“And so the idea of peace came down to do the work of peace: The Word was made flesh and even now dwells among us. It is by faith that he dwells in our hearts, in our memory, our intellect and penetrates even into our imagination. What concept could man have of God if he did not first fashion an image of him in his heart? By nature incomprehensible and inaccessible, he was invisible and unthinkable, but now he wished to be understood, to be seen and thought of. But how, you ask, was this done? He lay in a manger and rested on a virgin’s breast, preached on a mountain, and spent the night in prayer. He hung on a cross, grew pale in death, and roamed free among the dead and ruled over those in hell. He rose again on the third day, and showed the apostles the wounds of the nails, the signs of victory; and finally in their presence he ascended to the sanctuary of heaven. How can we not contemplate this story in truth, piety and holiness?”— St. Bernard, p. 186
“And it is only by the observance of the first and greatest commandment that we can keep the second. The more we love God, the more we shall love man; the less we love God, the less we shall, in the true sense of the word, love man. Our love will become capricious, fitful, and unreliable—not charity, but passion. If you feel that your love for your fellowman is dying out in the fumes of selfishness, there is but one way to revive it: strive for, pray for, the love of God. As the heart turns toward its source, it will be quickened and expanded. There is no true, no lasting spirit of charity apart from the practice of religion. Therefore, we cannot keep those commandments which teach us our duty to men unless we are keeping those which teach us our duty to God.”— Fr. Basil W. Maturin, p. 160
If we are to come to believe that a Power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity, then we will come to that belief by developing the capacity for a simple, clear, and uncluttered presence. Those who can be present with head, heart, and body at the same time will always encounter The Presence, whether they call it God or not. For the most part, those skills are learned by letting life come at us on its own terms, and not resisting the wonderful underlying Mystery that is everywhere, all the time, and offered to us too.
“Build an oratory within yourself, and there have Jesus on the altar of your heart. Speak to Him often while you are doing your work. Speak to Him of His holy love, of His holy sufferings and of the sorrows of most holy Mary.” — St Paul of the Cross
I have heard it said that Jesus preached nonviolence. On the contrary…He preached violence against self for the sake of the Kingdom. He preached violence against evil. For example, He taught that “if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.” (Matthew 5:30). That seems fairly violent to me. Violence has been in our world since the time of Cain and Able. Sampson slew 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of an ass, and David killed Goliath with a single stone. However, violence can be a good thing when it stops other acts of sin. Avoiding sin helps draw us closer to God. Saints Francis and Benedict both threw themselves down a hill into a cluster of brambles to avoid sin. They went to any extreme to avoid it. When you have something in your body that doesn’t belong there, like a splinter in the finger, you go crazy and will go to all lengths to remove it.
The cause of violence is in the heart…the wrong stuff is there. Christ should be in people’s hearts; otherwise, the Devil will come in and take possession. We don’t have a problem of violence. Our problem is a lack of God which leads to evil dwelling in the soul. The state of the soul will manifest itself. If evil is present, the signs are: violence; mutilation of self, such as piercings of the lip, tongue, nose, etc.; nudity; and love of sex. Bad parents and enablers often contribute to these manifestations.
It’s not stuff, but Satan that causes violence. Stuff is just stuff. Stuff is not evil…it is morally neutral. Only evil people make stuff evil. Giving people more stuff won’t stop violence…even the filthy rich can be evil. An example is the Epstein case that’s been all over the news lately. What is the cure? Well, it’s not more laws…they don’t stop anything. The cure for violence is not a “what,” but a “Who”, and that is Our Savior.
When a Code Red is called at the Veterans’ Administration (VA) Hospital, four to five security personnel rush to the area to restore order. Are these patients morally bad? Maybe, but, they could be mentally ill. Others are violent because they are evil. Once, we had a patient who had just come out of surgery. He was acting up, because he wanted to go home. His wife told him that he was sick and needed to stay in the hospital. He promised her that he would come back the next day. The surgical staff had a different idea and told him he had to stay.
Some men think they are tough guys. No, they’re not. I didn’t see them in Afghanistan. I know tough guys. My church back home was filled with WWII soldiers…many of them paratroopers. There’s not enough drugs or alcohol to make me do what they did. But, they did what they had to do. That church established a school and a convent, and also produced five priests. Tough men can love Christ too.
Once, while I was serving at St. Gabriel’s parish in Charlotte, the men had prepared breakfast. I was waited on by a man with a German accent who had numbers tattooed on his arm. I knew that meant he had served in Hitler’s Special Forces. This man had served on both the eastern and western fronts. He was a bad man. But, he became a very good Catholic and died in the arms of Christ. So, even though it may take a while, there is hope that even the most evil can be transformed.
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you keep Christ in your heart so that Satan cannot take possession? Will you avoid enabling those who have evil in their hearts?
On the first Friday of each month, I visit the prison in Badin. While there, I try out that weekend’s sermon on the prisoners. I am happy to say that today’s sermon is “felon approved.”
Do you know what the seven deadly sins are? Pride, Anger, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Avarice or Greed, and Sloth (PALEGAS). Committing these sins will send us to hell. Actually, we send ourselves to hell by rejecting God. He doesn’t reject us.
We commit the sin of greed when we try to fill the holes in our souls with things that only God can fill. We tell ourselves if we only had more stuff, we would feel better. We think that something instead of someone can fix us. But, even after acquiring a bunch of stuff, we still have that hole in our heart. We are victims of our stuff. Once we strive to be more like God, the desire for things is put into perspective. We may not have as much stuff, but we will be rich beyond measure. My mother’s family was poor, but they practiced the faith, so they were rich. Be greedy only about the things of God by seeking more of them. The beauty is that they are free…the only cost is our love. There is no cost for His.
People aren’t sad because they are poor, so giving them stuff isn’t going to make them feel better. It is not true that having more stuff will make you happy. If that were true, people in prison would be ecstatic. Think about it…prisoners get three hot’s and a cot, as well as free medical and dental care. Even some wealthy people aren’t all that happy. I’ve worked in rich parishes, and I have met some of them.
We are called to enjoy the fruits of our labor. However, money is only a means to an end. We are entitled to take care of our family, charity, and the church. It is our obligation to use cha-ching (money) as a means of furthering the gospel and giving to others. Saint Theresa set the example by providing for people in dire need while also talking to them about the Savior. You may be thinking that you don’t have a lot of cha-ching, so you cannot help anyone. But, you can become rich by receiving graces from God. How? By participating in Mass, praying, going to confession, using holy water, and offering up your suffering to Him, you become rich in the Kingdom of God. Christ will make you a spiritual billionaire. The only cost is time. Then, you can share the graces you receive with others and give them hope in Christ.
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you let God heal your broken heart? Will you share the fruits of your labor with those in need? Will you share His graces with others and give them hope in the Savior?
