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| Defend us, St. Michael against the wiles of the evil one. |
Editor's note: I received this email and article from Fr. Tom a few days ago and offer it as a Sunday meditation. All of us need to strive against the sins of greed and envy and the temptations to indifference and lack of charity.
I especially want to highlight the quote Father offers from a bishop's homily. We need one another. To let ourselves be consumed by hate is to attack our very selves. "Pray for your enemy; do good to those who hate you." Let us pray today for our poor, divided country - that through the intercession of Our Lady, our land will be healed.
Mary Ann - You may find the attached article interesting, in light of how the USCCB’s acquiescence to the Marxist/secularist social justice agenda (subsidized for close to half a century by their Campaign for Human Development) is bearing fruit in the riots, slander, vitriol, vituperation, vandalism, looting, assaults, doxing, and murders of the past several years.
Just as Church leaders have asserted as a quasi-doctrine of faith that Islam is a religion of peace (historical facts do not matter, only appeasing the hysteria and histrionics of radical jihadists), so also they are supporting the allegedly “peaceful protests” of Antifa and the Black Lives Matter thugs.
And God have mercy on anyone who dares to add that black lives destroyed by aborticide or black-on-black gang violence also matter. The only black lives that matter are apparently the ones of those threatened by their hostile interaction with the police.
In addition, any support for the orderly implementation and amending of our laws is now seen by many bishops as a proof of “systemic racism”. It makes one wonder.
For example, if protecting our nation’s sovereignty by enforcing our immigration laws is unjust, is not the Church unjust in protecting her sovereignty by enforcing her own immigration laws (RCIA, sacramental disciplines, marriage tribunals) on those who
desire to spiritually “migrate” into her on their own terms?
And what about a child seeking to protect the sovereignty of his/her body against a predatory priest or prelate? If the predator is experiencing a strong “need” to gratify his sexual impulses by violating that child’s bodily sovereignty, should that child be
viewed as guilty of two sins – 1) acting uncharitably by defending his/her bodily sovereignty against the temporary sexual “migration” of another, and 2) refusing “appropriate hospitality” to a person in need?
Sadly, such dubia, like so many others in recent years, will most likely be either ignored or “misplaced” by the powers-that-be.
In addition, any support for the orderly implementation and amending of our laws is now seen by many bishops as a proof of “systemic racism”. It makes one wonder.
For example, if protecting our nation’s sovereignty by enforcing our immigration laws is unjust, is not the Church unjust in protecting her sovereignty by enforcing her own immigration laws (RCIA, sacramental disciplines, marriage tribunals) on those who
desire to spiritually “migrate” into her on their own terms?
And what about a child seeking to protect the sovereignty of his/her body against a predatory priest or prelate? If the predator is experiencing a strong “need” to gratify his sexual impulses by violating that child’s bodily sovereignty, should that child be
viewed as guilty of two sins – 1) acting uncharitably by defending his/her bodily sovereignty against the temporary sexual “migration” of another, and 2) refusing “appropriate hospitality” to a person in need?
Sadly, such dubia, like so many others in recent years, will most likely be either ignored or “misplaced” by the powers-that-be.
God save us!
Fr. Tom
Over the past several decades, many Church leaders have incrementally downplayed the importance of accountability to the whole truth of God and our call to grow to maturity in the grace of divine righteousness. In place of the Church’s sacred vocation and mission, they have embraced the secularist social justice agenda and its dynamic of perpetually arousing and appeasing resentments. This dynamic has become even more ensconced in their thinking by their promotion of a moral system based on entitlement (i.e., people not only have the right to access what they believe is essential for their livelihood, but also the right to have such things given to them). Thus we have seen even vandals and looters viewed with a codependent compassion as merely seeking some form of occult compensation for the evils allegedly being perpetrated on them by our nation’s “systemic racism”.
The hierarchy’s promotion of the racial animosity advocated by the Marxists' social justice agenda has been further enhanced by their decision to ignore the clear commands given in the Torah. Exodus 23:1-3 commands:
Fr. Tom
THE CHURCH’S FALLACIOUS PREFERENTIAL OPTION FOR THE POOR
Over the past several decades, many Church leaders have incrementally downplayed the importance of accountability to the whole truth of God and our call to grow to maturity in the grace of divine righteousness. In place of the Church’s sacred vocation and mission, they have embraced the secularist social justice agenda and its dynamic of perpetually arousing and appeasing resentments. This dynamic has become even more ensconced in their thinking by their promotion of a moral system based on entitlement (i.e., people not only have the right to access what they believe is essential for their livelihood, but also the right to have such things given to them). Thus we have seen even vandals and looters viewed with a codependent compassion as merely seeking some form of occult compensation for the evils allegedly being perpetrated on them by our nation’s “systemic racism”.
The hierarchy’s promotion of the racial animosity advocated by the Marxists' social justice agenda has been further enhanced by their decision to ignore the clear commands given in the Torah. Exodus 23:1-3 commands:
You shall not repeat a false rumor. Do not join the wicked in putting your hand, as an unjust witness, upon anyone. Neither shall you allege the example of the many as an excuse for doing wrong, nor shall you, when testifying in a lawsuit, side with the many in perverting justice. You shall not favor a poor man in his lawsuit.
Likewise, we read in Leviticus 19:15-16:
You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgement. Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty, but judge your fellow men justly. You shall not go about spreading slander among your kinsmen; nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor’s life is at stake. I am the LORD.
Unfortunately, those who allege that violating these commands for the sake of promoting the social justice agenda is morally permissible have been regularly honored by a number of Church leaders and institutions over the past sixty years – even as they promote the barbaric butchering of millions of pre-born babies annually.
As indicated above, there has been a further step in promoting the Marxist agenda of class warfare and resentment, rather than the righteous path of repentance, reconciliation and regeneration. And this step has even been taken by some popes! This step is the assertion that Church must, contrary to the teaching in Exodus and Leviticus, promote a preferential option for the poor.
Initially, this phrase may seem to be an appropriate motto for a saintly nun. But, in a world still struggling against the false premises and promises of Marxism, it is extremely dangerous. Authentic Church teaching asserts neither that might makes right nor that poverty makes right. White collar crime and blue collar crime are both crimes. Thus those asserting that the rioting, vandalism, violence and looting by “poverty-stricken” members of BLM and Antifa should not be prosecuted, but rather praised as attempts to overcome systemic racism are wrong.
In contrast to the fallacy of a preferential option for the poor, the authentic teaching of the Church denounces both the Marxist premise of class warfare and the social justice dynamic of arousing and appeasing resentments. Instead, through her teachings on Original Sin and the Redemption offered in, with and through Jesus Christ, she invites all into a sacred mystery, which is redemptive, reconciling and regenerative. Specifically, she offers all of humanity the freedom to recognize and address our common poverty and by humbly and contritely revealing that poverty to a gracious and merciful Father.
If we are honest, each of us must admit that all of us suffer from numerous forms of poverty and helplessness. Among these are financial problems, broken relationships, festering resentments, psychological traumas, crippling guilt, inability to clearly communicate, depression, chronic illnesses, self-loathing and a loss of a sense of the sacred. In order to forget or distract ourselves from our own wretched poverty, we are tempted to despise and exploit the more obvious poverty of others – or even to slander whole groups of our fellow human beings.
In contrast to the fallacy of a preferential option for the poor, the authentic teaching of the Church denounces both the Marxist premise of class warfare and the social justice dynamic of arousing and appeasing resentments. Instead, through her teachings on Original Sin and the Redemption offered in, with and through Jesus Christ, she invites all into a sacred mystery, which is redemptive, reconciling and regenerative. Specifically, she offers all of humanity the freedom to recognize and address our common poverty and by humbly and contritely revealing that poverty to a gracious and merciful Father.
If we are honest, each of us must admit that all of us suffer from numerous forms of poverty and helplessness. Among these are financial problems, broken relationships, festering resentments, psychological traumas, crippling guilt, inability to clearly communicate, depression, chronic illnesses, self-loathing and a loss of a sense of the sacred. In order to forget or distract ourselves from our own wretched poverty, we are tempted to despise and exploit the more obvious poverty of others – or even to slander whole groups of our fellow human beings.
Yet we cannot save ourselves by desecrating others, no matter how obvious and wretched their poverty seems to be. However, we can find a fountain of riches in our poverty if we humbly and gratefully allow that poverty to be more deeply integrated into the merciful, compassionate, multi-dimensional and transformative poverty of Christ crucified. United with Him, our poverty becomes receptivity to the graciousness of God – a graciousness which overcomes all the alienating power of cynicism, sin, resentment and self-desecration, which plagues all of fallen humanity. By this graciousness, we are able to discover a deep solidarity in our shared poverty and helplessness.
We must, therefore, recognize anew that each human being is sacred. We reverence those suffering from poverty because they are sacred, not because their poverty is more obvious than ours. Likewise, by the gracious wisdom offered by the Holy Spirit, we are drawn into a deep appreciation of the fact that all ministry is mutual. I find deliverance from my own poverty only to the degree that I am willing to humbly reverence the sanctifying sacredness of another in his/her poverty.
This was exemplified many years ago by a saintly bishop, who commented in his sermon, “You poor brothers and sisters should thank God for your rich brothers and sisters, for through them, God is delivering you from the demon of hunger, who lurks at your door. Likewise, you rich brothers and sisters should thank God for your poor brothers and sisters, for through them, God is delivering you from the demon of greed, who lurks at your door.”
Thus a reverent approach to human poverty in our fallen world requires more than material or spiritual relief to those in need. Rather, it requires that we all be integrated more deeply in the reconciling and regenerative love of Jesus Christ, offered to us as He hung in prolonged agony, helplessness and poverty on His cross.
A true preferential option, then, should not be directed to treating the poor as an object of our compassion. Rather as companions in a reconciling and redemptive pilgrimage out of the blindness of sin into a new vision of mutual reverence, respect and gratitude, we allow the Holy Spirit to integrate us more deeply into the redemptive and regenerative poverty of Christ. Thus we learn two important lessons – 1) how to love one another, as He has so humbly, graciously and gratefully loved us and 2) how to share more deeply in the hope and joy offered to all of us through His Resurrection. This is essential for appreciating and experiencing the Gospel of Jesus as Good News - not merely as good history or good philosophy.
Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!
Fr. Thomas R. Collins
frtrac1@hotmail.com
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