Author: Msgr. Charles Pope

This post is based on a talk I gave to a group of men in Scranton, PA. I preached out of a text from St. Paul to Timothy, whom St. Paul considered a son in the faith:

But as for you, O man of God … Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen (1 Tim 6:11-16).

I. Our Chase – But as for you, O man of God … Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. First of all, note that the personal pronoun used is “you.” I even looked this up in the Greek text to verify the translation. So “you” here means you, you personally. This mandate is for you, not merely for others who don’t have their act together as well as you do and who need to hear stuff like this. So, man of God, pay attention, God the Holy Spirit is speaking to you.

Note, too, the phrase “man of God.” Our world often values a concept of manhood that is very different from what God expects. In this world, men are often esteemed for being rich, physically powerful, or socially well-connected. But what does it mean to be a man of God? As you might expect, it means something far richer and deeper than the externalities of the world. The Man of God is to be strong by being “of God,” by having his heart and soul anchored in the Lord and what the Lord expects of him. In so doing, he will be strong and an anchor for those he loves; they are depending on him to be a true man, not a passive husband or father, not a weak leader. Inner strength needed for this.

What are some of the qualities that God the Holy Spirit emphasizes in this passage? What are we to pursue? Let’s look at the initial list in this verse:

Righteousness (δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosune)) – When we hear words like righteousness or justice, we tend to think only in a legal sense. But in the New Testament righteousness has a more of a relational sense.

Righteousness is the gift of God whereby we are restored to a right relationship with God. It is the state of him who, by God’s grace, is as he ought to be. The righteous man has his heart set on God. He wants what God wants. He loves and desires God. He loves who and what God loves.

In so doing, his relationships with others are also right, proper, and just.

But at its heart don’t miss the relational dimension of this. Righteousness is no mere legal imputation. It is being in a right relationship with God. And relationship change us. Who of us has not met someone who changed our life? Maybe it was a teacher who inspired us, a co-worker or employer who opened doors for us, a woman whom we later married. If mere human relationships can be life-changing, how much more so can being in a right relationship with God!

Pay attention here: the normal Christian life is to be in a life-changing, transformative relationship with God. It is to be in living, conscious contact with God and through that to be changed by into the very holiness and righteousness of God, with whom we walk in an increasingly close, tender, and powerful way.

Jesus knew his Father and tenderly called him “Abba.” Because of this, Jesus feared no other man. He was strong, steadfast, loving, and clear. He was merciful but uncompromising. Jesus loved what His Father loved, whom His Father loved, and in the way His Father loved. This relationship (I refer here to his human nature) is what made Him strong, and a man among men. He was not, as some are, easily swayed, confused, or conflicted. Jesus’ firm and clear relationship with His Father steadied and made proper all His relationships with human beings.

Strong men are in a clear and deepening relationship with the Lord God. And by this they are in proper and right relationships with others.

Godliness (eusebeia) – This means piety or reverence (from eu (well) + sebomai (venerate)). The Godly man walks with a reverence, with a proper and holy fear of God. The Fear here is a holy fear, not merely a cringing fear. It is a fear that holds God in awe and deeply respects Him. Out of love and respect, a man does not want to offend God; and so he walks in reverence among his family, friends, and co-workers.

Out of deep love for His Father and (humanly speaking) a holy reverence, Jesus walked among His people with an absence of human fear and without the need to flatter others. Even His enemies said of Him, Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances (Matt 22:16).

If we want to be men like Jesus, we must first have a holy fear, a reverence. If we fear God in this way, we will increasingly fear no man nor will we fear any weapon drawn against us.

 

Faith (πίστις (pistis)) – This means to believe, to be persuaded. The root meaning of the Greek word pistis here is to be persuaded, to be moved to conclude something based on sound reasoning and proper judgment. God engages our intellect with His truth. The man of faith, through the gift of faith, rightly assents to these truths.

But note, too, that a merely intellectual assent, if it is true Faith, leads the man of God to trust. For if what God has said is true, then we are called to base our whole life on it and to walk in that faith. The truth, the Word of God, is not merely informative; it is transformative. And thus, to the degree that we accept it, our life and what we do begin to change.

The man of faith says, “Lord it is enough for me to know that you have said this. And even if it is hard or if I don’t always know every detail or outcome, I am going to follow you and obey you. Lord, I trust in you and the surety of your word and your promises.

So true faith results in the obedience of faith (Rom 1:5) and will thereby change our life by increasingly conforming it to the truth of faith.

Though He did not need faith, Jesus surely showed forth the obedience of faith. He never sinned and He kept His Father’s will, even when that obedience cost Him His life.

How about you?

Love – The gift of love (agape) is the gift to have a divine affection for God. By this gift, the man of God loves Him with reverence, but also with a tender and filial affection. God is my Father and I love Him! I really love the Lord. I know what my Heavenly Father has done for me and I am moved to great affection for Him who has been so very good to me.

This gift unburdens our walk. We do what God wants not because we have to but because we want to. Love lightens every load. By this gift, the man of God loves Him as well as what and whom He loves. If God wants it, I want it.

Most of us know the power of romantic love, which can move us to make great sacrifices and overlook many faults! How much more does divine love (agape) move us to undertake any number of things simply because we love God.

As He went forth to die, Jesus said, The world must know that I love the Father, and I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, then let us go from here (Jn 14:31).

Is your love this real and this practical? Does your love provoke you to sacrificial acts for God and for others? Do you love God more than your own comfort and your own prosperity? Do you love God more than your very self?

Steadfastness (ὑπομονή (hupomone)) – This literally means to remain under. And thus God enables the believer to remain under or endure the challenges He allots in life.

Life is hard and the challenges are many. We will either meet those challenges or cave under them. In this sense, life is a test. In hardship, we discover what we are made of; we learn where we are strong and where we need growth.

Our culture prefers to remove or defer challenges. Many parents are too protective. Schools want to remove tests and have reward ceremonies in which no one is overlooked. Ordinary boys are restless and full of “spit and vinegar,” but they are pressured to be more like girls and are medicated if they do not comply. Competition and winning are downplayed. Many never reach maturity or purity in their life let alone their faith.

But God, as a good Father, still extends challenges to us. Even if the world no longer esteems mature manhood or challenges us to be men, God does. But this means challenges, and it requires of us a steadfastness that produces greater perfection.

Jesus had much to endure and labor under in this world. But as a true and perfect man, He persevered and never wavered—all the way through to the end. And from His glorious throne Jesus says to us, In this world you shall have tribulation. But have courage, I have overcome the world (John 16:33). And we read in the Gospel of Matthew, He who perseveres to the end shall be saved (Mat 24:13).

Are you steadfast? Can you remain under burdens until the Lord shall deliver?

Gentleness/Meekness (πρᾳΰτης (prautes)) – This is a virtue whereby we master anger and do not compromise justice or truth (though in a meek or gentle way). Aristotle described this virtue as the proper middle ground between too much anger and not enough anger.

Indeed, there are some things that we should be angry about. But we must master our anger and direct its energy toward the good. Our anger must be our passion to set things right.

The meek and gentle are not weak; they are strong and can master anger and direct it to good ends.

Jesus was angry a lot. But it was a productive anger, whereby He manfully set His face to Jerusalem like flint and would not turn back until He had vanquished pride by His humility. Scripture says of Jesus that we should fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb 12:2).

Yes, out of anger (a productive and pure anger) Jesus took up the battle for us. He scorned the threat of suffering and led us over the hill of Calvary to Glory.

Have you found a good fight? Are you “angry” enough to endure it?

II. Our Contest – The text says, Fight the good fight of the faith. The Greek word used here for fight is πρᾳΰτης (agonizomai), which means to struggle as if engaged in an intense athletic contest or warfare.

We have already set the stage for this in the discussion on gentleness/meekness above. The point here is to understand the good fight. We are very quick to debate and to get passionate about sports, politics, issues at work, etc. But most of this is a “yawn fest” compared to the true battle between Satan, the Red Dragon, and the people you know and love. Satan is after your wife and children. He wants their souls and is working hard to corrupt them and rob them of faith. He is subjecting them to endless temptations. He is seeking to corrupt their minds; and frankly he’s pretty good at it. What are you doing about this? What are you doing about your own mind and the battle for your own soul? This is the good fight. If you find a good fight, get in it.

Scripture says that Jesus saw a large crowd and pitied them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd. He taught them at great length and went out to the cross for them.

What is your fight? Are you fighting for your children and family? Are you fighting for people you love? Are you growing in your own faith and helping others to do so?

This is the good fight, the fight for faith!

III. Our Cause – The text says, lay hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

In other words, actively work to acquire the life that Jesus died to give you. Seize it and don’t let go. As a servant leader and as the high priest of your family, help others to do so as well. Imbue your children with the faith. Read Bible stories; teach the faith; insist on what is good. Be the spiritual leader of your home.

IV. Our Charge – The text says, I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach.

Repent of your sins and allow the Lord to purify your life. The commandments are not mere abstract rules. The Commandments and the whole moral tradition are a picture that the Lord is painting of the transformed human person.

Therefore, let the Lord transform you and present you to others as “free from reproach,” that is, free from criticisms of hypocrisy. Let the Lord paint the picture of holiness and transformation in your life.

V. Our Crown – The text says, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

We have a King who is all-glorious and who has shown us the way. We must make this journey unto the end when we shall see Him in all His glory.

Who shall ascend the mountain of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
He will receive blessing from the Lord
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Such are the men who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob (Ps 24:3-6).

We live in times of great ingenuity; we have a lot of smarts. We’ve been to the moon and back. Our computers can do more and more amazing things, even as we are able to make them smaller and smaller. We can see farther than ever into outer space and look more deeply than ever into “inner space,” doing microsurgery and studying the human genome.

Yet although we have become technological giants, at the same time we’ve become moral midgets. Though able to solve complex technical problems, we can’t figure how to stay faithful to our commitments or keep our families together. The churches that once dominated our skylines are now dwarfed by buildings dedicated to banking, insurance, and other passing worldly affairs. 

Our houses, with their great rooms, cathedral ceilings, and granite countertops, are monuments to our wealth. But inside, these houses are not homes; they are often filled with division and sterility.

Despite all our monetary wealth there is little wisdom; despite all our power there is little prudence.

From an eternal perspective our smarts amount to sandcastles on the beach that are sure to be washed away. Ultimately they cannot stand any more than can we.

Scripture warns of the human tendency to maximize the minimum and minimize the maximum. We are smart, but about the wrong things. Our priorities are misguided.

1. Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel (Matt 23:22-24).
2. But God said to [the rich man who built barns], “You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?” So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich in what matters to God (Luke 12:20-21).
3. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light (Lk 16:8).
4. For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ (Phil 2:21).
5. But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people (2 Tim 3:1-5).
6. How prosperous Israel is—a luxuriant vine loaded with fruit. But the richer the people get, the more pagan altars they build. The more bountiful their harvests, the more elaborate their pagan pillars. Their heart is false; now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will break down their altars and destroy their pillars (Hosea 10:1-2).
7. A discerning person keeps wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth (Proverbs 17:24).
8. They are ingenious in their wickedness (Romans 1:30).

In other words, we humans tend to get smartest about the least important things, and are foolishly forgetful of eternal things—the things that matter most. Yes, we maximize the minimum and minimize the maximum. There are some who know everything there is to know about football, or who’s who in Hollywood or politics, but are at a loss when it comes to the most basic spiritual concepts, biblical stories, or moral teachings. Hours are consumed by sports, television, and politics, but there is no time for prayer.

Well, you get the point. We are smart, but about the wrong things. Meanwhile we remain foolishly out of touch with the things that matter to God and that last unto life eternal.

I thought of all this when I saw the following commercial, which appeared recently in my YouTube queue. It features men who have developed every talent imaginable related to beer.

Now I have nothing against beer in moderation. But allow the beer to represent the things of this world. And thus we see humorously illustrated our tendency and capacity to become very talented in worldly things. But at the end of the day, it’s just beer; it’s just the world, a world that is passing away.

Are we as talented and ingenious about spiritual things?

Judas Maccabeus was Handel’s most famous oratorio during his lifetime, more popular than the Messiah. There are many wonderful moments in it, especially its bold and brave choruses. Written in 1746, it covers the biblical events of 170–160 B.C., when Judea was ruled by the Seleucids and the people were compelled to worship Zeus. Some resisted; others obeyed. The priest Mattathias went to the hills and gathered others who were willing to fight for their faith. This is all recounted in the First Book of Maccabees in the (complete) Catholic Bible. The words to Judas Maccabeus largely paraphrase the biblical text and were written by Thomas Morell.

Of all the arias in the oratorio, I’ve often thought that this one should be more well known, due to its keen reminders to us:

Wise men, flattering, may deceive us;
With their vain, mysterious art;
Magic charms can ne’er relieve us,
Nor can heal the wounded heart.
But true wisdom can relieve us,
Godlike wisdom from above;
This alone can ne’er deceive us,
This alone all pains remove.

It’s a simple teaching, but so easily forgotten. In a world of false prophets and hucksters with empty promises of what are (at best) passing comforts, we need to recall that we are easily deceived; in fact, we seem to enjoy being deceived more than we’d probably like to admit.

Flattery refers to excessive and insincere praise, especially praise given to another in order to further one’s own interests. It is used to beguile or to gain another person’s attention. It is likely of Germanic origin, stemming from a word that meant to stroke or caress repeatedly.

Many, from marketers to politicians to ideologues, seek to ingratiate themselves to us in order to sell products, ideas, or philosophies. The ideologues, especially, try to present themselves as great humanitarians, caring more than others do. They use euphemisms such as choice, progress, death with dignity, tolerance, and so forth. But such terms are meant to stroke us to sleep, to beguile us, to hide the ugly reality (often the death of other human beings) of what these things actually produce.

So easily do they deceive us. I have noted in other posts that to be deceived is to be picked up and carried off. The image that comes to mind is that of limp prey in the mouth of a lion as it is carried off to be consumed.

Strangely, we often seem to like being deceived. Sometimes lies and euphemism help to hide uglier realities we would rather not face. It’s as if we say to the flatterers and liars, “It’s OK, lie to me. It’s just too much trouble to look at what’s really going on behind the veiled language.”

The text of the oratorio speaks of vain, mysterious art. Something that is vain is ultimately empty on the inside even if on the outside all seems wonderful and in good order.

The phrase mysterious art does not necessarily refer to magic, but to that which is unknown. Some flatterers like to use fancy terms, photos, movies, colorful graphs, and the like to impress us with their knowledge or to mesmerize us so that we dare not protest what they say.

But as the text goes on to say, none of this can really help us. There may be momentary comforts, but soon they are gone. Satan (and to a large degree, the world) promises happiness now, but the bill comes later. In contrast, God often asks for sacrifices, discipline, and perseverance through difficulty up front and then lets us reap the reward later. Indeed, the cross produces glory far beyond the sufferings it brings: For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2 Cor 4:17).

The text goes on to teach that our wounded hearts need more than relief; they need healing. And only Godlike Wisdom from above can accomplish this. Why? Well, God himself says why:

The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind (Jer 17:9-10).

To find healing, go to God and to His revealed Word and sacred teachings. He knows your heart because He made you. He knows what will really heal and nourish your heart. Be not deceived and mesmerized by false prophets, hucksters, and merchants of the mediocre; God alone can fill the God-sized space in your heart. Only God, who made us for Himself, can satisfy our longings.

Enjoy the aria!

During Eastertide we continue to read from the Book of Revelation and meditate on Jesus as the Lord of history and the Victor over sin and death. As Revelation moves to its conclusion, it points forward to the Parousia (the magnificent second coming of the Lord). We do well to allow our imaginations to be engaged in contemplating the glory that awaits those who are faithful, to meditate on the joy and ecstasy of the culmination of all things!

However, we must also soberly meditate on the need to be ready and on the great danger that many who are not serious may be lost. But the great and terrible day of the Lord will indeed be great for those who have allowed the Lord to prepare them.

There is a magnificent book by Cardinal Jean Daniélou on angelology (the study of angels) entitled The Angels and their Mission: According to the Fathers of the Church. It is a must read and is very accessible—a mere 114 pages. It is packed full of stirring and edifying accounts of the wonderful works of the angels, according to Scripture and the Fathers of the Church.

The final chapters, on the eschaton (the last things) and the Parousia, are particularly magnificent. I would like to distill them here, adding some material and reworking it just a bit. However, the research is that of Cardinal Daniélou. I hope that you will be stirred with as much joy and zeal as I was in reading and preparing this material.

As a beginning point, let us ponder what happens to the ministry of our Guardian Angel when we die. Even if our souls are in Heaven, our bodies are still awaiting the resurrection. Ancient Christian tradition maintains that during this time the angels keep watch over the tombs of the saints. In the Jewish apocalyptic book, The Assumption of Moses, it is said that Joshua saw Moses’ soul rising to Heaven with the angels (40:1–7). However, the Epistle of Jude also says that the Archangel Michael fiercely disputed with the devil about the body of Moses (cf Jude 1:9). Stories such as these, combined with the ancient Christian practice of frequently depicting angels in cemetery art and funeral monuments, indicate a role for the angels in guarding the bodily remains of the elect, even those sadly scattered about or buried in the depths of the sea.

Scripture is replete with descriptions of the role of angels in the great second coming of the Lord. In the Gospel of Matthew there is a text that may refer to 70 A.D., but surely also describes the end of time:

Then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other (Matt 24:30-31).

The first epistle to the Thessalonians also says,

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise … (1 Thess 4:16).

St. Cyril goes on to describe the extraordinary magnificence that the presence of the multitude of angels gives to the final judgment. He considers how the great depth and breadth of the spiritual world has been invisible until now (except to the eyes of faith) but suddenly is made manifest! He asks us to try to imagine the immensity of the multitude of angels by considering the vast numbers of human beings who ever existed, from the time of Adam to the present day, all standing before the Lord Jesus. And then he asks us to consider that the angels are vastly more numerous than we are, for they are the 99 sheep whereas humanity is but the one sheep! Such numbers can only be spoken of as myriads and myriads! Or as Daniel poetically says,

Thrones were set up and the Ancient of Days took his throne. His clothing was white as snow, the hair on his head like pure wool; His throne was flames of fire, with wheels of burning fire. A river of fire surged forth, flowing from where he sat; Thousands upon thousands were ministering to him, and myriads upon myriads stood before him (Dan 7:9-10).

Such a vision and such multitudes can hardly be imagined.

The first step in assembling this great Judgement is waking the dead, and the angels surely play a part in this.

The second Sibylline book, a Christian work, describes the archangels shattering the gates of death, raising up the bodies of even those who had been drowned in the sea or whom savage beasts had devoured (Sib, 2:214–235).

St. Ephrem speaks of the angels waking the dead:

Then the Lord will appear in the heavens like lightning with an unspeakable glory. The Angels and the Archangels will go on before his glory like flames of fire, like a mighty torrent. The Cherubim will turn their faces and the Seraphim will fly ahead crying out in fear: “Arise, you who sleep. Behold the bridegroom is coming!” Then the tombs will be opened and in the flash of an eye all the people will rise and behold the beauty of the Bridegroom.

St. Paul says that our bodies—truly our bodies—will rise, but they will be gloriously transformed:

He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself (Phil 3:21).

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power (1 Cor 15:42).

Then, of course, comes the Judgment by Christ. Here, too, the angels play a role.

Matthew 13 describes the angels as separating the wicked from the just:

The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father (Mat 13:41-43).

And Matthew 25 describes the angels as with Christ when He takes His judgment seat:

When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats (Matt 25:31-32).

St. Cyril of Jerusalem writes of the angels leading the sinners away, body and soul, “in the full sight of the armies of heaven and they will be unable to escape.” But the angels are also uniting the just.

So, on the one hand, Matthew 13 describes the angels leading evildoers away:

The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and throw them into the furnace of fire … (Mat 13:41-42).

And on the other hand, St. Ephrem also describes the angels leading the elect to paradise:

Then the angels will come together from all sides and take up the holy and faithful people into the glory of the clouds above, to their meeting place with Christ.

Origen also speaks of the angels escorting the blessed to paradise:

When … we have begun to enter the holy place and pass on to the promised land, those who are really holy and whose place is the Holy of Holies will make their way, supported by the angels and unto the tabernacle of God … They will be carried on [the angels’] shoulders and raised up by their hands.

St. Paul seems to speak to the same glory when he writes to the Thessalonians,

The dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

The Fathers of the Church then consider and imagine the joy (and relief) of the angels, whose long work is now done. Of this final culmination, Scripture says,

The last enemy to be destroyed is death. “For God has put all things in subjection under [Jesus’] feet.” But when it says, “All things are put in subjection under him,” it is plain that he [the Father] is excepted who put all things under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to everyone (1 Cor 15:26-28).

And thus, having gone forth to execute Judgment, Jesus now returns to His Father’s right, in the Holy of Holies. He ascends there, now with all the members of His body (body and soul) joined to Him. He ascends to the throne as Unus Christus, amans seipsum (one Christ, loving Himself). And though equal to His Father in glory and majesty, He is delighted to hand over the Kingdom of His Body, the Church, to His Father, who is, as Father, the Principium Deitatis.

And at this ascension, the Fathers ponder that the angels will make the same declaration, the heavens echoing with their cry:

 Lift up your heads, O gates; and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates; and be lifted up, O ancient doors; that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory (Psalm 24: 7-10).

And there shall then come to pass the transformation of all creation and the fulfillment of its longing for its share in the glorious freedom of the Children of God, as prophesied through St. Paul:

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it [because of our sins]. But the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies … (Rom 8:19-25).

And now it comes! Heaven and earth are united. Creation receives its original glory and more besides, for the heavenly realities are now joined to the earth, beautifully restored and raised.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.” And he who sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev 21:1-5).

Cardinal Daniélou beautifully concludes,

On that day, the joy of the friends of the Bridegroom, [the angels] will be complete. They have led to paradise the souls of the just who are entrusted to them. They have kept watch over their mortal remains. But [for now] they still await the day in which the Bridegroom will come to look for his Bride, when her beauty is finally perfect, in order to lead her into the House of his Father for the eternal wedding feast (p. 114).

Of this magnificent beauty, St. Methodius says to us,

Oh dearly beloved, [the angels] burn to see the day of your marriage, all the angels Christ has called from heaven. They will come, O Lord, O Word, and they will carry with them mighty gifts, in their spotless robes.

Thus we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thess 4:17).

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come” … He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen (Rev 22:17; 20-21).

Some of you who follow me on Facebook know that I just lost a beloved pet, Daniel, our rectory cat. Losing a pet is not to be equated with losing a spouse, sibling, or friend, but it remains a painful loss. Part of the reason for this, I am convinced, is that we cannot communicate with animals as we do with one another. We cannot know what they are experiencing “inside” and so cannot reassure them or be reassured by them that they are still well despite the suffering that dying brings. We have to make decisions for them without really knowing much about what they are experiencing. At any rate, Daniel’s journey and sufferings are over. Mine will linger a little longer, but I am well and content that we did what we could for him.

Permit me, then, to republish a prior article in today’s post. It is about St. Thomas Aquinas’ remedy for sin. I have newer pieces in the hopper but it will take me a day or two to get back up to speed. Meanwhile, I pray that you will find this article from my “best of” file helpful in your own sufferings.

One doesn’t usually go to the St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica for advice on emotional matters. Yet in this post we shall indeed go there to seek advice on sorrow and consider some of St. Thomas’ remedies for it. (His advice is contained primarily in the Prima Secundae questions 35 – 37.)

St. Thomas follows some of the Eastern fathers in naming four kinds of sorrow (cf I IIae 35:8): anxiety, torpor, pity, and envy. Let’s look at each before examining some of the remedies he suggests:

1. Anxiety – This is a kind of sorrow that emerges when the mind is so weighed down by something that escape seem impossible. St. Thomas’ definition is likely rooted in the Latin word angustia, which is a narrow pass or straight. And thus anxiety tends to arise when we experience stress over a situation and find no room to maneuver, no way out. Anxiety tends to pertain to the future, in contrast with pain, which generally pertains to the present. With pain, one can suffer about a situation in the moment yet recognize that it will pass. Anxiety arises when we sense no definitive end to the painful situation.

St. Thomas calls anxiety a form of sadness. In modern culture we often link anxiety and depression. This is because anxiety, as a sorrow, weighs us down. And just as joy and hope tend to expand and lighten, the sorrow of anxiety tends to crush and turn us inward. It makes us feel limited, hemmed in, confined, and heavily weighed down.

Someone once said that depression is anger turned inward. This makes sense because anger results from fear and anxiety, and anger that cannot be expressed or managed becomes like a heavy weight or depression.

2. Torpor – This word is not used very frequently today. Literally, it refers to slowness of movement. When one is sorrowful or depressed, one is less motivated to move. St. Thomas says, “If, however, the mind be weighed down so much, even the limbs become motionless, which belongs to ‘torpor’” (I IIae 35.8). Even ordinary conversation with others, which is a kind of movement, can seem difficult. The sorrow we call torpor slows us down and makes us feel rundown and sluggish.

Inactivity tends to build. The less motivated we feel, the less we move; the less we move, the less motivated we feel. It’s a kind of downward spiral.

This is why those who are experiencing depression are often encouraged to find friends that will make them move, make them go places—even if they don’t feel like it. This helps to stave off the downward spiral that torpor can cause.

The second two types of sorrow (pity and envy) relate more to our experience of other people’s circumstances.

3. Pity – This is the sorrow that we feel for the evil or misfortune endured by another person. But it is deeper than mere regret or perturbation. Pity is experiencing the misfortune of another as though it were our own.

Pity, therefore, implies a felt relationship. Perhaps it involves a close friend or family member, but it can also be the felt relationship of common humanity with the one who suffers.

Of itself, pity is a proper and good sorrow born out of love. And yet, like any common human emotion or passion, it can be tainted by sinfulness. For example, sometimes pity results more from egotistical needs, wherein one develops a sort of condescending attitude, needing to see others as beneath him or worse off than he is.

And thus what masquerades as pity is too easily merely the drive to be in a superior position with respect to another person. Patronizing attitudes are a misguided form of pity such that we do for people what they should rightfully do for themselves, thus robbing them of their dignity and their call to live responsible lives.

Hence pity, like any sorrow, has to be moderated and helped by reason and by the understanding that it is not always possible or even helpful to assist everyone in every circumstance simply because we feel sorrow for their condition. Sometimes the best we can do is to listen to them and pray for them.

Properly understood, pity is a very beautiful emotion rooted in love for others.

4. Envy – On the other hand, envy is a very dark sorrow and is rooted in sin. I have written more extensively on envy here: Envy Is a Diabolical Sin. For this reflection, however, I will just summarize by saying that envy is a form of sorrow or anger at the excellence of another person, because I take it as lessening my own.

Envy is a particularly dark sin because it seeks to destroy the goodness in others rather than to celebrate it. If I am jealous of you, you have something I want. But when I am envious of you, I seek to destroy that in you which is good. That is why St. Augustine called envy the diabolical sin.

While discussing these four types of sorrow, St. Thomas also discusses some ways to overcome them. We will look at remedies for all four of them. Because envy stands apart from the other sorrows due to its sinful quality, the remedies for it are quite different. The remedies for envy are the gifts of joy and zeal. When someone else possesses goodness or excellence, the proper response is to rejoice with them and for them, as members of one body. When one member is praised, all members are praised; when one member is blessed, all members are blessed. This is rational and reasonable; we should seek from God the gift of joy at the goodness or excellence of another person. We should also seek from God the virtue of zeal, wherein we seek to imitate, where possible, the goodness or excellence we observe in others.

Remedies – As for the other forms of sorrow (anxiety, torpor, and pity), St. Thomas advises some of the following remedies:

1. Weeping – St. Thomas makes the very interesting observation that where there is laughter and smiling there is increased joy. But weeping, rather than increasing sorrow, actually diminishes it. How is this? He says, “First, because a hurtful thing hurts yet more if we keep it shut up, because the soul is more intent on it: whereas if it be allowed to escape, the soul’s intention is dispersed as it were on outward things, so that the inward sorrow is lessened” (I IIae 38.2). Thus tears are the soul’s way to exhale sorrow. For when we weep, we release sorrow. Tears have a way of flushing it from our system.

It is a rather beautiful and freeing insight, especially for some of us who were raised with more stoic sensibilities. Many of us, especially men, were told not to cry, not to show our emotions. But of course such an approach seldom works, for the more we shut up our sorrow, the more the mind ruminates on it. Better to weep and let it run out through our tears.

2. Sharing our sorrows with friends – Scripture says, Woe to the solitary man, for if he should fall, he has no one to lift him up (Eccl 4:10-11). Aristotle also said, “A sorrow shared is a sorrow halved.”

The danger to avoid in sorrow is turning in on ourselves. We often need the perspective of others. And even if they don’t have many answers to give us, simply talking to them about our sorrow is itself a form of release. St. Thomas also adds, when a man’s friends condole with him, he sees that he is loved by them, and this affords him pleasure… [and] every pleasure assuages sorrow (Ibid).

3. Contemplating the truth – The word philosophy literally means “the love of wisdom,” and for those schooled in it, it can provide great consolation. St. Thomas says, the greatest of all pleasures consists in the contemplation of truth. Now every pleasure assuages pain … hence the contemplation of truth assuages pain or sorrow, and the more so, the more perfectly one is a lover of wisdom (I IIae 38.4).

This is even more so with the contemplation of sacred truth, wherein we are reminded of our final glory and happiness if we persevere. We are given perspective and reminded of the passing quality of sorrow in this life, that “trouble don’t last always,” and that the sufferings of this world cannot compare with the glory that is to be revealed.

4. Pleasure – We have already seen that St. Thomas says, “pleasure assuages pain.” If one is physically tired, then sleep is a solution. If one is in pain or sorrow, pleasure is also helpful remedy.

In sudden and heavy loss or sorrow, some period of quiet convalescence maybe called for. But there comes a time when one must go forth and savor the better things in life once again.

The Book of Psalms says, When sorrow was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul (Ps 94:19). In the midst of pain, God will often send consoling pleasures, which should be appreciated and savored (with proper moderation, of course).

As a priest, I sometimes minister to those who have suddenly lost a spouse or other beloved family member. In these situations, I find that some of those who mourn feel almost guilty about venturing out into the world again to enjoy the better things: laughter, good company, entertainment, etc. But for the survivors to cease living does little to honor those who died. There comes a time, after a suitable period of mourning, when one must go forth and reclaim the joy of life again.

5. A warm bath and a nap – This is a rather charming remedy recommended by St. Thomas. And it is actually very good advice, for we are not simply soul; we are also body. And our body and soul interact with and influence each other. Sometimes if the soul is vexed, caring for the body will bring soothing to both body and soul. St. Thomas says, Sorrow, by reason of its specific nature, is repugnant to the vital movement of the body; and consequently whatever restores the bodily nature to its due state of vital movement, is opposed to sorrow and assuages it (I IIae 38.5).

We live in a culture that tends to overindulge the body. And yet to do so is not really to care for it. Frankly, some of our overindulgence actually stress the body, which thereby vexes the soul.

Surely what St. Thomas has in mind here is the proper care of the body. Whether that means a warm bath, a leisurely walk, or a nap, the soothing care of the body can help to alleviate sorrow.

Sorrow! It does find us. But in the midst of it, there are still some gifts. Learning these simple truths can be a gift:  that tears are the soul’s way to exhale, that we ought to reach out and stay in communion with others who can help us, that meditating on eternal truth is important, and that proper soothing care of ourselves has its place.

Sorrow also reminds us that this world is not our home, that we ought to set our gaze on the place where joy shall never end, even as we must journey through what is often a “valley of tears.” And finally, the Book of Revelation reminds us to regard what the Lord will do for those who die in Him:

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning, crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away (Rev 21:4).

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states the following regarding moral acts:

The object, the intention, and the circumstances make up the “sources,” or constitutive elements, of the morality of human acts (CCC # 1750).

Note, therefore, that in assessing a particular moral act we must look not only to what is done, but also to the circumstances under which it is done, and to the intention of the one doing it.

For example, to steal is wrong. However, one’s culpability can be lessened if one is starving and takes food from another person who has more than enough. This does not make stealing good or virtuous, but it can lessen the blame, at times reducing it to a minimum. Acting out of grave fear (such as death), or acting when under great duress, pressure, or strong influence of the passions and the force of evil may, at times, lessen guilt. Further, invincible ignorance, error, or confusion about the facts of a situation or how the moral law applies may, at times, lessen guilt.

Another example would be failing to attend Mass on Sunday or a Holy Day of Obligation. Of itself, such an omission is taught to be a grave sin (see Catechism # 2181). This is so because of the gifts one misses (e.g., Holy Communion and instruction in the Word of God), the duty that is set aside (e.g., the obligation to praise and thank God), and the failure to fulfill the commandment to keep holy the Sabbath. However, three feet of snow, or serious illness, or the care of the sick, can be circumstances that would reduce guilt or the obligation to attend significantly if not entirely. Further, given the ignorance of many due to poor catechesis and the hindrances of secular culture (which often requires work and other activities), a person’s guilt may be less than mortal in missing Mass. Thus, while failing to attend Mass without a serious reason remains a grave sin, it does not necessarily follow that everyone who missed Mass this past Sunday is in a state of mortal sin.

So in assessing a moral act, as the Catechism and long-standing Catholic teaching assert, we cannot as a general rule look merely to what is done, but must also assess, in so far as possible, the intention of the one doing it, and the circumstances under which it was done.

However, as the Catechism states quite clearly, as does the moral tradition of the Church:

It is an error to judge the morality of human acts by considering only the intention that inspires them or the circumstances (environment, social pressure, duress, or emergency, etc.) which supply their context. There are acts which, in and of themselves, independently of circumstances and intentions, are always gravely illicit by reason of their object; such as blasphemy and perjury, murder and adultery. One may not do evil so that good may result from it (CCC # 1756).

It is very common today for moral assessments to focus merely on the intentions and feelings of the person involved. What is actually being done seems less significant; as long as a person “means well” or feels that the act is right then it is OK for them and we should make no further moral discernment.

But as the Catechism states, such criteria are not enough. Moral uprightness consists in doing well, not just meaning well, or feeling good about one’s actions. Intentionality and circumstances are not wholly insignificant, especially when it comes to assigning a level of culpability, but they cannot be the only determining factors in assessing the morality of an act. We must look at the act itself as the primary consideration in assessing its morality. We cannot simply say that something is good, it must actually be good.

Let me provide a few examples in which the actual, concrete act is essential and, in a way, overrules whatever feelings or intentions we have:

1. Intentions alone do not turn locks, keys do. Every day I move between the buildings that make up our parish complex. Going in and out of buildings requires the use of keys. Now many of these keys look alike. As I approach the Church door, I take out my keys and put what I think is the Church key into the lock. I do this with best of intentions. I think that I am doing what is right. I feel that what I am doing is right. But if I actually put the rectory key into the Church lock, despite my good intentions, despite the fact that I think and feel that I am doing what was right, the lock won’t turn.

All the good intentions, thoughts, and feelings in the world will not make that lock turn. I actually have to do what is right to get the proper result. The right key has to go in the right lock to get the right result. What I actually do is the determining factor. Feelings, thoughts, and intentions cannot win the day.

2. Good intentions alone do not get me there, following the directions does. To get to your house you tell me to turn right on Park Ave., but instead I turn left. I may think that you said left. I may sense or feel that I’m going in the proper direction. I may intend to be doing what is right. But none of that is going to change the fact that I’m heading in the wrong direction and won’t get to your house until I actually do what is right.
3. Accidents happen, but there’s still a mess. There is a can of paint on the floor in the hallway. I kick the can of paint over and paint spills all over the floor. Whether I did so intentionally or not does not change the fact that there’s now paint all over the floor that needs to be cleaned up. What I intended is important in determining how blameworthy I am. If my act was purely accidental (perhaps I was unaware that the hallway was being painted and could not see the can as I rounded the corner) then my culpability is probably very low if not nonexistent. But if I knew that there was painting going on and failed to exercise proper caution, then I kicked the can of paint over through carelessness and so bear some blame. Now suppose that I saw the can of paint and (perhaps out of anger) deliberately kicked it over; in this case my blame is full.

So intentions, knowledge, and feelings are important in assessing a person’s culpability. But these things cannot render a bad thing good. Regardless of my intentions, thoughts, or feelings, there is still a big mess to clean up. The objective truth is that there is paint all over the floor. Simply saying that I had good intentions or didn’t know any better doesn’t make the mess go away.

Rectitude is tied to reality. Too many people today use flawed or incomplete reasoning in assessing the morality of acts. While good intentions, how a person feels about his actions, and what he thinks or knows, can all affect culpability, they cannot make a bad thing good. They cannot make an evil act upright. They cannot remove the harm or negative result of an incorrect, bad, or evil act: there is still paint to clean up; there is still a U-turn to be made; there is still a proper key to find. Reality sets in.

So, there is a lot of flawed moral reasoning today around the issue of intentionality, feelings, and thoughts. Important though these factors are, they cannot undo reality. They cannot alone and apart from the act itself form the basis for judging its uprightness or wrongness.

Such factors are important, though, in dealing with people who have sinned, struggle with sin, or are in sinful situations. Assisting a person in extricating himself from such situations is an essential act of mercy. Condemnations that look only to the sinful act without regard for the circumstances or intentions (even if flawed) may fail pastorally to help people. Sympathy, understanding, and love for the sinner are often essential in bring healing to him and in helping him to do better and get better.

However, having no regard for the sinfulness the act itself is not a proper pastoral stance either. Doing so would be like a doctor denying the existence of disease and limiting himself to reassuring people or telling them that they were good and decent people. Meanwhile, the disease (which does actually exist despite his denials) continues to grow and get worse. Such a doctor lacks true compassion and is guilty of malpractice. Such is also true of those who would deny that sin is sin. Despite their false reassurances the actual damage that sin and error cause continue, because good intentions cannot make a bad act good, or an error true. Lies, flattery, and illusion are never good pastoral practices.

There may be some who have sought to read the recent synodal exhortation apart from the Catholic framework from which it emerges. This is an error. One cannot and should not interpret the Pope’s appeal for good pastoral practice apart from the long-standing Catholic understanding of how to assess moral acts. It is this tradition from which the Pope speaks. Intentions and circumstances are important, especially as regards culpability. They are an important part of pastoral practice. Pastors and confessors must work carefully with each penitent, guiding him to ever greater fidelity and conformity to moral truth. It is a delicate work that requires patience and persistence. It requires a compassion that considers the person’s intentions and circumstances, but does not ignore the act itself or “recast” it based simply on good intentions or difficult circumstances. Morality consists in doing well, not just meaning well. We are summoned to actually do what is right not just think or feel right. True compassion leads people to greater conformity to God’s design.