Category: Uncategorized

The discussion and debate of issues is problematic today for many reasons, among them the use of flawed logic, the tendency to engage in identity politics, and the widespread rejection of natural law. I would like to highlight three issues in particular that commonly interfere with discourse on the Internet, including the “Comments” section of blogs such as this one.

I. The internet is “tone-deaf.” Any discussion that occurs in writing misses such personal elements as tone of voice, facial expression, and body language. A light-hearted delivery or a smile can change how words are understood. For example, the words, “You’re crazy!” can seem accusatory and harsh in writing, but accompanied by a smile or a joking tone, the words can be understood as playful. Sometimes the person’s tone can demonstrate irony: You’re crazy all right, but in a good way. You’re with God, but to the world you’re crazy.” Maybe calling someone crazy is a challenge, but the tone is gentle, asking for clarification more than making an accusation.

The point is that a written text seldom conveys the subtleties of human conversation. Many people take offense when none was intended or when the other party was merely trying to pose a question in a friendly rather than accusatory manner.

II. Reading things as absolutes – There is a tendency to interpret a point that is made in writing in an absolute way, thinking that the author means what he says without exception or that nothing else should be considered as a factor.

For example, earlier this week, in my blog on recent parish closings I wrote, “Bishops don’t close parishes, people do.” My purpose was to be artful and memorable, to provoke thought with a smidge of hyperbole.

I clarified that it was true in a juridical sense that bishops close parishes (by withdrawing their canonical status as a parish with an assigned pastor), but that bishops don’t routinely look around for parishes to close. Other things being equal, they want parishes to thrive and stay open. When a parish closes, the bishop is usually responding to what amounts to a lack of people. Generally, the parishes that are closed or merged are financially challenged. Perhaps they have old buildings that cannot be maintained cost effectively, or critical staff (including the pastor) can no longer be afforded. The lack of financial resources is usually tied to a lack of human resources: parishioners. In relatively rare cases, a financially sound parish is merged with others for the common good and to share resources effectively.

The primary driving force behind parish closings, however, comes down to a lack of people. It is not just that the mean old bishop is closing down parishes for no good reason. So, intending to make a short but memorable comment, I wrote, “Bishops don’t close parishes, people do.”

I do not mean this absolutely. I am not saying that the closing of every single parish is the direct fault of the people and the poor bishop is only doing what he must. Yet it is clear from the comments that many thought I did mean it absolutely, that I was saying that all parish closings are entirely the fault of God’s people and that bishops and clergy are completely innocent. Never mind that I went on to point out a number of other factors in church closings as well; surely I did not intend to imply that I’d made an exhaustive treatment of every possible cause.

Many also expanded my reflection by drifting from my restricted notion of cause to a wider notion of blame. That low attendance is a numerical cause for many parish closings is demonstrably true. Blame, by which I mean moral responsibility, for low attendance is a deeper and more complex issue.

I think there is plenty of blame for the clergy in this. We have not consistently preached the need to attend Mass. There has been poor catechesis and even outright error from members of the clergy. But there is also rebellion in the ranks that the clergy are no more responsible for than are parents for every poor decision of their adult children. The fact is, there is shared blame for the falling away from the faith. Clerical leaders are an important—but not the only—source of the problems today.

My point here is not to write another article on Church closings; it is to assert that interpreting everything in an absolute sense, a form of all-or-nothing thinking, can lead to strident reactions that produce much heat but little light. Interpreting a point that the writer (in this case me) makes in an absolute way, when it was not intended in that way, usually incites anger. The responder creates a straw man and then angrily denounces it. It is a straw man because it isn’t even the point that was made but rather an exaggerated version of it. The whole exchange goes south from there and doesn’t even end up being about the point that was actually made. This is bad argumentation.

III. Taking things personally – Many today take argumentation very personally; identity politics is a likely explanation. “Identity politics” is a reductionist mode in which people link their opinions with their very person. “This is who I am, and if you don’t agree with what I assert, you are offending me personally.” People also do this with group identities (e.g., sex, race, sexual orientation).

In such a climate, it is difficult to have productive debate because people take the disagreement personally and “shut down” rather than considering the counterpoints thoughtfully. They feel personally attacked rather than sensing that they are being challenged to reconsider or to better explain their view. Interestingly, they then tend to respond with a personal attack!

This was also evident in some of the comments on the post earlier this week. The “logic” of some respondents seems to have been this: Laity are being critiqued; I am a lay person; Therefore, I am being critiqued.” Well, maybe, but not all lay people are alike. More than likely, if someone is even reading this blog, he still goes to Mass and supports the mission of the Church. The laity includes a smaller number of Catholics (15-30%) who attend Mass faithfully and largely accept Catholic teaching, but a much a larger number (70-85%) who do not.

One can use a term such as “laity” and mean it generally, not as a personal attack on every single member of the large, diverse group. By interpreting the comments about the laity as applying to you personally, and rejecting them as not applicable, you may miss consideration of many of the points.

Anyway, this is my take on why discourse, especially in cyberspace is often so strident. Remember, I do not mean all of these points absolutely, and I might not actually have you in mind, even if you are a member of some of the groups I mention! For example, not all people who read and comment on my blog possess every trait that I mention here. A few people might even be an exception to everything I’ve said! You never know, especially if you presume good will on the part of the author. 😊

One of the great mysteries of God’s providence is that He often leaves things unresolved or unattended to for a very long time. Despite our fervent prayers, He often doesn’t rush to fix everything and He has His reasons for this.

Perhaps it is that we often grow through struggles. We discover strengths that we did not know we had.

Suffering sometimes brings wisdom; we can learn more by living with our questions for a while rather than getting quick answers.

Suffering can spur creativity. Many movies, works of literature, paintings, and poems, are the fruit of struggle and speak to the drama of life and the conflicts we endure.

Suffering sometimes fosters growth. There’s an old saying, “Things do by opposition grow.” Another one says, “Calm seas do not a mariner make.”

Perhaps if He rushed to solve things and intervened frequently God would remove too much human freedom, which He both respects and sees as necessary for us to be true sons and daughters rather than slaves.

Finally, and most mysteriously from our perspective, fixing one thing often affects many others. We have caused a great deal of “collateral damage” in our culture as a result of trying to fix things too quickly. Whatever our good intentions, many of our welfare programs have harmed families and parishes, from which help through charity traditionally came. Some of our advanced technologies have had harmful effects on the environment. And despite our many labor-saving devices, most of us are busier than ever. Yes, fixing one problem sometimes leads to more problems, or at least brings unintended consequences.

Yes, there are mysteries to God’s providence. Despite our many and seemingly reasonable requests that things be fixed (and quickly!), God in His wisdom often delays and leaves things unresolved. He has His reasons, but most of the answers as to why are none of our business.

Be careful before you rush to fix things in your life or in the lives of others. Fixing is often required, but proceed slowly and carefully; learn patience. Learn from God, who can fix everything instantly but usually does not.

 

Continuing with the theme of urgency from yesterday’s post, we do well to consider Mary’s fervent requests at Fatima for prayer, conversion, and consecration. This Saturday will mark the 100^th anniversary of Mary’s first appearance at Fatima.

It was a critical time in human history. The First World War had claimed more than 17 million lives. Mary urged prayer to end this catastrophe:

• Say the Rosary every day to bring peace to the world and an end of the war (June 13, 1917).
• Continue to pray the Rosary every day in honor of our Lady of the Rosary, in order to obtain peace for the world and an end to the war (July 13, 1917).

Thanks be to God, through the children’s prayers and surely those of others, the war did soon end. In October, Our Lady said,

• Continue always to pray the Rosary every day. The War is going to end, and the soldiers will soon return home (October 13, 1917).

War is a terrible result of human sinfulness as well as a punishment for it. Sin is its own punishment; when we sow the wind, we reap the whirlwind. Part of the horror of the First World War was the use of chemical weapons. So appalling was the suffering and so great was the loss of life that in 1925 most nations willingly signed the Geneva Protocol, which prohibited their use in international armed conflicts.

But Mother Mary urgently warned that if the people of this world did not repent, pray, and cease offending God, a war far worse would come:

• If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end; but if people do not cease offending God, a worse war will break out during the reign of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that he is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father (July 17, 1917).

Sadly, as we know, the Second World War formally ensued in 1939. Months earlier, in 1938, a remarkable display of the Aurora Borealis further south than ever observed made international headlines. It was a final warning. More than 60 million people died in World War II. Atrocities were multiplied, and the most fearsome weapon ever contrived—the atom bomb—would haunt the world long after the war. Russia, too, spread Marxist and atheist errors.

See what happens when we do heed the urgent request to pray? Wars can be ended, souls can be saved, and peace can be brought.

But also note the terrible consequences of failing to pray and be converted! Jesus once said to paralyzed man he had healed, See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you (John 5:14). So, too, for the people of that time who, though having received God’s mercies in the end of World War I, fell back into sin. The decadence, financial excess, and foolishness of the “roaring” 1920s, both in Europe and America, brought a harvest of corruption, both morally and politically. It ushered in both the Great Depression and then a war far worse than ever imagined.

Yes, prayer and conversion are both urgent and essential. This is true not only in terms of this world, but also of the world to come. This world’s travails are indeed awful, but they are temporary. Mother Mary sets far greater stakes before us: Heaven or Hell.

Where will you spend eternity? What about your children, siblings, and friends? Have you thought about this at all? Do you understand the urgency? Consider well some of what our Lady of Fatima said by way of an eternal warning:

• Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many go to hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves and pray for them (August, 1917).
• You have seen hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. To save sinners, God wishes to establish in all the world, devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace … When you pray the Rosary say after each mystery, O my Jesus, forgive us, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven especially those who are in most need (July 13, 1917).
• People must amend their lives and ask forgiveness of their sins if they want healings … Do not offend the Lord our God anymore, because He is already so much offended (October 13, 1917).

Here is a mother urgently warning her children of the fires of hell, of the consequences of sin and the final refusal to repent. Here is a mother urgently calling for prayer, reparation, sacrifices, and conversion.

She is urgent; are we? To be urgent does not mean to be in a panic; it means to be sober and alert, to be persistent and consistent in attending to our final end and to that of others to the degree that we are able.

Caritas Christi urget nos: The Love of Christ urges us on! …. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God (2 Cor 5:14, 20).

It was recently announced that a substantial number of Catholic parishes will be closing in Connecticut. This is just the latest in a national trend that is likely to affect the diocese where you live, especially in the north. I’d like to offer some rather quick thoughts and then ponder what I think is the root cause for our decline.

1. Bishops don’t close parishes, people do. While it may be juridically true that bishops formally certify or give recognition to the opening, closing, and merging of parishes, it is ultimately God’s people who create or withdraw the need for a parish. The hard truth is that Catholics are contracepting and aborting in large numbers, thus depleting our ranks. Further, in most urban areas of the northeast, barely 15% of Catholics attend Mass regularly. In comparison, during the first half of the 20^th century, when many of the parishes being closed today were being built, nearly 85% of Catholics attended Mass regularly. It is unrealistic for Catholics to expect that parishes should not be closed in significant numbers when there is so little attendance and concomitant support.
2. Some point out that large numbers of Catholics have left the Northeast and headed south and west. That helps to explain why many parishes in the south and southwest are growing (even booming), but it does not mean that the overall population of the Northeast has dropped dramatically. To some degree, there has been a failure to evangelize, but the deepest wounds are in the decline of Mass attendance and our failure to hand on the faith. We are currently burying the last generation to be taught that Sunday Mass was an obligation to be met under pain of mortal sin.
3. There is shared responsibility. It is easy to be angry at bishops and priests when parishes must be closed. Years of poor catechesis, a lack of effective preaching, and poorly celebrated liturgies have taken their toll and the clergy bear the first responsibility in this. However, dissent and division among the faithful and a drifting from the practice of the faith are also big factors. Many priest who do preach firmly and insist on clear doctrine are made to pay dearly.
4. At the end of day, the clergy cannot take full responsibility for the problem, nor can they address it alone. Why? Because shepherds don’t have sheep, sheep have sheep. Evangelization cannot be just a problem for the rectory; it is ultimately a family problem. Parents and grandparents must do more to summon their children home and witness the power of the liturgy and sacraments to transform.
5. Many blame the liturgy for the low attendance. While the liturgy as commonly celebrated today can seem bland and uninspiring, and much modern Church music “banal” (as the Pope recently remarked), the proposed solutions are bewildering in number and even where implemented attract only small numbers. For example, some have cheered the reintroduction of the Traditional Latin Mass, a form of the Mass that I happen to love. However, I don’t know of a single diocese in this country in which the number of Catholics attending that form accounts for more than 1% of all Mass attendees. Thus, the problem seems deeper than the external forms.
6. The heart of the problem is an overall malaise. There is little urgency; few seem to feel the need for the faith, the Church, the sacraments, or the Word of God. In my opinion, a steady diet of universalism (the unbiblical notion that all or the vast majority of people will be saved, no matter what) inside the Church, and a steady diet of pluralism and relativism outside the Church have played the largest role in the problem. There’s no real problem seen, no hurry, no need for what we offer. At best we are just one product on the shelf of a boutique dedicated to the non-essential niceties that people dabble in if they have the time. The common view in our culture is that religion is a nice little way of accessorizing your life, but otherwise, who cares?

Given what I think is the root cause, how should we begin to stop the steady erosion of the practice of Catholic faith? I would agree with Dr. Ralph Martin that the first step must be to revive a more biblical vision of urgency regarding salvation. Just because many people—even among the clergy—say that there isn’t a problem doesn’t mean that there isn’t one.

Jesus was far more sober in assessing the situation. He devoted many parables and warnings to our need to attend to the salvation He offers. There are the sheep and the goats, those on the right and those on the left, the wise virgins and the foolish ones, those ready for the master’s return and those who are not, those who will hear, “Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” and those who will hear, “Depart from me. I know you not.” Jesus noted that the road to damnation was wide and many were on it, and “only a few” were on the narrow road to salvation (Matt 7:13-14).

But just try to tell any of this to most people today and see what kind of response you get. My sense is that urgency is at an all-time low. Yet biblically, directly from Jesus Himself, it is clear that the likelihood of being saved is greatly reduced when one does not repent regularly and walk in the faith actively, including a heavy dose of Scripture and frequent reception of the sacraments.

Yet few people speak this way today. Many dismiss such speech as “fear-based” argument. The fact is, however, that some things should be feared, including our tendency to be hard-hearted and hard-headed, to prefer passing things and error to eternal truths. Running about in a panic is not helpful; we need sober acceptance of our vital need for the sacraments, the proclaimed Word, holy fellowship, and the transformative power of the liturgy.

Until this sober appreciation is recovered by many and demonstrated by the few of us who remain, the steady erosion seems likely to continue. Church closings may be “coming soon to a neighborhood near you.” It is sad to lose buildings, many of them works of art, but it is even sadder to ponder the human loss that the empty buildings represent.

Today, it is generally believed that the “Harlot City” referred to in the Book of Revelation is Rome. The opulence and the prominence of the city along with the mention of the seven hills on which it rests, its persecution of Christians, and the use of euphemisms such as “Babylon” are generally presented as evidence that Rome is the wicked city.

I propose that the city is actually Jerusalem, not Rome. A more direct indication than the oblique references above occurs in Revelation 11:8, which says that it is where also their Lord was crucified, a clear reference to Jerusalem.

Let’s look at Revelation chapter 11 in context.

Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told: “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample over the holy city for forty-two months.”

Revelation 11 opens with John being told to measure the “temple,” clearly referring to the Temple in Jerusalem (the “holy city”). The Jewish Temple had a court of the nations (Gentiles) and was the only temple rightly called the “temple of God.” The “forty-two months” is likely a reference to the duration of the Jewish War with the Romans, three and a half years.

The fact that John is instructed to measure the temple obviously presumes that there is still a temple to measure! Many scholars assume that the temple is only a symbol, not that it is really possible for John to measure the actual, physical temple. This may be so, but to me the context seems more straightforward and that the real temple is meant. If that is true, then this is evidence that Revelation was written before 70 A.D., as a growing number of scholars think tenable.

As for the court of the nations not being measured, and the Gentiles role in trampling the city, this refers to a prophesy by Jesus of Jerusalem, not Rome. Jesus prophesied that Jerusalem would fall by the edge of the sword, and be led captive among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (Lk 21:24). Rome did in fact lay siege to Jerusalem under the command of Titus. On August 29^th in 70 A.D., the final wall was breached and Roman soldiers poured into the temple area where they fought hand to hand with Jewish soldiers there. In his work The Jewish War (VI 4,5), Josephus points out that the Temple was destroyed by fire on the exact anniversary (9th of Ab) of its destruction by the Babylonians.

But, back to Revelation 11, where prior to this destruction we are told of two witnesses that will warn the city and call the people to faith. The witnesses can be no other than Moses and Elijah, who are themselves symbolic of the Law and the Prophets.

And I will grant my two witnesses power to prophesy for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone would harm them, fire pours out from their mouth and consumes their foes; if anyone would harm them, thus he is doomed to be killed. They have power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.

That these are Moses and Elijah figures is evident in their powers. One has the power to smite the land with every plague and turn the waters to blood (Moses in the Exodus). The other has the power to call down fire from Heaven and to shut the sky to prevent the rain (Elijah).

Allegorically, these two witnesses represent the Law and the Prophets and illustrate how the very Scriptures venerated by the Jewish unbelievers testify against them. The Law and the Prophets point to Jesus Christ. Of what use would such a testimony be to a pagan city such as Rome? But Jerusalem would experience shame and stand accused. As the context builds, we are surely in Jerusalem, not Rome.

Then come the key verses:

And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends from the bottomless pit will make war upon them and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which is allegorically called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.

The Lord was not crucified in Rome but in Jerusalem. Thus the “great city” is unambiguously identified as Jerusalem.

Why does the text speak of Jerusalem as “Sodom and Egypt”? In fact, such terminology was common among the prophets. Here are some examples:

1. The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah … Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! … Bring no more vain offerings; your incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of assemblies—I cannot endure your iniquity and solemn assembly (Isa 1:1,13).
2. For Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen … they proclaim their sin like Sodom, they do not hide it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil upon themselves (Isa 3:8-9).
3. But in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies; they strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his wickedness; all of them have become like Sodom to me, and its inhabitants like Gomorrah (Jer 23:14).
4. My people do not cry to me from the heart, they wail upon their beds; for grain and wine they gash themselves, they rebel against me … They turn to Baal; they are like a treacherous bow; their princes shall fall by the sword … Such is their derision in the land of Egypt. (Hosea 7:14-16)
5. As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, says the Lord GOD (Ezek 20:36).

Finally, a Satanically inspired attack sees the two witnesses killed, and in what is a special ignominy in a Jewish context, the bodies are not buried:

For three days and a half, men from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them.

For the Jewish people, the burial of the dead was a fundamental work of mercy. It was unthinkable to allow even one’s enemy to remain unburied. In the book of Tobit, for example, Tobit actually risks his own life to ensure that a stranger is buried.

For all of these reasons, I argue that the “great city” of the Book of Revelation, a city doomed to destruction, is Jerusalem.

Some will argue that the seven hills the harlot is describe as riding (Rev 17:9) clearly refers to Rome. However, I contend that the use of “seven” may be as a symbol of fullness rather than as a definitive number. Mount Zion (Jerusalem) is the great mountain of the Lord, the true pole of the earth: God’s holy mountain rises in beauty, the joy of all the earth. Mount Zion, true pole of the earth, the Great King’s city! (Psalm 48:2-3)

Others may point out that the harlot is called “Babylon” later in Revelation: Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! (see Rev 18:2) Babylon was a code word for Rome among early Christians (see 1 Peter 5:13). However, this may well be said in irony. Ancient Babylon was once cursed with these words: Babylon must fall because of Israel’s slain, just as the slain in all the earth have fallen because of Babylon (Jer 51:49). So now, ironically, Jerusalem must fall because of the slain Christians.

The name of the “great city” is hidden behind many references in Revelation. In the end, though, I believe that it is clearly and unambiguously identified as Jerusalem in Revelation 11:8. It is the great city, where also their Lord was crucified. No ancient pagan city (with the possible exception of Tyre) was ever referred to as “harlot.” This term was reserved as an ironic epitaph for Jerusalem or Israel, which bore this term with special ignominy because she was espoused to God (Ezekiel 16; Jer 2:20; Is 57:8).

Of all this, some may say, “Why does this matter? Who cares about the identity of the city?”

Indeed, to some this may seem to be “inside baseball” or a debate about non-essentials, but I contend that it is an important consideration for us who live in troubled times.

Jerusalem represents the family of faith and Rome, the “outside, pagan world.” One of the saddest truths for us to ponder is that our struggle is not only or even primarily with the unbelievers around us. Tragically, our struggle often takes place within the house faith. Our opposition is too often from among our very number, people who, having heard the truth of God, accept it only selectively.

Half-hearted faith is often a worse enemy than wholehearted rejection. Jerusalem saw some conversion to Christ, to be sure, but collectively she turned on and crucified the very Messiah whom God had sent to her. Why? Because she heard and accepted only what pleased her.

Selective faith may be worse than no faith at all. Indeed, the fierce Roman opposition could be tamed, but selective faith is more subtle, more internally self-justified. It wears the garments of faith, but betrays that the deeper conversion that is required has not yet occurred.

Jerusalem or Rome? What do you think? If you disagree with my conclusion, I would be grateful if you would explain why your view should override the textual reference to the city where Jesus was crucified, for indeed that is the heart of the argument I have set forth here.

This song says, not merely of ancient Jerusalem but also of us,

Ne irascaris Domine satis, et ne ultra memineris iniquitatis nostrae. Ecce respice populus tuus omnes nos.	Be not angry, O Lord, and remember our iniquity no more. Behold, we are all your people.
Civitas sancti tui facta est deserta. Sion deserta facta est, Jerusalem desolata est.	Your holy city has become a wilderness. Zion has become a wilderness, Jerusalem has been made desolate.

 

In the Divine Office, we are reading some of the more terrifying passages from the Book of Revelation, related to the seven trumpets, seals, and bowls of wrath. There is also a reference to the underreported “seven thunders,” reminding us that there are some things that are not for us to know.

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down” (Rev 10:1-4).

A similar passage occurs in the Book of Daniel. Having had certain things revealed to him, Daniel is told,

But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end (Dan 12:4).

To the Apostles, who pined for knowledge of the last things, Jesus said,

It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power (Acts 1:7).

In all of these texts we are reminded that there are some things—even many things (seven is a number indicating fullness)—that are not for us to know. This is a warning against sinful curiosity and a solemn reminder that not all of God’s purposes or plans are revealed to us.

Several reasons come to mind for this silence and for the command to seal up the revelation of the seven thunders:

1. It is an instruction against arrogance and sinful curiosity. Especially today, people seem to think that they have right to know just about anything. The press speaks of the people’s “right to know.” And while this may be true about the affairs of government, it is not true about people’s private lives, and it is surely not true about all the mysteries of God. There are just some things that we have no right to know, that are none of our business. Much of our prying is a mere pretext for gossip and for the opportunity to see others’ failures and faults. It is probably not an exaggeration to say that more than half of what we talk about all day long is none of our business.
2. It is a rebuke of our misuse of knowledge. Sadly, especially in the “information age,” we speak of knowledge as power. We seek to know in order to control, rather than to repent and conform to the truth. We think that we should be able to do anything that we know how to do. Even more reason, then, that God should withhold from us the knowledge of many things; we’ve confused knowledge with wisdom and have used our knowledge as an excuse to abuse power, to kill with nuclear might, and to pervert the glory of human life with “reproductive technology.” Knowledge abused in this way is not wisdom; it is foolishness and is a path to grave evils.
3. It is to spare us from the effects of knowing things that we cannot handle. The very fact that the Revelation text above describes this knowledge as “seven thunders” indicates that these hidden utterances are of fearful weightiness. Seven is a number that refers to the fullness of something, so these are loud and devastating thunders. God, in His mercy to us, does not reveal all the fearsome terrors that will come upon this sinful world, which cannot endure the glorious and fiery presence of His justice. Too much for this world are the arrows of His quiver, which are never exhausted. Besides the terrors already foretold in Scripture, the seven thunders may well conceal others that are unutterable and too horrifying for the world to endure. Ours is a world that is incapable of enduring His holiness or of standing when He shall appear.

What, then, is to be our stance in light of the many things too great for us to know and that God mercifully conceals from us? We should have the humility of a child, who knows what he does not know but is content that his father knows.

O Lord, my heart is not proud
nor haughty my eyes.
I have not gone after things too great
nor marvels beyond me.

Truly I have set my soul
in silence and peace.
Like a weaned child on its mother’s lap,
even so is my soul.

O Israel, hope in the Lord
both now and forever (Psalm 131).

Yes, like humble children we should seek to learn, realizing that there are many things that are beyond us, that are too great for us. We should seek to learn, but in a humility that is reverence for the truth, a humility that realizes that we are but little children, not lords and masters.

Scripture says, Beyond these created wonders many things lie hid. Only a few of God’s works have we seen (Sirach 43:34).

Thank you, Lord, for what you have taught us and revealed to us. Thank you, too, for what you have mercifully kept hidden because it is too much for us to know. Thank you, Lord. Help us learn and keep us humble, like little children.

Temptation is something that every human person experiences. At times we may wonder why God permits it. Why does He allow moral and spiritual dangers to afflict us? Could He not prevent every temptation that confronts us? And if He can, why does He not? Is He just setting us up for failure?

There are many mysterious aspects of God’s will, to what He prevents and what He allows. However, there are some explanations that at least partially address the presence of temptation in our lives.

On the one hand, temptation is a necessary result of the fact that humans have choice. God has willed that some of his creatures (angels and men) should be free in order that they might love. God seeks sons and daughters, not slaves, animals, or inanimate objects. He wants children who love Him freely. Love presupposes freedom. Our “yes” only has meaning if we are permitted to say “no.” So freedom presupposes the ability to choose.

Temptation emerges from the “no” side of the equation. Sinful choices always contain something that is appealing to us. We are not drawn to that which is wholly unappealing. There must be something in sin that at least partially appeals to us otherwise it would not really seem to us as that we needed to make a choice at all.

So in a certain sense temptation is necessary if choices are to exist and freedom is to be real. God permits temptation as a necessary condition for freedom and choice.

Further, consider that God never permits something troublesome except that a greater good will come from it. Hence, it is perhaps striking but true to recognize that there are some good things that can come from temptation. Let’s consider some of them.

1. Temptation can teach humility. Origen says in his commentary on prayer, Temptation has its usefulness. … It teaches us to know ourselves in such a way that we discover the fullness of our misery, and it leads us to give thanks for the benefits conferred upon us (De Oratione, 29).

If we have any conscience at all, nothing can humble us more than temptation. Through it we realize how easily we can be drawn away, how easily we stray. We are like sitting ducks. We live by the mercy of God. Were it not for His grace, think how much more sinful and lost we would be!

Just thinking about temptation for a moment shows how crazy we are! Even when we know how harmful things are for us, we still desire them. We’re overweight and yet still want four doughnuts for breakfast. We know the harm of illicit sexual activities but still lust burns away within us. We know that we are headed for bankruptcy yet we can’t seem to rein in our spending! We think we know so much, that we are so smart, and yet we are drawn to do the stupidest things. So often the slightest breeze of temptation can knock us over.

If we are honest with ourselves, we realize that our difficulty with temptation shows how miserably weak and pitiful we are. All we can do is to cry out to God for help and pray that He will build virtue in our life, slowly but surely. Help us, Lord. Save us from ourselves and our foolish desires!

2. Temptation discloses our hearts. We often like to think highly of ourselves and tell ourselves how much we love God, but the things that tempt us have a way of disclosing the more honest truth. Yes, we love God—but not nearly enough.

Frankly, the things that tempt us disclose that our hearts are very divided. The ugly truth is that if we’re not careful, we’ll have many lovers. The Book of James says it plainly: Adulterers! Do you not know that a friend of the world is an enemy to God? (James: 4:4)

Yes, we have many lovers. One moment we sing of our love for God, but temptations remind us that we are also very enamored of the world and its passing glories. Yes, we love God, but how we also love our little trinkets, our sinful pleasures, our opinions, our anger (and we feel so right as it courses through us)! Yes, we say, “Lord, how beautiful your dwelling places,” and then lust cries out “How much more beautiful are the things available in the dark corners of the Internet.”

So, whatever your temptations are, they tend to disclose your heart. Realize that all the little lies we tell ourselves like, “I’m basically a good person,” have to yield to the more honest assessment disclosed by temptation. We’re all a mixed bag. Yes, we love God, but we also lust after and pine for many inappropriate people and things. Yes, we are grateful to God and know how good He’s been to us, but we also easily retreat in fear and become stingy and unforgiving.

Temptation teaches. Certain things tempt us more than others. Why is this? Learn from what tempts you as to the true condition of your heart. Some things don’t tempt us as much as they used to, thanks be to God! Why is this and how has God accomplished it?

If we’re smart, we’ll run to God and fall to our knees saying, “Help me, Lord. Save me. Have mercy on me and keep me by your grace!”

3. Temptation can teach us of the oppressiveness of sin and Satan. Although there are aspects of the things that tempt us that seem pleasurable, temptation is a crushing burden for anyone who has a conscience—and we all do.

Nothing teaches us more about the oppressiveness of the world, the flesh, and the devil than temptation. Temptation is like a weight that we have to carry around. It is like hammer blows or overwhelmingly loud noise. Satan, the world, and the flesh annoy us, pick at us, and with unrelenting pressure seek to destroy us. Temptation is intrusive, burdensome, and just plain annoying. Temptation is filled with lies, half-truths, empty promises, and fleeting pleasures. At the end of the day, it offers nothing but all the disaster that sin brings.

If we will but take a moment and reflect, it is not hard to see how true all of this is. Temptation discloses just how awful, annoying, and just plain irritating Satan is.

How this contrasts with the gentle, unobtrusive, whispering voice of God, who respects our freedom! God seldom, if ever, shouts or gets in our face and pressures us; He does not lie to us.

4. Temptation can strengthen us. An old hymn says, “Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin, each victory will help you, some other to win.”

The Greek word for temptation can also be translated as “test.” The tests and challenges of life can strengthen us if we address them properly. Standing down one threat encourages us to meet the next one with greater strength and wisdom. In weightlifting and athletics, training brings improvement. Lifting ten pounds strengthens us to be able to lift twenty. Walking one mile prepares us to be able to walk two.

While at times wearying, battling temptation strengthens us to win more readily in the future. Scripture says, Resist the devil and he will flee (James 4:7). Therefore, God permits some temptations in order that they might strengthen us for even greater wins.

5. Temptation can show forth the genuineness of our faith. Scripture says, You may for the time have to suffer the distress of many trials. But this is so that your faith, which is more precious than fire tried gold, may by its genuineness, lead to praise, honor, and glory when Christ Jesus appears (1 Peter 1:6-7). Yes, coming through a world of temptations with our faith still intact shows the genuineness of that faith. It is a faith that has been tested, but that has still endured.

Here is real faith! In the world of temptation, in a world of many opportunities to say “no,” our “yes” shines ever more gloriously. We said “yes” when it was hard to do so!

Temptation, properly endured and overcome, shows forth the glory and the genuineness of our faith.

Yes, temptation is mysterious, but it has its place, and by God’s grace it even brings benefits!

There is an interesting moment in John 6 that deserves both personal and ecclesial reflection. Jesus has just fed the multitudes by multiplying the loaves and fishes, a miraculous corporal work of mercy. Prior to this, of course, He had taught them at great length. Let’s just say that Jesus had them listen to a sermon before the food was distributed, just as used to be done at the local Catholic shelter or the gospel mission; the sermon preceded the soup!

On the evening after the multiplication of loaves and fishes, Jesus withdrew and sent the disciples in a boat across the Sea of Galilee. Some in the crowd seemed to like the idea of a free meal and wanted more. Here is where we pick up the story.

So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Amen, Amen, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal” (Jn 6:24-27).

In other words, Jesus admonishes them not to be concerned with food for the belly but also food for the soul, which He really wants to give us so that we make it to eternal life. In this case, the true bread He wants to give them is the Eucharist, but we can extend the notion and understand that God wants to give us spiritual graces even more than mere earthly bread.

In the passage above, the people pay little heed to His summons that they should seek that which endures unto eternal life. Rather, the people persist in asking for the belly-filling bread. “Give us this bread always … like Moses once did,” they cry out. Almost in exasperation, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).

You can see that there is in them a dismissal of the needs of the soul and an emphasis on the needs of the body. They prefer the food that perishes to the food that nourishes unto eternal life.

The Lord admonishes, Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you (John 6:27).

As individuals we ought to ponder where our own focus lies. We are often quick to pray when we have financial problems or a health scare, but are we as quick to pray when spiritual troubles or threats come near? We almost never miss a meal, but missing prayer is all too common. Various medicines often crowd our shelves, but how about spiritual books? The doctor, dentist, and lawyer will quickly get our time (and money), but often our confessors, catechists, and God Himself have to wait. Would that we were more urgent about our souls than the things that perish.

As a Church, too, we run the risk of being reduced to a social service agency. The corporal works of mercy are good and should certainly be performed. The care of the body is important, but what of the souls we are called to care for? Having a coat drive or donating canned goods is proper, but are we as effective and dedicated at instructing the ignorant, calling sinners to repentance, or evangelizing? When we give food to the poor or pay their electric bill, do we inquire as to the state of their souls? Are they being spiritually fed? How? Are they spiritually in the light or in the darkness? Monetary debt reduction is a fine thing, but what about the debt of sin some of the poor are under? Do we ask about these things? Do we invite or really even care about their souls? Are we content merely to give the bread that perishes? Is not our greatest glory to give the food that endures unto life eternal? How effectively are we doing the primary job of the Church? The poor have souls too.

These are just some things the Lord leaves us to ponder as individuals and as the Church.