just to stir things up. if you read my initial post you would've seen that.[/quote]

It's possible for shy people to evangelise - via the Internet, through writing books (if they have the ability), and through prayer. St Therese in her cloister was one of the greatest evangelists the Church has ever had.

If God is calling a person to St Dominic-style preaching, I have a hard time imagining why He would have created them as such a shy person. That's like saying, "Is it a sin for a man to have no legs, if God is calling him to be an Olympic athlete?" God's call is commensurate with the abilities and gifts that He has blessed you with.

As for marriage, if you are able to get deep enough into a relationship with another person to know that you are called to marry them, clearly your shyness isn't a stumbling-block in this respect. It may even enhance the relationship. My own difficulties with socialising and communication mean that the friends I do have are extremely valuable to me, and I really treasure my time with them.