Roots of Modern Gnosticism

Okay, folks, I'm going to get a bit philosophical in this post and perhaps in a few that follow. If you'd rather not join me as I try to delve into the whys and wherefores of what's happening in our country and the world, I suggest you check out some of those cute animal videos on YouTube. They'll be far less disturbing.

A week or so ago, a parishioner sent me an email and remarked, "I can hardly believe how much the world has changed in just a past few months." I wanted to respond, "No, you're wrong. It's hardly changed at all. The symptoms of the world’s evils are simply more evident. Most folks just don't pay attention and have no real sense of history." But that wouldn't be kind. Anyway, I tire more easily these days, and to have explained it all would have taken far too much time and energy, so I just gave him a virtual nod and wrote nothing in response. Once again, my inherent laziness won out. Guilt, however, occasionally conquers even laziness, so today I thought I'd better address the issue.

What is actually happening in our nation and our world today? I believe most sane, intelligent human beings would agree that the violence, hatred, destruction, looting, riots, defacement, dissembling, and all the rest are not good things. Below, for example, is a video of a hardly peaceful Black Lives Matter "protest" in Trenton, New Jersey. It's actually hard to watch the entire video, and please note that it also contains some rather graphic language. You can watch it if you like, or simply believe me when I say it’s both violent and very disturbing.

The video shows one of the more benign violent episodes plaguing our nation today, and here we encounter violence, presumably just for the sake of violence. But not really, for the organizers of these events are motivated by a desire to destroy the visible symbols of the existing culture. If, however, you disagree and believe the activities depicted in the video are good, then once again, I suggest you visit YouTube and allow your heart to be softened by the cute critter videos. The rest of us will begin by looking first at what Sacred Scripture tells us and then delve into human history to better recognize the symptoms and the illness that afflict us.

But first, let's recall St. Paul's words:

"Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more" [Rom 5:10].

Understanding this, we pray that God's grace fill the hearts of those who encourage and commit this violence. I'd rather they experience a spiritual conversion than an earthly punishment. As we pray for them, let's also ask the Holy Spirit to lead us in our response. He always responds to prayer, although not always in ways we expect or desire.

Remarkably, when I began to think and pray about these things a few days ago, the Spirit led me to the prophet Isaiah, a man with whom I seem to spend a lot of time these days. Anyhow, I opened my Bible and there it was. I didn't even have to turn the page.

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter" [Is 5:20].

Like Isaiah, we're called to discernment, to the discernment of spirits. We must sort out the evil from the good and the good from the evil. The evil we encounter today is certainly very evil, but really no different from the evils that have plagued humanity from its beginnings. It was first manifested in Eden when the serpent tempted our first parents to reject the one, true, living God that they might become gods themselves. As Satan, speaking of the forbidden fruit, put it: 

"For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" [Gn 3:5].

Satan was, of course, lying, because he always lies. Whenever we encounter the words of Satan, we must remember what Jesus, the Incarnate Word, says of him:

"He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies" [Jn 8:44].

Because Satan has "no truth in him," everything he says is a lie. Disobedience and sin do not open our eyes; just the opposite: they close our eyes, our minds, and our hearts to the extent that we confuse both good and evil.

Seemingly oblivious to the precious gift of their creation in God's "image and likeness" [Gn 1:26], Adam and Eve succumbed to the temptation to "be like God." Through their fall, we are all infected by the same spiritual virus. From Eden the presence of evil continued to spread throughout human history, leaving in its wake death, destruction, sinfulness, and so many damaged souls.

But God's love for us knows no bounds and He promised redemption [Gn 3:15]. Through Abraham He chose a people from which a Savior would arise to free the world from its enslavement by sin. Out of this chosen people God gave the world His Son, Jesus, who became one of us, taught us, healed us, and died for us as the sacrificial "Lamb of God." Rising from the dead, He opened the gates of heaven to us, offering us eternal life. 

Jesus, then, is the Way, for no one can come to the Father except through Him [Jn 14:6]. He is the Truth, the truth that will set us free [Jn 8:32]. And He is the Life, for the Father gives us eternal life through Jesus, His Son, and the Son's redemptive act. [1 Jn 5:11]. All of this God communicated to us through His Revealed Word, Sacred Scripture, and His Church, the custodian of Apostolic Tradition.

But man being man, many rejected not only the Redeemer, but also the Truth of Revelation. Instead of turning to his Creator, the creature preferred to turn inward, believing that man himself is the measure of all things. This is not some recent, 21st-century phenomenon. It's plagued humanity for centuries. And it was particularly evident among the ancient Gnostics, who declared themselves to be the "people who know."

Gnosticism, often considered an early Christian heresy, likely had far more ancient origins. Most early pagan religions, not unlike Judaism and Christianity, believed in varying ways that man's "salvation" came about, if not through faith, then through obedience to the will of God, however that supreme power might be envisioned. But Gnosticism viewed being through a very different lens. It held that Gnostics possessed special knowledge, knowledge that made them superior to those who did not know; i.e., the rest of humanity.

Where did this come from? Quite likely it was a response to the societal, indeed, the civilizational, changes that swept through the ancient world beginning around the 7th century B.C. Empires rose, conquered, and collapsed, while entire populations were exiled and enslaved. Efforts to establish independent city states, nation states, and ethnic states failed, the result of internal disorder and external pressures. In the midst of this turmoil and chaos, societies and their institutions crumbled leaving humanity disoriented without any sense of meaning. If this sounds vaguely familiar, realize that human nature and human history really haven't changed all that much.

Our ancient ancestors, at least some of them, strove to understand it all, to find meaning amidst the rubble. And so we find stoicism, epicureanism, Eastern mystery religions, Manichaeism, and other, largely short-lived attempts to help humanity deal with itself. Judaism and Christianity were the obvious survivors, but so too was another attempt to define the meaning of our existence: Gnosticism.

Because ancient Gnosticism appeared in many different forms, and was embraced by a number of different sects, one hesitates to suggest an all-encompassing definition. Generally, however, the ancient Gnostics saw the world as an alien place from which man must escape to his true home. As one early gnostic text demanded: "Deliver us from the darkness of the world into which we are flung." Gnostics did not see the world as the well-ordered cosmic creation that God declared as "good." For them it was a prison created by the evil God of this world, whether it be the Zeus of the Greeks, or the Jewish Yahweh. The good, but "hidden God" would provide them with the means of escape and deliver them. This would come about through hidden knowledge -- the gnosis -- revealed only to the elite, those who know.

I believe we can safely say that gnosis, in both its ancient and its modern variations, desires dominion over being. In other words, it replaces God with man. As you might imagine, it strives to achieve this dominion by exerting power over others.

In my next post, we'll look more closely at ancient Gnosticism's modern successors.

Madness Rising

I don’t watch a lot of TV, but I do enjoy some of the British mysteries offered by PBS and a few other networks. Some are quite good, like Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple series starring the late Joan Hickson, as well as Foyle’s War, and the Inspector Morse mysteries. I’ve also enjoyed the Midsummer Murders series with Chief Inspector Barnaby. Most all of these shows were originally aired 15 or 20 (or more) years ago, and even though I watched them way back when, I still enjoy the re-runs. That’s the nice thing about aging. My memory cells are often hard to access directly. Although I’m centain I've seen a particular episode before, it was so long ago, I’m unable to recall the details. As for whodunit, I haven’t a clue.

Anyway, a recent (re-run) episode of Midsummer Murders centered on the residents of a small village who had begun to resemble the pitchfork-wielding peasants in a Frankenstein movie. At one point, the chief inspector's sidekick, the young Detective Sergeant Jones, expressed surprise at the odd and potentially violent behavior of the townspeople. Barnaby's response was priceless: "It's all about a sense of community, Jones. One goes mad and they all go mad. It's a wonderful world we have out there."

When I heard those words, I thought about Portland and Minneapolis and Seattle and New York and a few dozen other cities in which madness has spread from a dedicated cadre of Marxists and anarchists (and if you are either, you are certainly mad) to other easily manipulated members of the population. The latter consist largely of people with a strong need for community, a need they have been unable to satisfy through normal societal avenues. They are unfulfilled, confused, angry, ignorant, and firmly convinced that society itself is the cause of all their problems. Revolutionaries have always sought out such people because their need to belong to something greater than themselves, something to give their lives purpose, makes them the perfect followers who can be convinced to do almost anything. Indeed, one goes mad and they all go mad.

If you study the Russian Revolution of 1917, you’ll discover it began in much the same way. Examining the dozen or so years preceding the revolution is particularly troubling because they offer us a foreshadowing of what we can expect in the days to come unless we respond actively and quickly to the madness affecting so many of our citizens. Widespread terrorism and frequent assassinations plagued Russia during those years and what did the Russian liberals do? They supported the terrorists. Yes, indeed, they bankrolled Bolsheviks and anarchists and provided them with political cover. But what did the Bolsheviks (the terrorists) do as soon as they seized control? They first killed all the liberals. Read Solzhenitsyn, a man whose work has been largely ignored in recent years, but should rather be required reading for college freshmen, and maybe even for us old retired people.

Destroying Historical Memory

Rather than bore you with my own take on the Russian Revolution, I suggest you read this article by Northwestern University professor, Gary Saul Morson, published in the latest issue of First Things, one of my favorite journals: Suicide of the Liberals. Professor Morson paints a sad portrait of the liberals of pre-revolutionary Russia and by doing so forces us to confront the truth about our own slightly mad society.

Are we facing an updated version of this societal madness today? I’m no prophet, so I don’t know. But the ancient Greeks, who occasionally showed signs of wisdom, had a saying;: Those whom the gods wish to destroy, they first drive mad. 

God Chooses Whomever He Wants

I suppose, because of a few of my earlier posts and comments I’ve made to others, some people assume they know for whom I intend to vote in the upcoming presidential election. (Hey, it’s still a secret ballot, so I can keep it to myself, can’t I?) Anyhow, this became apparent the other morning when a parishioner approached me in the parking lot after Mass and said, “I can’t believe you support Trump. Don’t you realize that God can’t possibly want this man to be our president?” His words surprised me, although I suppose for many folks their political party outweighs their faith.  

Trying to keep things light, I chuckled a bit and said, “Boy, it must be wonderful to know the mind of God,” and then I referred him to the prophet Isaiah:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" [Is 55:8-9].

I should have added that if he participated in our parish Bible Study, I wouldn't have to remind him of this, but that would have been rude.

I really didn’t want to get into the politics, but couldn’t help myself: “So you count God among the never-Thumpers and believe He wants Joe Biden to be president?”

He looked at me oddly -- because a mask covered half his face, I really couldn’t read his expression very well. He shook his head, snorted, and said something like, “Trump is an idiot. He’s certainly no Christian. So there’s no way God wants him to lead this country.”

I suppose I could have stayed there and argued for a while, but I really didn’t think I could say anything that would change his mind.  So I just smiled and said, “Next time God reveals His will to you, let me know.” 

Okay, that was a little snarky, but I’ve already overdosed on politics and really didn’t want to begin another argument that might turn into a quarrel. But you see what worldly politics does to us; it reveals all the nastiness we’d rather keep hidden. I probably should apologize the next time I see him...well, maybe.

But he got me thinking, thinking about God and how He calls on the most unlikely people to carry out His divine will. If we turn to the Old Testament, we can choose almost anyone. Just pick a Patriarch, any Patriarch from Abraham to Joseph, and you encounter weak men with a wide variety of faults and foibles who, through the gift of faith and the grace of God, managed to help God get this whole salvation project going. 

And, of course, Moses and his brother, Aaron, were really not the best of men. But they listened to God -- well, most of the time -- and did God's work of turning His Chosen People from an enslaved rabble into the fledgling nation, Israel. 

The prophets, too, were not the most impressive of men. Called by God, often enough they had to be dragged to their vocation kicking and screaming along the way. And there were many others.  How about David and Bathsheba, their little adulterous affair and subsequent marriage that led to Solomon?  As Matthew reminds us in his genealogy, all three were among the human ancestors of Jesus: “And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah...” [Mt 1:6] 

But there were others, pagans and other Gentiles, who managed to fulfill God’s plan by doing His will. Some, like the Pharaoh of Exodus, strongly resisted God’s Word, but by doing so, unintentionally did what was necessary to fulfill God’s plan. Yes, indeed, God’s ways are higher than our ways. 

Another man of worldly power chosen by God was Cyrus, the Persian King. Having conquered Babylon, Cyrus brought about the return of God’s People to Jerusalem after decades of exile. Listen to his words:

“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has charged me to build Him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all His people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up’” [2 Chron 36:23].

These are the remarkable words of a pagan king who listened to “the Lord, the God of heaven” and did His will. Because of Cyrus, the exiled Jews returned to the Promised Land and, led by Ezra and Nehemiah, began to reform as God’s People in readiness to receive the promised Messiah. 

The New Testament, too, offers many similar examples. Much like Pharaoh, the Herods and Pilate each unwittingly fulfilled his role in God’s plan for the salvation of humanity. God moves the powerful to do His will before they crumble into dust. And yet He gathers twelve of the least of men to form His Church, a Church that will remain until the end of days. Our Blessed Mother, Mary, described it beautifully in her Magnificat:

“He has shown the strength of His arm, He has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly” [Lk 1:51-52].

If we step out of Sacred Scripture and turn to later human history we find many other examples of God working through some of the most unlikely folks. Among my favorites, though, is another king, a man named Canute. If you're not a student of European history, you probably haven't heard of this interesting fellow, so let me tell his story as briefly as possible.

The restored Christian kingdom in England had reached its peak under King Edgar (959-975). Sadly, for the English, the good times didn’t last long. Repeated invasions by the barbarous and pagan Vikings drove the country into ruin. For the next quarter-century England was pillaged from one end to the other by Vikings who slaughtered many and left very little of value behind. 

But in 1016, something odd happened. Canute, the Viking son of the chief pagan leader, became King of England and formed, in effect, an Anglo-Scandinavian empire. At the time, because of his military victories and their material rewards, Canute was probably one of the wealthiest men of his time. One would expect Canute’s victory to result also in a pagan victory, but inexplicably that didn’t happen. Instead, Canute sent the Viking army home and decided to rule England by following the traditions King Edgar’s earlier Christian kingdom. He supported the Church and built tombs for the saints, even building one for St. Alphange who was killed by Canute’s father. He sent English bishops, priests, and monks to Scandinavia and then made a pilgrimage to Rome where he participated in the coronation of the Emperor in 1027. We can, therefore, say that Scandinavia was brought into Western Christendom through the conquest of England by a pagan barbarian. Go figure! Canute, then, offers us one of those wonderful paradoxes that so often display God’s power working in ways so much higher than our ways. 

Today we’re confronted by President Donald Trump, a man who certainly doesn’t project the usual presidential image. His language is the kind heard around the kitchen tables of many, perhaps most, Americans. Although a man of great wealth, he quickly connected with Middle America and focused on what they consider their greatest needs. Unlike Wall Street and Silicon Valley, unlike the movers and shakers among the Fortune 500, unlike the academics in our top business schools, and unlike the “deep state” indwellers of both parties, most Americans are not globalists. They really aren’t concerned with the EU or China or Mexico. They’re concerned with family safety, with jobs, with a good education and a promising future for their children, with their own retirement. They are patriotic Americans who love their country. They believe in a loving God and attend church services regularly. They want political leaders who truly represent them, who share their beliefs, and understand their needs. They want leaders whose actions follow their words, who fulfill their promises. And this is why so many of them like and support Donald Trump.

Personally, Donald Trump has surprised me. Yes, I voted for him in 2016 because the alternative was beyond horrific. Four months before the election I predicted his victory simply because of the obvious strength of his support and the tremendous enthusiasm of his supporters. Clinton lacked both. But I never expected him to become the kind of president he is today. I think he surprised a lot of people, especially his enemies. In 2016 they portrayed him as a buffoon, and they’ve continued to do so even though the facts demonstrate how wrong they are. This cannot help them in November.

What does God think of Donald Trump? The only thing I can say with any certainty is that God loves him, but then God loves all whom He has created. Does God want him to be president? I haven’t a clue. But over the past three plus years, Donald Trump has demonstrated strong support for the pro-life movement. He has done much to strengthen our nation’s longstanding support for religious freedom, both at home and abroad. He has achieved remarkable success in easing tensions in the Middle East and helped establish peaceful relations between Israel and several of its former enemies. He has rebuilt a military that was largely ignored by the previous administration, while at the same time limiting our military involvement overseas. His federal judicial appointments are strong Constitutionalists who will likely support the freedoms spelled out in our Bill of Rights. Economically his efforts have led to remarkably low unemployment levels among all Americans, and significant increases in the wages of lower and middle income earners. All of these things are good. 

The U.S. Bishops are unhappy with his policy regarding illegal immigration, but in truth he simply follows the law. If we disagree with federal law, we should lobby Congress to change it. Believe me, though, Congress (even liberal Democrats) won't change it because they fear the reaction of the people. Instead, they use other means -- state and local laws to create sanctuary cities and states, or fund healthcare and education for illegals, etc. -- to achieve their ends. It's all very strange.

Here is an open letter to the U.S. Bishops by a coalition of pro-life leaders asking the Bishops to declare abortion to be the "preeminent priority" when voters decide for whom to vote. The link to the letter: Citizens for a Pro-Life Society

Is President Trump another Canute, or another Cyrus? Again, I haven’t a clue. But to rule it out would be a mistake. Donald Trump might well be another of those most unlikely men chosen by God to show not the power of man but the ineffable power of our God. You and I just have to wait and see. Fortunately, we have front-row seats.

Bible Study Reflections - Videos

For my Bible Study Regulars: 

The other day I overdid it and recorded four of the COVID-19 Bible Study reflections I’ve been writing over the past few months. I had gotten a little behind on the video recording and needed to catch up. Fortunately, Todd, our parish maintenance supervisor made himself available to handle all the video and audio details, so he and I spent a couple of hours while I droned on from the ambo before an empty church. Speaking with enthusiasm to absolutely no one is always a bit of a challenge. I prefer a living, breathing congregation. At least then I can tell if they’re awake or asleep, and know when to stop.

Krysten, our parish IT guru, will upload one video on each of the next four Mondays, so if you prefer to watch and listen, rather than read, you can go to the parish YouTube site every Monday and catch the video. If I sound a little less than enthusiastic on some of them, my apologies, but making four of these, one after another, was a bit of a challenge to my sanity.

Here’s the link to the Bible Study Reflection page of the parish YouTube site: Bible Study Videos

Homily: Feast of St. Matthew

Readings:  Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13; Psalm 19; Matthew 9:9-13

______________

Calling Matthew to be an apostle, Jesus picked one of the unlikeliest of men. Matthew -- called Levi by Mark and Luke -- was a tax collector who probably worked for Herod Antipas, collecting taxes and customs duties. It was lucrative work, and rife with corruption.

Tax collectors set rates at whatever they thought the market would bear, paid the government a prearranged amount, and kept the rest for themselves. There were no poor tax collectors in the Roman Empire…and they were universally despised. Not only were they usually corrupt, but they also worked, either directly or indirectly, for the hated Romans, pagans who had subjugated the Jews.

By selecting a tax collector as an apostle, as one of His key disciples, Jesus must have caused quite an uproar, particularly among the Pharisees. The Pharisees scrupulously avoided the company of those they considered sinners and certainly wouldn’t sit down for a meal in one of their homes. That Jesus would actually accept Matthew’s dinner invitation and share a meal with tax collectors and sinners shocked their sensibilities.

But even more unlikely than the call of Jesus was Matthew’s readiness to accept that call. Why would Matthew leave everything, including his friends and occupation and fortune, to follow Jesus? Quite simply, he was touched by the grace of God. For that’s what Jesus’ call to discipleship is. God calls all Christians through Baptism, but He also extends, to whomever He chooses, a further calling. The special grace of this call allowed Matthew to give up the good life and follow Jesus.

Matthew saw in Jesus the hope of true friendship and peace with God. He saw in Jesus a wealth far beyond the material wealth he had accumulated and would have continued to accumulate.

Notice, though, Matthew doesn’t take the initiative, and neither do you or I. It’s Jesus who calls, and, like Matthew, we each respond to that call with an individual, personal decision. God calls, but He never insists.

Matthew could easily have said, “Not today, Lord, tomorrow. First, I have to put my accounts in order. I’m really not ready right now.” But this excuse and any other excuse are merely signs of selfishness and fear. And “tomorrow” – there are many tomorrows – and all run the risk of being too late.

Like the other apostles, Matthew was called in the midst of the ordinary circumstances of his life -- like Peter, Andrew, James, and John, he was called while at work. If you think about it, even St. Paul was called while at work. It might have been the work of persecution, but it was nevertheless the work he, as a Pharisee, honestly believed he was supposed to do. An interesting detail, isn’t it? We don’t normally think of God’s call coming to us while we are at work in our secular jobs, or even in our retirement. And yet that’s exactly what Jesus did, and continues to do. 

"Follow me," he calls to each of us.

Too often we compartmentalize our lives, separating our religious from our secular lives. But being a Christian, a disciple of Christ, isn’t part-time. It must permeate and overflow into every aspect of our lives -- because only then can we effectively share His message with others.

That’s why we must guard against the attitudes of the Pharisees, who were so critical of Jesus’ associating with sinners. For we’re all sinners, but Our Lord still calls us. He came to redeem us all, not just a select few. It’s dangerous to ignore this truth. If we don’t recognize our own sinfulness, our own need for redemption and forgiveness, we’re close the door to God’s saving grace.

And don’t be scandalized by the sins of others, since without God’s grace, we’re each capable of committing the worst of sins. Neither should you become depressed over your failings. Just look at the apostles: a collection of weak, sinful men that Jesus turned into saints. Their grace was their willingness to recognize their sinfulness and repent. Indeed, recognition that we are sinners is the only correct attitude for us to have in the presence of God.

Yes, we can learn much from Matthew. He’s really an apostle for all of us.

The sinner who became a saint.

The man who heard God’s call and responded immediately.

The one who was lost, until Jesus found him.

Jesus reached out to Matthew, and Matthew went on to reach out to the world as an Evangelist, and, through his Gospel, to all of us until the end of time.

A Few Questions

Have you noticed how the media usually describe Catholic politicians who reject their Church's teaching as "devout Catholics" or, if they are a bit too far from Church teaching, as "practicing Catholics"? They are, of course, neither. A devout, practicing Catholic will accept the Church's magisterial teaching, especially that teaching which the Church declares to be based on divine law. The Church cannot change, and has never changed, divine law, and neither can the political authorities, the media, or any worldly entity. When the Church, for example, declares abortion to be an "intrinsic evil", it will remain so, regardless of the opinions of self-described "devout" or "practicing" Catholic politicians.

I believe it's important to realize that someone who supports abortion will likely support anything. After all, abortion is nothing less than the willful, dismembering slaughter of a living, unborn child, the most innocent of God's children. Every Sunday at Mass, we come together and pray the Nicene Creed in which we praise the Holy Spirit as "the Lord, the giver of life." To destroy a life given by the Holy Spirit, and to support the wholesale destruction of those lives, are serious sins indeed.

My next question: For whom should we vote in November, and what should be our deciding criteria? I found it interesting that a few days ago Joseph Cardinal Tobin, Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, stated publicly that “a person in good conscience could vote for Mr. Biden.” I suppose that’s true, at least literally: yes, a person in good conscience can vote for Joe Biden, but the important question is, as a faithful Catholic, should he or she? But I really don’t believe Cardinal Tobin was thinking or speaking semantically. No indeed, he was providing Catholic Biden voters, like himself, with a convenient excuse.

The Cardinal's feelings toward President Trump become apparent when he continued by saying, “I, frankly, in my own way of thinking, have a more difficult time with the other option.” Wow! Your Eminence, in your “own way of thinking,” you really find it more difficult to vote for President Trump than to vote for a man who has supported abortion since it was “legalized” by the Supreme Count in 1973? You do realize that Mr. Biden has supported the slaughter of more than 60,000,000 unborn American infants -- that's 60 million for the numerically challenged. I’m sure you’re familiar with unborn infants — like Jesus on that day of Annunciation, or John who leaped in his mother's womb when the pregnant Mary and the unborn Son of God came to visit -- you know, like those unborn infants.

I suppose Cardinal Tobin is simply following the morally confusing recommendations found in the U. S. Bishops' document, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship." Here the Bishops state:

"A Catholic cannot vote for a political candidate because he or she supports an issue considered an intrinsically evil act, such as abortion, euthanasia, deliberately subjecting workers or the poor to subhuman living conditions, or assisted suicide."

Does this mean I can indeed vote for such a person only if my reason has nothing to do with those intrinsically evil acts he might support? And did you note the use of the word, "considered"? Intrinsically evil acts aren't simply "considered" evil; they are evil. But then, as if afraid of picking sides, the Bishops add:

"At the same time, a voter should not use a candidate's opposition to an intrinsic evil to justify indifference or inattentiveness to other important moral issues involving human life and dignity."

I can picture the Catholic voter asking, "Okay, Bishops, what's it going to be?" Are the Bishops saying we cannot vote for Joe Biden who has consistently supported, and continues to support, intrinsically evil acts? Or are they telling us we can overlook this if we don't like what his opponent says about the dignity of a murderer on death row? Would I be wrong to suspect that these statements were written not by moral theologians but by lawyers?

I support the Church's teaching on capital punishment, which is clearly described in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2266 & 2267). Unlike abortion, though, capital punishment is not intrinsically evil. Morally, the two are very different acts.

I find it particularly interesting that Cardinal Tobin, the day after he seemed to support one presidential candidate over the other, defended his comments by saying: "I neither endorsed nor opposed anyone running for office. I simply reminded Catholics of our responsibility to take part in the elective process."

Okay, then, I guess I can say the same thing.

“Sine Dominico non possumus.”

The title of this post are the words of an early Christian martyr, a man named St. Emeritus. He was one of the famous 49 martyrs of Abitinae in North Africa, who died in 304 A.D. during the persecutions of the Emperor Diocletian. Because they had celebrated the Eucharist together, the 49, including four children, had all been charged with violating the emperor's prohibition of Sunday Mass. Of course, it was also illegal simply to be a Christian. Each was tortured and ultimately executed for this act of Christian worship.

When it came time for St. Emeritus to be tortured, he was asked why he had committed this unlawful act of worship. He responded with "Sine Dominico non possumus." A literal translation is simply, "Without this thing of the Lord [the Lord's Day] we cannot..." In other words, we need the Lord's Day...we need the Bread of Life...we need the Church...we need God's House...we need the Community of Christians...we need the grace of the sacraments...we need all that God gives us. Without  "this thing of the Lord" we have nothing and cannot live. And with these words on his lips and thoughts in his mind, Emeritus gave his life to his Lord.

I suppose some good questions for you and me might include: Do we believe the same about the Eucharist and the Lord's Day? Without it, can we also not live? How willing would we be to do as St. Emeritus and his companions did back in February 304? I'm not prophesying, but given what's happening in our world, and even in our nation, it could come to that. Are we truly ready to defend Our Lord?

St. Emeritus came to mind today because of a letter written by Robert Cardinal Sarah, Prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Liturgy and Sacraments (photo above). On September 14, Cardinal Sarah sent the letter to the world's bishops urging them to make the Eucharist available to the faithful, while observing proper safety protocols. The primary thrust of the letter, however, is the necessity of the Eucharist in the life of the Church. In the Cardinal's words:

As soon as circumstances permit, however, it is necessary and urgent to return to the normality of Christian life, which has the church building as its home and the celebration of the liturgy, especially the Eucharist, as "the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed, at the same time it is the font from which all her power flows (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10)

In his letter Cardinal Sarah also refers to those four wonderful words of St. Emeritus and uses them to emphasize what the Eucharist means (or should mean) to every Catholic. He also stresses the responsibility of each bishop to decide how best to ensure access to the Eucharist, reminding them to do so prudently but firmly, not letting public authorities decide on liturgical matters. Here's a relevant excerpt:

Due attention to hygiene and safety regulations cannot lead to sterilization of gestures and rites, to the instilling, even unconsciously, of fear or insecurity in the faithful.

It is up to the prudent but firm action of the Bishops to ensure that the participation of the faithful in the celebration of the Eucharist is not reduced by public authorities to a "gathering", and is not considered comparable or even subordinate to forms of recreational activities.

Liturgical norms are not matters on which civil authorities can legislate, but only the competent ecclesiastical authorities (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, 22).

[Note: On several occasions, Cardinal Sarah refers to Sacrosanctum Concilium, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, one of the key documents of Vatican II.]

Here's a link to the complete text of Cardinal Sarah's letter: Return to the Eucharist With Joy.

As a postscript, if you haven't yet read Cardinal Sarah's book -- The Day Is Now Far Spent -- I recommend doing so. It's a most timely book, filled with wisdom. Every Catholic should read it.

Oh, yes, one more thing. St. Emeritus is honored with a memorial on February 12, under the title, St. Saturninus and his Companions, Martyrs. Emeritus was among the companions.

“The Evil One Is At Work Here”

The words in the title of this post are words spoken by San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone who has had to cope with a mayor and a governor that seem to be doing all in their power to shut down churches, especially Catholic churches, in San Francisco and throughout the state. Of course, Archbishop Cordileone and his brother bishops in California are not alone. Almost all American bishops, and many others throughout the world, have had to cope with some level of anti-religious control from local and state governments. It’s as if the political forces were just waiting for an opportunity to separate the people from the practice of their faith. Evil will, of course, fail at this, but in the meantime the faith of many will be challenged.

The celebration of Mass has been effectively banned in many cities and states. The same is true of most other sacramental rites. To understand how specifically anti-religious these controls are, one need only look at other permitted gatherings. Here’s just one example, In San Francisco even the celebration of an outdoor Mass, regardless of the size of the venue, must be limited to only 12 people, including the priest. And yet Black Lives Matter “protesters” can congregate in the streets, with no separation whatsoever, and are encouraged to do so by local politicians.  

In a recent interview, Archbishop Cordileone stated that there is a definite “spiritual” connection between these Mass restrictions and the defacing and destruction of Catholic statues that recently plagued His archdiocese. He went on to say, “I performed a minor exorcism at the site of the statue of St. Junipero Serra in Golden Gate Park because statues of holy saints are sacramentals; their destruction is a sacrilege. The Evil One is at work here.” The photo below shows the Archbishop blessing the site.

The Archbishop continued by addressing what this means to us as Americans: “To take something as beautiful and holy as the face of Our Mother and desecrate it? What demons these poor, battered souls must be fighting. In the midst of all our troubles, to be deprived of the Eucharist is both a serious imposition on our rights as Americans and a serious spiritual deprivation.” He went on to say, “I’m not sure the governing authorities here in San Francisco really realize the pain they are imposing on people.” The Archbishop is much kinder than I am, for I believe they know exactly what they’re doing and the effect it has on the Catholic faithful. Yes, indeed, there is evil at work here. 

As for the Catholic faithful, Archbishop Cordileone tells them to “Pray, fast, say the rosary. Focus on living your Catholic faith in the home, with your family, praying the rosary as a family, reflecting together on the Scripture readings for Sunday Mass, watching good Catholic programming together. Reach out to help your neighbors. Let your priests know you care about them. And if you must attend Mass via livestream, don’t just ‘watch’ the Mass: worship.”  

Personally, and I am speaking here only as an American and a Catholic, I honestly believe all the restrictions placed on religious activity by government authorities are unconstitutional. Nowhere in the U. S. Constitution does the government have the power to restrict the religious activity of the people. Indeed, exactly the opposite is true. The primary right of the people, the first God-given right mentioned in the Constitution, is the right of the people to worship freely, as specified in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...”

Can anyone not see that those who wield governmental power are preventing American citizens of the right to freely exercise their faith? While I certainly respect Archbishop Cordileone for what he is doing, or attempting to do, as he battles the power of evil that confronts the Church today, I believe it's time for our bishops to resist this evil strongly and openly. We are a Eucharistic Church and, as the fathers of the Second Vatican Council declared, the Eucharist is the "source and summit of the Christian life." Because of the interference of secular government, most Catholics today are deprived of the Eucharistic Bread of Life, as well as the graces that flow from the other sacraments.

It’s time for our bishops to stand tall for religious freedom. "Blessed are the meek," Jesus promised, but the meek are not the indifferent. We don’t need the government to dictate how we may worship, and should resist their attempts to do so. The Church can care for its own people and devise safe conditions to ensure the health of the faithful. Our bishops should demand the freedom to exercise the Church's First Amendment rights and do so safely. They should also be willing to suffer the consequences, even if it means imprisonment and fines. Over the past 2,000 years, beginning with the Apostles themselves, many bishops, in a spirit of courageous meekness, have paid a far greater price for such courageous acts of faith.

Remember, too, how Jesus completed the Beatitudes, this time speaking personally to His disciples:

"Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me..." [Mt 5:11]

Years ago I used to conduct a course on negotiating for businesspeople, and one of the more effective strategies was that used by those who were perceived as powerless: the power of no power. If you are willing to accept whatever consequences your opponent can inflict, you have just given yourself significant power, especially in the court of public opinion. Here's a wonderful example...

Perhaps our bishops and all Christian churches should look to Evangelical Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church in Los Angeles County (photo at left). Pastor MacArthur has been threatened with jail time and fines because he refuses to accept Governor Newsome's restrictions that prevent his church from conducting in-person services. 

According to the pastor, "We believe the governor, the county, the city, and the health department are going against the Constitution. And just to remove one obvious question, the rate of COVID in California is 1/100 of 1% of 40 million people...and that eliminates freedom of worship from the entire state?"

The pastor went on to explain that his church has "been meeting together now for weeks and weeks and weeks, and...nobody in our congregation has ever been to the hospital with this...There's another virus loose in the world and its the virus of deception, and the one who is behind the virus of deception is the arch-deceiver, Satan himself. And it's not a surprise to me that, in the midst of all this deception, the great effort that is going on is to shut down churches that preach the Gospel." How did Archbishop Cordileone put it? "The Evil One is at work here."

Pastor MacArthur then added, "We received a letter with a threat that we could be fined or I could go to jail for a maximum of six months. Of course, my Biblical hero, apart from the Lord Jesus Christ, is the apostle Paul...so I don't mind being a little apostolic if they want to tuck me in jail. I'm open for a jail ministry. I've done a lot of other ministries and haven't had the opportunity to do that one, so bring it on."

You have to love the man. And as Catholics we should join hands and minds and hearts with other Christians, with men and women like Pastor MacArthur, as we fight the battle against the powers of the world. I really believe that it will be through our common suffering and persecution that the unity Jesus Christ longs for will come about.

Historic Photoshopping

Every so often I encounter a story that just amazes me, usually because it reveals something so unexpected, so strange that I’m compelled to dig into it more deeply simply to overcome my inherent disbelief. 

I offer here a perfect example...but let me preface my comments by stressing that I am, by no stretch of anyone’s imagination, an art expert. I’m not even an amateur student of the fine arts. I’m just another among the hoi polloi who knows what he likes when it comes to art.

The story begins in Ghent, Belgium back in the early 15th century when an artist, Hubert van Eyck, was commissioned to create an altarpiece for St. Bavo’s Cathedral. Although Hubert designed and began painting the elaborate piece, he died before finishing the work. His brother, Jan, continued the work which took over 12 years to complete. To say the altarpiece is iconic would be a gross understatement. It is universally considered to be one of the world’s great artistic masterpieces. I’ve included a photo of the twelve interior panels of the altarpiece below. Because the altarpiece is hinged, there’s also an outer group of panels, but our story is focused on the larger, more elaborate paintings of the interior panels depicted here. (Click image to see larger version.)

The top seven panels depict the heavenly realm, centered on Christ the King, with the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist at His side. They in turn are flanked by angelic choirs and finally by Adam and Eve, who in their nakedness look very guilty indeed.

At the center of the lower five panels is the largest painting, the Adoration of the Lamb, depicting Jesus as the Lamb of God shedding His blood into the chalice on the altar. He is surrounded and worshipped by a large collection of people representing various sectors of humanity: sinners, saints, clergy, soldiers, royals, etc. The below image shows the lamb on the altar.

Some years ago it was decided to perform a complete restoration of the altarpiece. (The above close-up of the Lamb is post-restoration.) The three-phased restoration began in 2002 and was partially completed earlier this year. Phase three of the restoration will commence soon. As always happens with art restorations, some “experts” were appalled by the results. And that certainly happened with the Ghent Altarpiece restoration. Although the complaints were wide-ranging, much of the criticism focused on the figure of the Lamb of God in the large, central, lower panel. I’ve included below a close-up photo comparing the before and after look of the Lamb. (Click on the image to enlarge.)

The difference between the two is striking. On the left, we have the “before” version, a rather natural, placid looking, very sheep-like face. The contrast between it and the restored version is obvious. The restored Lamb of God presents us with an almost human face — the penetrating look in the eyes, the mouth with its full lips, the overall expression. Some of the harshest of the critics have called it “cartoonish” and complained that the restorers actually repainted the face, changing it from its original to this oddly anthropomorphic version.  

Well, guess what? It seems the only “repainting” took place long ago, and the restorers actually got it right. The scientific evidence — and I won’t bore you (or myself) with the details of how they do these things — shows that the painting had undergone a number of earlier “restorations” that really were over-paintings designed to alter the face of the Lamb. Helene Dubois, head of the restoration project, suggested that the original Lamb, with its nearly human face, and its penetrating, almost accusatory stare, might have been too much for those of later generations who encountered its expression every day. It was, therefore, over-painted to reflect more closely the “tastes” of later times. As the restoration progressed, the restorers were able to remove the successive over-paintings and uncover the original seen on the right above. According to the conservators, over 70% of the original panels were hidden or altered in a 1550 over-painting; and that’s 125  years after the van Eyck brothers’ original. 

I found this truly amazing. We think of photoshopping — the alteration of an image in a way that intentionally distorts reality — as a very modern, digital technique to make Aunt Alice look a little younger, a bit thinner than she really is. But here we see the same process applied to one of the world’s great artistic masterpieces by those who apparently thought the Lamb of God should be softened so He’d look more sheep-like, less human, and certainly less sacrificial. I guess "fake news" is nothing new. 

Why this was done we can only guess. Because of the timing, I suspect it’s related to the Reformation. The statues and other artwork of several of Ghent's Catholic churches were defaced or destroyed during those days, so perhaps the Lamb on the altar was perceived as simply too Catholic to be left as is. Repainting it as more sheep-like would make it more symbolic and less sacramental, less Eucharistic. The altarpiece may have been spared more serious damage because it was so highly regarded, so beautiful, and a valued part of Belgian heritage. But that's just my uneducated view and I may well be totally wrong.

Anyway, the altarpiece is being restored to its original state, giving us a far more accurate depiction of the faith of Belgians in 1425.   

Birthday Numbers

Today is my birthday, my 76th, but I feel much younger...well, most of the time...ok, maybe sometime. They sang “Happy Birthday” to me in church this morning, right after the final blessing. It was a surprise, but very nice. It would have been nicer if Dear Diane had been there, but her shoulder was acting up, so I left her in bed with the ice machine soothing her pain. Dear Diane’s ad:

I think young people tend to forget, or simply ignore, the birthdays of their elders under the mistaken belief that anyone that old wouldn't want to be reminded of it. Here they're wrong. Older folks are really more like little children and take secret pride in their advancing age.

Remember when you were a kid and someone asked, “How old are you...five or six?” How did you respond? “I’m six and a half!” To be seen as only five was a huge insult, and six simply wasn’t good enough. You wanted everyone to know exactly how old you really were. Of course, at that age the years crawled by, so half-years were far more meaningful.

We old folks are much the same. 30 years ago I never would have asked a woman her age. But here in The Villages, they don’t give me a chance to ask. I need only say, “Hi, how are you today?”, and I’m greeted with, “Wonderful! Not bad considering I turn 79 next week.” What do you say to that? You have to say something. Here it’s best to remember how seniors and little kids differ. Both are proud of their actual age, but kids want you to think they’re older, while seniors want to be known as old but viewed as younger. Probably the safest response is something like, “79! You’re kidding! You can’t be 79.” That covers all the bases.

Of course birthdays are linked to time itself, and for me, time is probably the most intriguing aspect of God’s creation of space and time. (Read St. Augustine's Confessions, chapter 11 for one of the better discussion on this.) 

When it comes to space, we can revisit places again and again. They might have changed a bit over time, but they’re still there and usually still recognizable. If I’m planning a future trip to a new place, I can even call up Google Earth and check it out. Oddly, although I’m actually looking at the past as it appears on my computer screen, for me it’s more a peek into the future, a glimpse of the place I intend to visit. 

It’s with time that things get a bit messy. We can’t reclaim the past because it’s irretrievable, but we can call it back as a memory. 

My earliest memories are quite early. I remember watching my dad and brother playing in the snow in our backyard in rural Nichols, Connecticut when I was only two years old...well, ok, two years and five months old. I was sitting with my mom at our bay window looking out at the two of them and wanting so badly to join them. Years later, when I described this memory to my mother, she was amazed that I could recall that day. “You had a bad cold,” she said, “I was very worried about you, and wouldn’t let you go outside. My gosh! That was in February 1947, and you remember that?” Yep.

I have quite a few memories of my third year, again all in Connecticut. I’ve always been an early riser. Even as a young child, I would awaken long before everyone else, leave my room, and sit down in the hallway at the top of the stairway. There I’d be joined by our dog, a German Shepherd named Clipper. He and I would lie down, my head resting on his side, while I rattled on, sharing my thoughts. Clipper was a tolerant beast and feigned interest. Often my voice would waken my parents (I’ve never been a quiet talker) and Dad would come into the hallway and ask me, “Who are you talking to?” I, of course, thought that a silly question and simply said, “Clipper.” I have many other memories of Clipper, a terrific dog whose only vice was his uncontrollable desire to kill our neighbor’s chickens. 

Birthdays generate other thoughts. I was born in 1944, so someone who was my current age then -- 76 years old -- was born in 1868, just a few years after the end of the Civil War. If we repeat this exercise and go back another 76 years, we find ourselves in the year 1792, when the French Revolution was in full bloodbath mode, setting the stage for the far bloodier revolutions of the 20th century. 

Speaking of the French Revolution, when I was 13 I met a 96-year-old man born in 1861 in Philadelphia. His grandfather had left France in a hurry in the midst of the revolution because as an apprentice cabinet maker his shop in Paris had made furniture for French royals. For the revolutionaries this apparently was a capital offence. Born in 1776, he was only 17 years old when he made his way to America thanks to a gift from a wealthy friend. Arriving in Baltimore, he managed to find work in Philadelphia, again as a cabinet maker. He died in 1870, at the age of 94. (His grandson attributed the family's longevity to the daily consumption of French wines.) 

But that's just the background. The interesting part of the story began when the grandson told me his grandfather had made some furniture for Thomas Jefferson and visited Monticello on several occasions during the early 1800s. The old man had also told him many more stories of meeting other famous Americans during our nation's infancy. That's when it hit me. Old age and the compression of time placed me just two people away from our founding fathers. 

Maybe 80 years from now, one of my grandchildren will tell stories to his grandchildren of that strange year, 2020, and what his aging grandfather told him about a world so very different from the world they'll be facing then. 

Cherish the memories, friends. Share them and let the past live in the minds and hearts of those who follow. 

God's peace...and a Happy Birthday to all others who may be celebrating today.

COVID-19 Bible Study Reflection #16: Blessings and Happiness

The following is the 16th of the COVID-19 reflections written primarily for those parishioners who would normally take part in our weekly Bible Study. Sadly, those meetings have been suspended, at least for a while. I hope you find these reflections of some value, and, during these difficult times, I encourage you all to find creative ways to fulfill God's command to love Him and your neighbor. God's peace...

___________________

Aristotle once described happiness as "that which all men seek." He also observed that what we do, day in and day out, is what we believe will bring us happiness in one form or another. Of course, the obvious problem is we are so often wrong. What we hope will bring happiness usually doesn't. For example, many seek happiness in alcohol or drugs or gambling or sexual gratification and instead find only addiction, pain, damaged relationships, and lives spiraling out of control. The result? Lost jobs, destroyed families, and shattered lives. 

Yes, everyone seeks happiness, but so often we look for it in all the wrong places. Good old Aristotle recognized this. He described the ethical person as one who knows and does that which leads to true and lasting happiness. Others seek happiness by striving to attain wealth or power. This, too, always fails. Ultimately, the promised happiness is at best short-lived.

Now, another word for true and lasting happiness is “blessedness” or “beatitude,” something about which Jesus often spoke. And when He spoke, He turned the world of His listeners upside-down. Can you imagine what the people of Galilee thought as they sat on that mountainside and listened to the opening words of the Sermon on the Mount? Heck, just imagine what the people of today would think.

Jesus began with the Beatitudes [Mt 5:3-12], eight declarations of true happiness, of what it means to be blessed. And that’s what they were: declarations. They weren’t commands. Jesus was just offering the Galileans and us the basics of true happiness. Later on, in that same sermon, He’s more specific about how we must live if we are to be His disciples. But right now, He just lays the groundwork, but that’s enough to upset the Galileans’ world (and ours). 

It doesn’t take much time or brainpower to figure out that Jesus’ message is the exact opposite of the world’s message, and the world’s message hasn’t really changed in 2,000 years. The contrast is so very evident.

·         Blessed are the poor in spirit -- Happy are the rich and prosperous, those who believe they have no need of the Spirit.

·         Blessed are they who mourn -- Happy are they who avoid unpleasantness, who consider mourning psychologically unhealthy.

·         Blessed are the meek -- Happy are the clever and ambitious, the newsmakers, the celebrities, those who look out for number one.

·         Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness -- Happy are those whose personal ambition always outweighs justice and truth. 

·         Blessed are the merciful -- Happy are the powerful, those who crush their enemies, who see mercy as weakness.

·         Blessed are the pure of heart -- Happy are those who reject holiness, who use and abuse others for their personal satisfaction and pleasure.

·         Blessed are the peacemakers -- Happy are those who use aggression and violence to achieve the ends they seek. 

·         Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake -- Happy are those who never accept responsibility for their actions, who believe the persecuted have only themselves to blame.

But that’s not all. Jesus concludes the Beatitudes with one more blessing, and this one’s different because it’s personal. No longer is it “they” or “them.” No, this time Jesus speaks in the first person and He speaks directly to you and to me:

“Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me” [Mt 5:11].

Jesus then promises that from this blessing will come a reward, actually the bounty of all these blessings, these beatitudes. And it’s not an earthly, but a heavenly reward.

“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven” [Mt 5:12].

These are not easy words to accept, for we’ve been programmed by the world to seek happiness and rewards right here on earth. Indeed, the world’s message is really quite simple: Focus only on yourself and all will go well. This is the message that bombards you and me, our children, and our grandchildren. It attacks us via a thousand different channels, all day, every day. It was really no different on that day in Galilee so long ago. It may be delivered today via a multitude of different media, but the message hasn’t changed.

Of course, it’s a lie – a clever, insidious lie because it sounds so reasonable, so believable, so true. After all, if I win $100 million playing Power Ball, how could I be anything but happy? I’ve known quite a few millionaires, and even a billionaire or two, and they’ve all suffered from various forms of unhappiness. Eventually, they come to realize that all those possessions, and everything they’ve accomplished have little true meaning, that all could, and eventually will, disappear in the single beat of a heart.

One acquaintance, who focused solely on his work and became fabulously wealthy, found himself bored, lonely, depressed, and deeply unhappy at the age of 40. His wife divorced him, he had sold his company, and for the first time in his life, he had no direction. I couldn’t help but wonder who was happier, he or a Franciscan friend of mine who has absolutely nothing…

So many, deceived by the world's empty promises, haven't yet figured it all out. They know something is terribly wrong in their lives, but they can neither define nor repair it. Fortunately, our God knows what's wrong, for He sees into each human heart. His Son provides the solution, but it's so counterintuitive, so out of this world (so heavenly?), that few are willing to accept it. The thought of abandoning everything in which we've come to believe, including ourselves, and turning in faith to the only source of true happiness...well, for so many that's just not an option, at least not yet. As one very earthly friend said to me, “Maybe on my deathbed...”

But Jesus tells us it's the only option. We’ll be happy only if we’re willing to embrace poverty and sorrow, only if we’re meek and obedient, only if our hunger and thirst for justice moves us to tend to the hungry and thirsty in our midst, only if we welcome strangers, only if we visit and care for the sick and imprisoned. We’ll be happy, He tells us, when we show mercy, when we make peace, when we suffer persecution. 

How many of us actually choose such things? How would you like to receive poverty, sorrow, and hunger as birthday gifts? But this is exactly what the Lord asks of us, exactly what we encounter in the Beatitudes. And hidden within them, underlying each of the Beatitudes, is a single virtue, one that is urged on us throughout Sacred Scripture. It’s a virtue the world silently abhors while pretending to value it: the virtue of humility.

Here, for example, are the words of Zephaniah, whose brief book of prophecy is worth the occasional reading:

“Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who have observed His law; seek justice, seek humility…But I will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly, who shall take refuge in the name of the Lord: the remnant of Israel [Zeph 2:3, 3:12].

Do you detect a foreshadowing of the Beatitudes in Zephaniah’s words? And do you see the importance God places on the virtue of humility? It is, in a very real sense, the foundational virtue which supports other virtues. Humility is a saving virtue.

St. Paul, writing to the Christians of Corinth, echoes this as he describes God’s choice of disciples:

“Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God. It is due to Him that you are in Jesus Christ, who became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord’” [1 Cor 1:26-31].

Yes, indeed, “as it is written…” Paul’s last line about boasting repeats and expands on the Word of the Lord preached by the prophet Jeremiah:

“Let not the wise boast of his wisdom, nor the strong boast of his strength, nor the rich man boast of his riches; but rather let those who boast, boast of this, that in their prudence they know me, know that I, the Lord, act with fidelity, justice, and integrity on earth” [Jer 9:22-23].

Jeremiah preached these words during a most difficult time for God’s People, during the reign of Jehoiakim, the second son of King Josiah. Jehoiakim was a tyrant whose incompetence probably hastened the siege and destruction of Jerusalem and the subsequent Babylonian captivity.

But as we read Jeremiah’s words, we clearly see his influence on Paul. God chooses whomever He pleases. To demonstrate His power, He chooses the “lowly and despised” rather than the wise, the strong, or the rich. And who in Jeremiah’s day could be more lowly, more despised, than the survivors being led away from their homes into captivity in pagan Babylon?

We are, then, called to humility, a virtue greatly misunderstood today. Too often humility is equated with a kind of self-deprecation in which the human person has little or no value. But this isn’t true humility. True humility is how we see ourselves in relationship to the rest of reality.

True humility looks first at the world from God’s perspective; one that accepts His creation as good. Everything, from dirt to galaxies, from rattlesnakes to human beings -- all of it is good. And humanity is the crown of that good creation.

Now, some people believe that because of original sin, because we are sinners, we can’t possibly consider ourselves good. But God never retracts His declaration of creative goodness. Indeed, scripture tells us that sin couldn’t destroy the core goodness of God’s ongoing creation:

“God…gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him…might have eternal life” [Jn 3:16].

God wouldn’t do that for garbage. He doesn’t consider us worthless because His own goodness is in us. Ours might be a goodness marred by sin and crippled by evil, but it’s nevertheless His goodness.

True humility, then, helps us recognize the dignity of humanity and the goodness of God’s creation. It helps us recognize our own dignity and value, as well as the equal dignity and value of others. True humility reminds us that every speck of our dignity and value comes not from ourselves but is a gift from God. Everything is a gift!

This morning I heard a reporter describe a successful businessman as a “self-made” man. But there’s really no such person. Certainly, we can achieve things, but underlying all the human effort are the gifts, the talents, and the opportunities that come only from God. True humility also leads us to accept that the unrecognized hands of others are often behind the situations that bring about the good in our lives.

To be humble, then, is to recognize who we are in relationship with God and with others. Humility leads us to thanksgiving for the value God places on us, and to the recognition that everyone has equal value, from the murderer on death row to the millionaire in Palm Beach, from the unborn baby in the womb to the homeless alcoholic begging for your spare change.

True humility leads us to realize that if God values us so highly, we too must value each other. This is where humility and the Beatitudes come together. 

Humility -- the recognition of God’s gift of goodness in each one of us – drives us to carry God’s love, to carry His peace and justice, to all those others in our lives, regardless of how the world values (or devalues) them..

Only through humility can we exchange our “me-first” attitude for a “God-first” attitude. 

Only through humility can we be obedient and meek in God’s presence, as we strive to conform ourselves to His will.

Only through humility can we join ourselves with those who mourn and share in their burden.

Only through humility can we love those who are poor because we know our possessions can never equal another’s dignity.

And only through humility can we accept that God’s mercy demands mercy from us.

Yes, brothers and sisters, the arrogant and the proud won’t bring about God’s kingdom. The humble will lead the way. These aren’t my words. They’re right out of the Sermon on the Mount. They’re God’s Word.

And so, as we struggle through this challenging time, let’s vow to make these days a time of real change; for that’s what the word, repent, means – to re-think, to change one’s mind or purpose. For most of us, the greatest change is to develop a true humility, to become like Jesus Himself, the Son of God who lowered Himself to become one of us. Let’s make Him the center of our lives.

And believe me; this will turn your world upside down and lead you to lasting happiness.