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Whence these Wild Grapes? A Consideration on Rebelliousness in the Human Heart

100514Among the issues that stand out in yesterday’s (Sunday) Gospel about the vineyard, is the wild and strange overreaction by the tenant farmers to the idea that the landowner was owed anything in terms of the fruits of the harvest. Notice that they beat, stone, and even kill the servants sent to collect the owner’s portion. They do the same with a second wave and then even end up killing the landowner’s son!

And this is not a mere story. It was borne out time and time again in Israel’s history in the shameful  rejection, hatred, imprisonment, and killing of the prophets. It was about to culminate in the astonishing killing of God’s own Son! The text of yesterday’s parable said, They seized the son, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him (Matt 21:40). And as the Book of Hebrews affirms of the ancient Jews, and also of us,  So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go forth to him outside the camp and bear the abuse he endured (Heb 13:12-13).

And down through history the human family has repeated this pattern: killing those sent to preach the gospel to us, holding up God’s own Son for contempt, and even committing murder in the killing of members of His body who are forced to die “outside the camp.” They are ostracized for the mere preaching of the gospel and for calling for the fruits that befit the righteousness of those made in the image and likeness of God.

What is wrong with us? Why this special and outrageous hatred for God and His very reasonable request that we bear fruits that are suited for creatures made in His image and likeness?

Some will say that it is just the human tendency to dislike rules and limits. But honestly, most of us like rules just fine in most other contexts. If anything our modern American scene is dominated by an increasing demand for rules and laws.

Look at all the campaigns against smoking, drunk driving, sexual harassment, unfair hiring and labor practices, abrogation of civil rights. Now there is even demand for rules about the calorie, salt, and sugar content of our food! The parade of demands for new laws has been almost endless. Not all these laws are bad, but they DO illustrate Chesterton’s comment that when we break the big laws we do not get less law; we get lots of small laws. So, cast aside a big law like honesty, or mutual respect, or justice and you get ten thousand little laws.

And we not only tolerate these laws, we demand them, even as we complain that government is too big and intrusive. We still want more laws, more protection—more, more, more.

Look also at the American obsession with sports, football in particular.  As I write this post, many Americans are glued to their TV screens and quite literally fixated on a bag full of air being moved up and down a field. And the game is FULL of rules. There are boundaries, lines of scrimmage, 25-second clocks, etc. The players dare not cross the lines or let the clock run out. There are dozens of fouls that stop the game, disputes that must be decided by appeal to rules. Most of the game is rules. And not only do we like this, but we become downright indignant if the referee or line judge misses a violation by the “other team.”

So I am not so sure that it is merely our tendency to dislike law. It will be admitted that most do grumble about too many laws, but at the end of the day, no one wants to get rid of a law that protects him or his interests.

But there is a special anger that seems to get excited in many people, especially today, whenever the law in question is thought to be religiously based. Suddenly an almost visceral reaction sets up in many. And the same people who demand the outright banning of smoking (but strangely favor legalized marijuana use) are crying out in anger, “Get your rosaries off my ovaries and your Bible out of my bedroom.” Almost anything at all can be discussed in the public schools. Our children are being exposed to some pretty awful and strange stuff, but if you even think about mentioning Jesus, lawsuits are threatened and bitter anger is exhibited by increasing numbers.

Why this strange anger, this overkill, this hostility way out of proportion to the very reasonable and salutary influence of faith and religion in the public square?

Some will argue that things like smoking and civil rights are public matters, but sexuality, abortion, euthanasia, marriage, etc. are private matters. But they are not. The act of sexual intimacy may occur in a private setting (and I hope this continues to be the case) but the results are anything but private. The results can have very public effects: the birth of children, abortion, sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, higher divorce rates, single motherhood, children without fathers, poverty, pornography, sexual addiction, and so on. All of these are very public matters and problems that few people are willing to discuss as the very real effects of our so-called private acts.

Marriage, too, is a very public act. The LGBTQIA interest groups  affirm that in demanding public recognition for their false “marriages.” The fight over marriage shows just how public and central it is to our culture. If the LGBTQIA interest groups really believed that sex was private and marriage was private then why would they demand public recognition and even affirmation of their behaviors?

Likewise, euthanasia devalues the lives of the suffering, the dying, the handicapped, and others who are increasingly seen as taking up “too many” resources. And instead of respecting their struggle and admiring their strength, we suggest they be eased out the door sooner rather than later.

And to those who want abortion to be private, it must simply and firmly be said that the death of 50 million fellow Americans cannot be considered a private matter. Their blood is crying out from the soil of this land and we will answer for what we have done to them “legally.”

So enough of this talk of “private” matters. We who live in community with one another must understand that even our private behaviors have many public effects.

But we are back to the central mystery of why there is such a special venom against the Lord and His Church. The tenants of the vineyard and their wildly outrageous anger at the landowner are a picture painted by the Lord of our human condition. And in our fallen condition we seem, at least collectively, to have a special hostility and rebellion towards God.

The biblical answer to the reason for the hostility comes down to one fundamental word: flesh. The biblical phrase “the flesh” (ho sarx) is not per se a reference to our physical bodies. It is a reference to our fallen condition of hostility and enmity towards God. The flesh is that part of us that doesn’t want to have a thing to do with God. It is that part of us that is hostile to God, that doesn’t like to be told what to do, that bristles at even reasonable limits on our behavior. It is that oddly obtuse part of us that, when told not to do something, wants to do it all the more. It is that strange and self-destructive streak that desires intensely even things that we know are bad—very bad—for us.

It began in the garden when Satan hissed at Eve, Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat from any of the trees in the garden’? (Gen 3:1) Eve rightly answered that God only forbade eating from the one tree. But Satan pressed his case and insisted that God has no right to set ANY limits on us and that we have the right to be gods and should not let God “keep us down.” Satan thus portrayed God as an opponent of human flourishing, as an enemy of self-actualization. It was a direct appeal to human pride, and Adam and Eve bought into it. And pride has been our biggest problem ever since. It has many ugly siblings as well: rebellion, resentment, fear, and anger directed against God.

Fundamentally this is what St. Paul means when he speaks of the flesh. There is indeed a special hostility directed towards God and the things most identified with Him.

There are several forms of this hostility and aversion to the legitimate demands of God.

1. There are those who cannot (yet) take it upon themselves to directly hate or resist God. Thus they use what their own minds consider proxies (substitutes) such as the Church. It is easier for them to say that the Church is evil, corrupt, out-of-touch, sinful, full of hypocrites, etc., than it is to say that about God. But in so doing, they must set aside the biblical insistence that the Church and Christ are one body and that Christ cannot be had without His body, the Church.

And even if there are legitimate things about the Church that are less than desirable, the real anger isn’t about those things. It is our unyielding insistence on the sacredness of life, of the body, of marriage, and of sexuality (all things Christ and His apostles taught) that really angers them. Things like crusades and inquisitions are not the real issues; discrediting and hating the Church are the real goals. No attempts to explain or contextualize these largely symbolic issues will have any effect because they are not the real point. Hating and vilifying the Church, as a kind of proxy for God, is the real goal, the real need. Christ and His Church are ultimately one.

And all this they do as a substitute for hating God directly. But separating Christ from His body, the Church, is ultimately a lie.

2. There are those who move beyond the Church to the Scriptures and direct their venom there. The book is either outdated or to be discredited since it contains passages about genocide or “supports” slavery. Never mind that the same book shows God leading His people away from savage warfare in stages, or that the slavery of the biblical world was fundamentally different from the slavery of colonial times. Again, that is not really the point. The point is to use unfair and non-contextual attacks to undermine the source itself. The book is bad, hateful, and has to go.

Even within some Christian denominations there has been an attempt to set aside large portions of the clear moral law by the subterfuge that “God is Love” and surely wants people to be happy and fulfilled. Therefore Jesus must not have meant what He (plainly) said in forbidding divorce and remarriage and in warning of Hell, greed, lust, dissention, factions, the refusal to believe, and so forth. In their own mitigated way, they, too, stab at the heart of Jesus and His message. Here, too, is a basic and sinful rejection of God, rooted in the flesh that will not be told what to do.

3. Yet another group adopts the “designer God” phenomenon. Instead of directly attacking God as He has revealed Himself, this group simply redesigns Him to suit their fancy. In this way they don’t have to attack Him (or her or it). Sometimes called the “god-within” movement, this group creates a god of their own understanding, a god who just so happens to agree with everything they think. He (or she or it) affirms them, never raises His (or her or its) voice, would never judge, and is really cool with anything they want to do.

This used to be called idolatry. But that word seems so “harsh” and since the designer god would never be harsh, the word doesn’t “fit.” There are vast numbers today who think they have a perfect right to invent their own “designer” god.

This prideful rejection of the true God is cloaked in the soft clothes of niceness and in phrases like “I’m spiritual, not religious.” But at the end of the day, all this talk is just a way to avoid admitting their sinful rejection of the true God. Maybe they are even lying to themselves. But whatever the intention, it is what it is: the rejection of the True God who has revealed Himself quite clearly in Sacred Tradition and Scripture. He has to go! The designer god has to take His place. Though cloaked in niceness, it is still ugly pride and an angry rejection by the flesh.

4. Finally, there are those who cast aside all euphemisms and all attempts to disguise their outright rejection, even hatred, of God and the things of God. More than mere atheists, these people are really better described as anti-theists. God must go; the Bible and religious “myths” must go; the Church must go. Walls (laws) must be erected to contain the spread of religion, which is thought to be worse than a disease.

To them, religion (not sin) is the cause of almost all human suffering, war, ignorance, hatred, bigotry, etc. They do not see the Church just as a misguided institution, but as a terrible enemy that must be vanquished. The anger of these anti-theists is at times quite exceptional.

Likewise there is similar anger coming from many who are deeply mired in the sexual confusion of these times.

I have surely felt the wrath of many of them through this blog, many who have what seems to be a strange fear of me and of the Church. I often ask, “Why do you care what I or the Church says, thinks, or teaches? If we are so irrelevant, if we are fading away, why are you so afraid of us? If am just some dude who is deluded, and if my God is just some imaginary friend, why such anger from you? Why such apparent fear? What’s that all about?”

Part of the answer, I think, is that deep down they know we’re right. So do the dissenters from any number of our teachings know that deep down that we are right.  This, I believe, lends the “over-the-top” quality to their anger.

But the other deeper answer has to be simply “the flesh,” that deep drive of pride against God. We may try to cloak it and substitute it with other proxies as detailed above, but deep inside all of us is a very rebellious streak that must be mastered through God’s grace, the Sacraments, and the truth of His word. Sadly, we live in a world that increasingly encourages, fuels, and even celebrates this rebellion.

But no amount of celebration can make this rebellion any less ugly than it is. It is ultimately a rejection of the plan of God for our salvation, wholeness, and holiness. To remain in rebellion can bring only ruin. God will do whatever He can to save us. As yesterday’s first reading said, What more was there to do for my vineyard that I had not done? Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes? (Is 5:6)

But if we finally refuse, and we indulge the flesh, there will come a moment when God hands us over to our willful rebellion, whether individually or collectively. And thus the same passage says,

Now, I will let you know what I mean to do with my vineyard: take away its hedge, give it to grazing, break through its wall, let it be trampled! … it shall not be pruned or hoed, but overgrown with thorns and briers; I will command the clouds not to send rain upon it. The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his cherished plant; he looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed! for justice, but hark, the outcry! (Is 5:5-7)

Pray that the moment when God hands us over does not come. But evidence is mounting that things are now coming to that point in the decadent West. When our collective rejection of God and His kingdom reaches a certain point, God will say, “Your will be done, I will interfere no longer.”

For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Here are some pictures from a time before the revolution—not a perfect time, but a time when faith still had a voice. The sung text is Ne irascaris Domine (Palestrina) and translates the psalm, Be not angry, O Lord, and remember our iniquity no more. Behold, we are all your people. Your holy city has become a wilderness. Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem has been made desolate.

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Do Not be Deceived! A Meditation on a Constant Theme of Scripture

092814A very common word in the New Testament is “deceived.” In English we tend to think of this word as referring to someone who has been tricked or fooled. And thus the emphasis is on intellectual terms. The Greek and Latin roots, however, have an almost physical dimension to them.

The Latin roots for “deceived” or “deception” are de- (from) + capere (to take or carry away). The Greek word in the New Testament that is translated as “deceived”  is πλανάομαι (planaomai) and means more literally “to be carried off” or “to be led astray.”

Thus, those who are deceived are those who have been carried off or carried away by false teachings, trends, or the ways of this world.

Perhaps another biblical image relating to this is the one in which St. Peter speaks of “your adversary the devil [who] prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  One can almost see in one’s imagination a lion with his limp and dying prey hanging from his mouth as he carries it off. And thus one who has been deceived is like one who has been stalked, attacked, and stunned or killed, and is being carried off in the mouth of the lion (Satan).


This is deception; this is what it means to be deceived, to be stalked and through various means grasped, stunned, and carried off as prey. 

Over and over again Scripture warns us not to be deceived, that is, not to become prey for Satan, for demons, and for all those who consort with him to capture us and carry us off. A plain warning comes in the Letter to the Hebrews: 

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings (Heb 13:8-9).

Another text warns that there are many who wish to deceive us and their teachings are called the doctrines of demons:

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and the doctrines of demons, through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared (1 Ti 4:1–2 ).

Indeed, this is a common human problem, especially today. There are many plausible liars going about today who seek to confuse, to stun, and to carry off faithful Catholics. They do this with hypocrisy. To say that something is done with hypocrisy means literally that it is done by “actors,” since hypocrite in Greek means “actor.” In a more extended sense it means that when we say something with hypocrisy we are being insincere.  These plausible liars, as actors, are well skilled at being pleasing, at appearing pleasant, reasonable, sophisticated, and “free.” But this is an act. They are in bondage to the sins they seek to glorify. The scriptural text here says that their consciences are seared; that is, they are branded, burned, and hypnotized by the sins they commit. They are not smart; they are lost and confused. They are to be prayed for, but not listened to.

Many of them are very good actors, playing the role of plausible liars. Some have many letters after their name (PhD, D.D., M.D., etc.). Some have advanced degrees and high positions in academia or in the media. Some of them teach in Catholic institutions; some even wear Roman collars. Most of them achieve their plausibility by appealing to innocuous themes such as tolerance, patience, kindness, and that most vacuous and currently ill-defined idea called “love.” Surely tolerance, patience, kindness, and love all have their places. And being agreeable, pleasant, soft-spoken, and reasonable in tone are all good things in and of themselves. But they can also become a cloak for a false plausibility and are, as the text above says, the “hypocrisy of liars.” In other words, these people are actors; they play the role of tolerant and enlightened experts but in reality are desperately trying to justify sinful behavior and quiet their seared (though still  troubled) consciences.

And thus Scripture warns us not to be deceived, not to be carried off, not to be carried away by plausible liars who say exactly the opposite of what God’s Word says, who call good or “no big deal” what God calls sin.  Thus, with their distorted understanding of tolerance and love they promote and even celebrate acts of sodomy, fornication, abortion, and euthanasia. They promote religious syncretism and construct a fake Jesus and a designer God through their “God-within” movements and their statements that “I’m spiritual but not religious.” They substitute their own doctrines for the revealed ones of Scripture. If they reference Scripture at all it is only to declare that it does not say what it plainly does say.

Regarding all these erroneous stances and appeals, Scripture announces again and again, do not be deceived; do not be carried away; do not be carried off. Here are just a few of the texts that warn us:

  1. Rom 16:17-21 I appeal to you, brethren, to take note of those who create dissensions and difficulties, in opposition to the doctrine which you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by fair and flattering words they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded. 19 For while your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, I would have you wise as to what is good and guileless as to what is evil; 20 then the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
  2. 1 Cor 3:18–21 Let no one deceive himself. If any one among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” 20 and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” 21 So let no one boast of men.
  3. 1 Cor 6:9–10 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexual offenders, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.
  4. 1 Cor 15:33–34 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” 34 Come to your right mind, and sin no more. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
  5. 2 Cor 11:3–4 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you submit to it readily enough.
  6. Gal 6:7–8 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
  7. Eph 5:5–8 Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure man, or one who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for it is because of these things that the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
  8. 2 Ti 3:12–13 Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived.
  9. 1 Jn 2:24–27 If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he has promised us, eternal life. 26 I write this to you about those who would deceive you.
  10. 1 Jn 3:7–9 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does right is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 He who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
  11. 2 Jn 7–10 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, men who will not acknowledge the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh; such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Look to yourselves, that you may not lose what you have worked for, but may win a full reward. 9 Anyone who goes ahead and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God; he who abides in the doctrine has both the Father and the Son. 10 If any one comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him.

Other texts warn us against deceiving ourselves. For at times we entertain lies and thereby allow ourselves to be entrapped by Satan and carried off by our own deceit.

  1. Jas 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
  2. Jas 1:26–27 If any one thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this man’s religion is vain. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
  3. 1 Jn 1:8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

And here are some texts that tell us who is really behind all deception:

  1. Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
  2. Rev 19:20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had worked the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur.
  3. Rev 20:1–10 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years were ended. After that he must be loosed for a little while …7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be loosed from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four corners of the earth … but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

OK, clear enough? Do not be deceived; do not be carried away or carried off by errors or by the sinful lies of this present evil age. As St. Paul says elsewhere, Test everything; hold fast what is good, abstain from every form of evil (1 Thess 5:21-22). Yes, square everything with the Word of God in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Know the catechism; know your faith. Know the true Lord, the real Jesus of Scripture (not the fake Jesus of convenience). Test everything, everything by these standards. Do not be deceived.

For the preacher, the teacher and the parent comes this instruction from St. Paul:

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. 5 As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry. (2 Tim 4:1-6)

Here is an allegory on the rejection of truth and the complete ruin the rejection brings:

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A man with one watch knows what time it is; a man with two watches is never quite sure. A Meditation on following only one Shepherd.

092314-pope-1In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says, To what shall I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance. We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.’ He goes on to remark that the people thought John the Baptist was crazy because he did not eat or drink, yet when Jesus both ate and drank they called Him a glutton and a drunkard. (see Matt 11:16-19).

Indeed, this world has many contradictory and bewildering standards.

One of the great human struggles is to become free from being defined by others, from being so much under the world’s judgment that we lack any personal conviction or deep, stable, and serene core.

An old African proverb says “If I don’t know who I am, anyone can name me.”

Somewhere in the midst of the world’s demands for conformity to its ephemeral standards, each of us must come to know the man or woman that God created us to be.

This does not mean, particularly in youth, that we do not seek guidance from people (especially elders) whom we trust. But in the end, there must be that very private journey with God that every human person makes. It is the journey to discover one’s true self, as God gently reveals.

It is to this deep truth that Jesus refers in the gospel referenced above. The world cannot be our measure. Too often its standards are passing, foolish, and highly inconsistent. To hearken to its cacophonous voice is a sure invitation to high anxiety and deep inner conflict.

There is a saying, A man with one watch knows what time it is; a man with two watches is never quite sure.

Jesus, too, warns, “No one can serve two masters.” But, sadly, most of us try. And frankly, it is not merely two masters but two hundred.

Not so with Jesus.

Jesus resisted and even defied most of the ways in which people tried to define him. He was the Messiah, but He would not be the Messiah in any way they understood. He would not ride in on a war horse and usher in a bloodbath. He would not follow a career of conquest. He would die as a suffering servant. Neither would He simply be reduced to being the Bread King (Jn 6:15) or the medical miracle worker (Mk 1:38). Jesus was sure to hit the road and move on to the next town before He would let others label him as such. He came to bear witness to the truth and to save us, not so much from economic calamity, health problems, or political enemies, but rather from our very selves, from our own sinfulness.

No, Jesus would not be defined by this world. He was free from its grip; it had no power over Him. And to  that same freedom the Lord ultimately summons us.

To be sure, this personal journey with the Lord, this journey to discover our true self, is not an invitation to hideous idiosyncrasies and sociopathic behavior. Holiness may in fact, and often does, startle this world. But it is not unnecessarily disruptive; it is not simply “weird.” Discovering our true self leads to serenity, a peace that this world cannot give, but also a peace that it cannot deny.

So, a man with one watch knows what time it is, but a man with two watches is never quite sure.

Whom are you watching? What time is it in your life? Is it a time of teenage conformity and capitulation to peer pressure? Or is it a time of serene and mature self understanding, rooted in the Father?

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Sinful Curiosity is at the Root of Many Sins

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Curiosity is one of those qualities of the human person that are double-edged swords. It can cut a path to glory or it can be like a dagger of sin that cuts deep into the soul.

As to its glory, it is one of  the chief ingredients in the capacity of the human person to,  as Scripture says, “subdue the earth,” to gain mastery over the many aspects of creation of which God made us stewards. So much of our ingenuity and innovation is rooted in our wonder and awe of God’s creation, and those two little questions, “How?” and “Why?”

Yes, we are curious as to how things work and why they work as they do. This curiosity burns within us and motivates us to unlock many of nature’s secrets. Curiosity drives us to learn and to gain mastery—often for good, but sometimes for ill.

What a powerful force within us, this thing we call curiosity! It is a passion to know! Generally, it seems quite exclusive to us who are rational, for animals manifest little or none of it. Occasionally an animal might seem to manifest curiosity: a sound might draw its attention causing it to look more closely. But the investigation is probably more motivated by seeing whether the sound is a threat or a food source rather than by curiosity. True curiosity asks the deeper metaphysical questions of what, how, and why. True curiosity seeks to explore formal and final causality as well as efficient and material causality. It seeks to learn, sometimes for learning’s own sake. Sometimes, and potentially more darkly, curiosity seeks to learn so we can exert control.

Of itself, curiosity can be a magnificent quality, rooted in the gifts of wonder and awe as well as in the deeply profound gift of man’s intellect or rational nature.

However, as a double-edged sword, curiosity can also wound us very deeply and mire us in serious sin. Indeed, it can be a very sinful drive within us. Eve grew curious of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and thus Satan was easily able to turn her curiosity into a deep dagger that has reached every human heart.

Understood this way (as a sinful drive), curiosity is a desire to gain knowledge of things we have no right to know. A more mitigated form of sinful curiosity is the desire to know things that are in no way useful to us. In this sense, curiosity is a form of spiritual gluttony that exposes us to innumerable tricks of the evil one.

Sinful curiosity causes us to meddle in the lives of others, to pry.  This can then lead us to gossip, potentially defaming others and ruining reputations in the process. Nothing is a bigger invitation to sin and gossip than the phrase “Have you heard the latest news about so-and-so?” Heads turn, ears perk up, and meddlesome curiosity is immediately incited. Almost never is the news that follows such a question positive or even edifying. Sinful curiosity is at the root of almost all gossip, defamation, slander, and even calumny. Ninety percent of what we hear through gossip is none of our business. And yet, through sinful curiosity, somehow we feel that we have the right to this information.

There is a whole branch of news, barely distinguishable from gossip columns and scandal sheets, that has emerged based on the people’s “right to know.”  Too much secrecy can be unhealthy but that is hardly the problem in this day and age. Today, too many people know too many things about too many people. Even what is reported (most of it unnecessary) about so-called public figures is not really helpful for us to know. This is not to say we should have no concerns whatsoever about what is happening in the world or about the character of our leaders; rather, it is an invitation to distinguish between what is truly useful and necessary for us to know and that which is simply rooted in sinful curiosity.

 Sinful curiosity is also at the root of a lot of lust and immodesty. A man may be happily married, but when he sees a woman walk past on the sidewalk he may temporarily push that to the back of his mind. Part of his problem is lust.  And in that lustful mindset, he reduces the woman—a person—to her curves and other physical attributes. But another aspect of his struggle, is a sinfully curious question: “I wonder what she’d be like?”  Well, sir, that is none of your business! Now mind you he’s happily married, but he already knows his wife well. Pardon the expression, but the mystery of his wife has been unveiled. This other woman he sees, however, still has a shroud of mystery that incites in him a sinful curiosity. Immodesty also taps into the sinful curiosity of others by revealing more than it should. Modesty is reverence for mystery. Immodesty jettisons this reverence and seeks to incite sinful curiosity.
Sinful curiosity has also been turned into a consumer industry by many talk shows that publicly feature topics that should be discussed discreetly. Further, many guests on such shows reveal details about their life that should not be discussed in a public forum. Too many people discuss terrible struggles of a very personal nature and too many people tune in to listen. This is a form of immodesty as well, even if it does not involve sexual matters, for modesty is reverence for mystery and respects appropriate boundaries and degrees of intimacy in conversations. “Baring one’s soul” is neither prudent nor appropriate in all situations with all people and it too easily excites sinful curiosity and sets loose a wave of gossip and uncharitable banter of all sorts. Some things are just not meant to be dealt with in public, and many are incapable of handling such information without easily straying into sin.

A mitigated form of sinful curiosity is the excessive desire to know too many things all at once. This is a kind of “information gluttony.” This sort of desire, though not necessarily sinful, can become so by excess. It is catered to by the 24-by-7 news services. Being informed is good, but being over-informed can easily lead to becoming overwhelmed and discouraged.  Generally speaking, indulging in such a steady stream of news (along with talk radio, etc.) incites a great deal of anxiety, discouragement, and a sense of being overwhelmed. Such news services tend to generate interest by inciting alarm. Bad and bloody news predominates; the exotic and strange are headlined; the titillating and shocking lead the news hour, that which generates controversy and ratings is emphasized. It’s not long before we have moved away from necessary and important news and back into the sinful curiosity that sets tongues wagging and heads shaking.

Sinful curiosity, even of this mitigated form, so easily draws us into very negative, dark, and even depressing places. News junkies would do well to balance their diet with other more edifying things than what is the latest scandal or threat.

St. Paul gives good advice to all of us when it comes to sinful curiosity and our tendency to collect unnecessary, unhelpful, and unenlightening news. In effect, he invites us to discipline our minds with the following good and solid advice:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (Phil 4:8).

Curiosity—the double-edged sword—so noble yet so easily ignoble, so wonderful yet so easily debased.

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On the Paradoxical Freedom of Poverty as Taught by St. John Chrysostom

062514There is a saying that you cannot steal from a man who has nothing, and you cannot threaten a man who has nothing to lose. Of Jesus, the Son of Man who had no where to lay his head (Matt 8:20), this was surely true. The world had no claim on him, nothing to hook him or claim his loyalty. Even his life could not be taken from him for he had already laid it down freely (cf Jn 10:18).

St. John Chrysostom spoke of it boldly in a sermon that paints well the paradoxical freedom of poverty and the enslavement of riches and possessions.  More on that in a moment…

But first, consider that the heart of the slavery most of us experience comes from our attachments to this world. So easily do we sell our souls to its allurements; so easily does the world ensnare us with its empty promises and trinkets that so quickly become duties, distractions, and requirements. In our heart, we know how the things of the world weigh us down. But even knowing this, our addiction to things draws us further into the endless cycle of ever-deepening desires and the increasing inability to live without many burdensome things.

And it isn’t just things. The world hooks us with the mesmerizing promise of popularity, promotion, even fame. And in our desperate addiction to being popular, we come too easily to the point that we will do almost anything and make almost any compromise for popularity and advancement.

Jesus says, No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money (Matt 6:24).

Scripture elsewhere says,

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him (1 John 2:15).

Adulterers! Do you not know that the love of this world is hatred toward God? Therefore whoever chooses to be a friend of this world is an enemy of God (James 4:4).

But in the end, most of our slavery and anxiety is rooted in our love for this world and our fear of losing its pleasures, and its promises of power and popularity. It is without doubt the greatest of human struggles to get free from this world’s hooks and shackles and to become utterly free—free to follow the Lord unreservedly and with no fear of what the world might do in retaliation.

In one of his sermons, St. John Chrysostom describes well the human being who is utterly free. It is a magnificent portrait, and one he was largely able to exhibit not merely by his words but by his very life.

Born in 344 at Antioch, he became a young man very much admired for his brilliance and oratorical skills. In 374 he fled to the mountains to live quietly and to break the hold that the world had on him. After six years of “holy silence,” he worked quietly as a priest. But in 398, he was summoned to be bishop of Constantinople. He was beloved for his powerful capacity to preach and received the name “Chrysostom” (Golden mouth). Yet not all appreciated the freedom with which he preached, a freedom that led him to denounce vice openly, no matter who was doing it. He was exiled twice (in 403 and 407) by powerful enemies. And though his enemies tried to break his spirit and rob him of his joy, they could not prevail. Although he died on his way to his final exile (during a miserable journey in terrible weather), he died with joy, saying, “Glory be to God for all things. Amen.”

The world could not prevail over him; he did not fear it, for he owned nothing of it, and owed nothing to it. It had no hold on him.

And thus speaking not only from Scripture but from experience as he was being led into exile, St. John Chrysostom said,

The waters have risen and severe storms are upon us, but we do not fear drowning, for we stand firmly upon a rock. Let the sea rage, it cannot break the rock. Let the waves rise, they cannot sink the boat of Jesus. What are we to fear? Death? Life to me means Christ, and death is gain. Exile? The earth and its fullness belong to the Lord. The confiscation of goods? We brought nothing into this world, and we shall surely take nothing from it. I have only contempt for the world’s threats, I find its blessings laughable. I have no fear of poverty, no desire for wealth. I am not afraid of death nor do I long to live, except for your good. I concentrate therefore on the present situation, and I urge you, my friends, to have confidence …

Let the world be in upheaval. I hold to his promise and read his message; that is my protecting wall and garrison. What message? Know that I am with you always, until the end of the world!

If Christ is with me, whom shall I fear? Though the waves and the sea and the anger of princes are roused against me, they are less to me than a spider’s web … For I always say: Lord, your will be done; not what this fellow or that would have me do, but what you want me to do. That is my strong tower, my immovable rock, my staff that never gives way. If God wants something, let it be done! If he wants me to stay here, I am grateful. But wherever he wants me to be, I am no less grateful …

For though my body die, my soul will live and be mindful of my people (Ante exsilium, nn. 1-3).

Here is freedom. You cannot steal from a man who owns nothing, and you cannot threaten a man who has nothing to lose; you cannot deprive a man who has Jesus Christ.

Pray for this freedom.

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First the Bait, Then the Hook – a Sober Meditation on Temptation

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Satan, it would seem, does not act in an arbitrary manner when trying to tempt us. Rather, he is more of a master hunter carefully setting traps, or a skilled fisherman who carefully studies behavior in order to choose the most effective bait. Satan is calculating and clever.

Sadly, most of us are far less calculating and clever in seeking to avoid temptation and sin. We seem more often to engage in the wishful thinking that no trouble will befall us, and our strategy seems to depend more on “dumb luck.” Would that we were as ingenious in holiness as Satan is in trying to trap us! Jesus sadly and ironically observed, For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light (Luke 16:8).

Let us consider for a moment the notion of bait and hook, to use imagery from the fishing world.

Let’s consider first the bait. It is of course the purpose of bait to be alluring, to be attractive. If a fisherman were to lower an empty hook, or a hook with a rock attached to it, no fish would come near. So he chooses a bait that appeals to the fish: perhaps an insect, or some other morsel that promises a meal.

Thus in choosing a bait to attach to his hook, Satan will strive to render it appealing, even beautiful to us. He often casts a spell to hide the ugliness of sin and to distract us from the presence of the hook.

In our time especially, Satan cloaks ugly sins in exalted language, speaking of them as ways of giving us “freedom,” or “fulfilling ourselves.” Abortion is not the killing of a baby, it is “reproductive choice,” or “reproductive freedom.” Many exalt sinful acts by cloaking them in the language of tolerance, acceptance, etc. Still others exude a false compassion in declaring it licit to actively kill the suffering or to terminate the lives of children in the womb who have been given a poor prenatal diagnosis.

In ways like these, evil masquerades as good. Sins once thought of as clearly awful and ugly are now presented as good and even beautiful.

Of course other more traditional bait is still used by Satan as well: sex, money, glory, power, and so forth. Not all these things are bad in themselves, but they are presented in excess or in the wrong context. And how tasty, how attractive, how beautiful, how desirable they can seem!

And thus the bait: attractive, beautiful, and tasty. Scripture describes Eve’s assessment of the forbidden tree: the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it (Genesis 3:6).

But then comes the hook—there’s always the hook with Satan. Never forget this: the hook is always there with Satan. No matter how beautiful, reasonable, or desirable the bait may seem, there is always the hook.

With the bait of illicit sexual union dangled before us comes the hook. Perhaps it is addiction to pornography, ruined marriages, sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, teenage pregnancy, single motherhood, absent fathers, abortion, higher divorce rates, broken families, improperly formed families, and terrible injustice to children.

With the bait of gluttony comes the hook of obesity, heart disease, high cholesterol, hypertension, arthritis, addiction to alcohol or drugs, and even death.

With the bait of greed for more and more possessions comes the hook. Perhaps it is credit card bills we cannot pay, perhaps it is slavery to a lifestyle we think we cannot live without but which drives us to need two incomes and work long hours. And thus we never really know our children or even enjoy the things we think we need. Perhaps it is the supreme frustration in realizing that no matter how much more we have, it will never be enough. Our eyes are never really satisfied with seeing, or our ears with hearing, or our will with amassing. For we seem to be insatiable; we want more and more as the hook of greed drives deeper within us, snaring our hearts so that Satan reels us in.

But there is always the hook; never forget that no matter how pleasing the bait may seem, there is always the hook.

We moderns are perhaps more foolish than those who came before us, for we live in a culture that is rather successful in at least temporarily hiding the consequences of many things. And thus our medicines and technologies may temporarily stave off the effects of too much food and drink or the diseases that come with sexually irresponsibility. So-called government safety nets, many of them well-intentioned and in some degree necessary, also expand to create the illusion of no consequences. Too easily and too repeatedly, many are bailed out from poor and foolish decisions. Thus we are just a little more able to maintain the illusion that the hook isn’t really there.

But the hook is there. There is always a hook with the bait.

Just a simple reminder: don’t forget the hook. With the bait comes the hook. The bait is about the hook. First the bait, then the hook; always the hook.

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Jesus teaches us not merely how to avoid temptation, but how to be prepared for temptations to come

060314The battle against temptation in our lives is, of course, an ongoing struggle. Some moments and periods of our life provide more temptation than others, but no day goes by without at least some sort of temptation. While it is important to battle temptation in the moment, it is also important to build ourselves up by grace so that in moments of temptation we can draw on that strength and preparation to more easily win the battle.

Obviously, recourse to prayer, the Sacraments, and the Scriptures are essential in building ourselves up. But it is also instructive for us to observe how Jesus prepared Himself for the temptations that He faced. The Scripture affirms that He was tempted in every way that we are, yet without sin (cf Heb 4:15). Two important moments of temptation for Jesus that are depicted in the Scriptures are at the end of His time in the desert and in the garden of Gethsemane.

Let’s look in particular at what Jesus did to prepare Himself for the devil’s onslaught toward the end of His forty days in the desert. We can distinguish several important things He did to prepare for the moment of the devil’s attack.

I. In accepting baptism by John in the Jordan River for our sake, Jesus illustrates that it is important for us to deepen our own baptismal renewal by the Holy Spirit, and the experience of God’s love. Though Jesus did not have any sins that needed to be washed away, He humbly entered the Jordan for our sake, bringing into the water His mystical Body, which includes us. There He acquired for us, in a kind of prevenient way, the cleansing of our sins by repentance and baptism. He also prefigured for us the coming of the Holy Spirit to sanctify us and the Father’s great love for us, calling us his beloved sons and daughters.

Each of these gifts is important for us to frequently renew and meditate upon as a way of strengthening us against temptations that will come.

A. We must learn to appreciate the beautiful gift of being cleansed of our sins. We must learn to esteem the baptismal innocence which was ours as we came through those waters cleansed and beautifully renewed. What a precious gift to  appreciate and to seek to preserve by daily repenting of our sins, calling on the Lord’s mercy, and frequently celebrating the Sacrament of Confession. This is a great help against temptation since, learning to more fully esteem the great gift of baptismal innocence, we are motivated to preserve it through the grace of the Sacraments.

B. Jesus also acquired for us in the river Jordan the great gift of the Holy Spirit, who descended upon Him like a dove. What a magnificent gift: that we would become temples of the Holy Spirit, who lives within us, sanctifying us and offering us every good grace. Yet too easily we forget this, for the Spirit dwells within us quietly, respectfully doing his work as does a careful surgeon. It is for us to ask for an anointing of the Spirit, to be aware of and respectful of His wonderful, mysterious, and powerful work within us. As we grow in knowledge and appreciation of this tremendous gift, we are enabled to draw consciously upon the grace and strength of the Spirit and see our lives gradually transformed. Here too is a great help in making us stronger so that when temptations arise, they are more easily conquered.

C. Jesus also receives for us the beautiful love of the Father. For as the Father looks to Jesus he says, Here is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. And yet, mysteriously, this great acclamation extends also to us, who are in Christ. It is such a beautiful and necessary gift that we should experience God’s tender love for us. How encouraging and transformative it is for us to experience that we are beloved, that the Father has a tender love for us. Experiencing this love, we are equipped to respond with love and the holy reverence that makes us fear to ever offend the Father whom we love so much. When we love God, we love what God loves, and we love those whom God loves. And thus we desire to keep His Commandments not because we have to, but because we want to. And here is yet another way to see ourselves built up in love, so as to better avoid and have victory in moments of temptation.

After His baptism in the Jordan, Jesus continues to demonstrate for us other ways to build ourselves up so as to prepare for and have victory over temptation.

II. The Forty days of fasting and prayer in the desert. There are three keywords here; let’s look at them in reverse order.

A. The desert is a symbol of completely separating oneself from the world, of drawing apart from the world with all of its seductions, its lust of the eyes, and its desire for power and comfort. In the desert, one feels anything but powerful. Just a few minutes in the hot desert will humble even the strongest of persons. The spiritual desert is devoid of most of the luxuries and comforts of the world. It is a place of great simplicity, a place where less is more. Trying to carry around many things in the desert is quite foolish and results in needless expenditure of energy and depletion of necessary hydration. In the desert, essentials are emphasized and extraneous things are shed. Although the Church emphasizes this during Lent, one does well to embrace desert experiences throughout the year. As we gradually renounce the world and develop a capacity for the simplicity of the desert, fewer of the things of this world tempt us. And when they do tempt us, we see more clearly the lies of the world and prefer the simplicity and clarity of the desert.

B. Prayer – The prayer that assists us in overcoming temptation is not so much intercessory prayer (in which we tell God what we want or need), but rather prayer understood as the prayer of union, in which we seek to unite and align our heart with the heart, the mind, and the will of God. This is not the prayer that asks for what we want, but the prayer that asks God what He wants. As we enter into deeper union with God through this prayer, our heart, mind, and will begin to align with God’s great vision for our life. Through this sort of prayer, we love the beauty and goodness of God’s truth and begin to abhor injustice. We begin to desire holiness and find the sinful attitudes and perceptions of the world increasingly obnoxious and unattractive. Thus we are assisted in battling temptations to sin as our desires become more conformed to divine will.

C. Fasting – We may think first here of food. But spiritually it may involve other things. Perhaps it means intentionally removing some of the things in our life that clutter it: television (a terrible time bandit), the news, politics, etc. Perhaps, even for just a few days, we can create something of a fasting experience by intentionally screening these areas off and using the time and mental faculties for spiritual reading, recollection, and so forth. Fasting helps strengthen us against temptations because it trains us in certain forms of self-mastery. Giving up or setting aside certain lawful pleasures or interests, even for a relatively short time, is a good way to train ourselves to resist unlawful pleasures and interests.

Resisting the temptation to sin is easier for those who have spent time in the desert and in fasting, for in going into the wilderness we learn to lean on the Lord, and in fasting we learn to shed some of the unnecessary excesses of a worldly life.

Here then are some teachings of Jesus on how to be stronger so as to avoid temptation and to be prepared for the temptations that will still inevitably come. We are not simply to be sitting ducks. We need to be prepared ahead of time for the temptations that surely await us.

Jesus, though sinless, was still tempted, and He gives us very good picture of what it means to be prepared and ready for the temptations of life.

This song by Tallis is “In Jeiunio et Fletu” (In fasting and weeping). The singers are all wearing coats in the chapel of this old castle. Perhaps the singers (or the owner of the castle) are fasting from heat or other creature comforts as they sing this lament for sin and seek strength against temptation!

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A Late Lenten Meditation on the Reality of Spiritual Warfare

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Every ancient prayer manual and guide to spirituality until about fifty years ago had at least one large section devoted to what was known as Pugna Spiritualis (spiritual battle or spiritual warfare). In more recent decades, many spiritual books have downplayed or completely deleted references to spiritual battle or spiritual warfare.

Sadly, many modern approaches to faith, religion, and spirituality prefer to emphasize exclusively consoling themes rooted in self-esteem, affirmation, etc. To be sure, the authentic faith can and does offer great consolation, but the truest and deepest consolation often comes after one has persevered along the sometimes-difficult path, along the “narrow way” of the cross.

But too many today, in the name of affirmation and pseudo-self-esteem are ready to excuse, and even affirm grave moral disorders, rather than fight them. Grace and mercy are preached, but without reference to the repentance that opens the door to these gifts. Both the possibility of Hell and any consequences of sin, are absent from many modern conceptions of faith and religious practice.

Some years ago, I was approached by a rather angry woman who, having heard my sermon on the seriousness of certain sins (which were in the readings of the day), expressed great indignation that I would preach on such topics. She said, “I come to church to be consoled and have my spirits lifted, not to hear old-fashioned warnings about judgment and sins.” She felt quite a “righteous indignation,” and was most certain that I had transgressed a fundamental norm, namely, that religion exists to console, and that any challenge to one’s moral stance, (except perhaps caring for the poor), is intolerant and way out of line.

Indeed, many today have this kind of attitude: that it is their birthright not to be troubled or vexed in any way by something people might say, especially a preacher who claims to represent God! The “God they worship” would never trouble them. They will have Jesus for their consoler and best friend, but not their Lord, and certainly not their judge. And never mind the literally thousands of verses from Scripture in which Jesus himself speaks sternly and warns of sin, death, judgment, and Hell. They will have none of it, and are certain that “the Jesus they know,” would never raise his voice at them or challenge them even for a moment. Never mind that the real Jesus says to take up our cross and follow him.

With spiritual battle having been removed from many people’s spiritual landscape, the idea that the Lord would summon us to battle, or ask us to choose sides, seems strangely foreign, intolerant, and uncompassionate.

Even more dangerous, these modern conceptions not only distort Jesus, but they downplay the presence and influence of Satan. This is a very, very bad idea. Even if we cease fighting against Satan, he will never ceases his sometimes very subtle attacks on us.

Jesus called consistently for prayerful, sober vigilance against the powers of evil and sin. Like it or not, we are in a battle. Either we will soberly and vigilantly undertake the battle, or we will be conquered and led off like sheep to the slaughter.

Despite what modern spiritual approaches would like to eliminate, Christianity has been a militant religion since its inception. Jesus was exposed to every kind of danger from the beginning. Herod sought his life; Satan tried to tempt him in the desert; many enemies plotted on all sides as he worked his public ministry, misrepresenting him, levying false charges, and conspiring to sentence him to death, and eventually even succeeding though only for a moment.

And as for Jesus, so also for his mystical Body the Church: Saul, Saul why do you persecute me!?  (Acts 9:4) Jesus warns us that the world would hate us (Luke 21:17; John 15:20); that in this world we would have tribulation (Jn 16:33), and that we should watch and pray lest we give way to temptation (Matt 26:41). He summons us to persevere to the end if we would be saved (Mk 13:13). Jesus rather vividly described the kind of struggle with which we live when he said From the time of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force (Matthew 11:12). Indeed, no Christian until the time that Jesus returns, can consider himself on leave or dismissed from this great spiritual battle, from this great drama that we exist in, this battle between good and evil.

Popular theme or not, we do well to remember that we are in the midst of a great cosmic and spiritual battle. And in that battle, we must be willing to choose sides and fight with the Lord for the Kingdom of God. Either we will gather with him or we will scatter. We are to fight for our own soul, and the souls of those whom we love.

In the holy week that is about to unfold, we are reminded once again of the great cosmic battle that the Lord waged, and that is still being waged in our time. Though already victorious, in his mystical Body the Church, the Lord in his faithful members still suffers violence, rejection, and ridicule. It is also for us to reclaim territory from the evil one, to take back what the devil stole from us. We are to advance the glory of God’s Kingdom through the fruits of great spiritual struggle, sacrifice, prayer, fasting, preaching, and an extensive missionary campaign to which the Lord has summoned and commissioned us.

The battle is on; the struggle is engaged! To spiritual arms one and all! Fight the good fight for the Lord.

Still not convinced we are at war? Let the Lord pull back the veil just a bit and let you look at what’s really going on. The final words of this article will not be mine; they will be the Lord’s. Here is described the cosmic battle that is responsible for most of the suffering and confusion you experience:

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers who accuses them before our God day and night,has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus. (Rev 12)