What Enters

The word “entertainment” is an interesting one.

It’s good to relax. Sometimes, clean entertainment can be a part of that. Comedy? It’s good to laugh!

But are there downsides?

We all know the obvious ones: salacious content, profanity, violence, worldliness, the occult, irreligion. Also, excess. At LaSalette — the anniversary of which is the nineteenth of this month — Our Lady told the seer Melanie Calvat, “People will think of nothing but amusement.”

That can be a problem when we look more closely at origins of the very word.

Does not “enter” imply something that can come into us or our homes and families?

It didn’t start out that way. As Vocabulary.com informs us, “Entertainment is from the Old French word entretenir meaning hold together or support. It was associated with hospitality––when you entertained a guest, you were keeping them happy.”

From there, however — notes the website — “it came to mean amuse or distract.”

Too often, what it distracts us from is prayer, contemplation, authentic family time, reading the Bible, and focus on God.

Instead of consumer, we are what is consumed.

By what, you might (and should) ask? What is consuming our time? Can we spare the time?

Again, entertainment can be fun. It can mean having loved ones and friends over. It can be a good diversion, if it takes us into a happier, more optimistic frame of mind.

But not if it “enters” with “stain” or darkness attached to it — a Trojan horse, which often is the case.

It is also negative when it creates of lingering mindset of unreality.

“In the Ancient Shankira Code, and seen visibly in the astral plane, the word is found with its true meaning in the Acashic library,” notes Michael Garcia, who studied ancient civilizations. “It’s understood to be ‘to travel behind the glass or mirror,’ with ‘tain’ being the sheet of silver foil used in backing mirrors. There are many derivatives from a variety of sources afterwards, including Greek and Roman.”

In fact, other sources note “tainment” coming from the verb “tenir” (as in “to hold”). Meanwhile, the word can also be sen as derived from the Old French “entretenir,” which comes from two Latin words, “inter” (meaning between, or among) as well as “tener” (again, to hold).

So nothing inherently sinister in that. No.

It can mean simple hospitality.

The question is what we are holding, and what we are offering to others in our midst.

Too often, entertainment moves onto territory it is best for us to devoid. Even entertaining friends, we have to be cautious about what spirits may be attached and always pray up a home before and afterward (asking blessing, at the same time, on the guests).

If someone enters who leaves a feeling of tension, dismay, contention, division, or other darkness, try Holy Water as well as playing Gregorian chants or other holy music (on YouTube or wherever you can access it).

And as far as being entertained by television, movies, or whatever: be careful it doesn’t draw you in and “hold” you unless it is truly Christian content (tough to find these days, even on religious but worldly channels).

When you watch or listen to something, ask yourself how you feel. Are you as close to God as you were before watching or listening to whatever it might be?

Enough asked. Enough said.

Enjoy.

Just don’t enjoy the wrong things.

[resources: Gregorian chant CDs]

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