IF we are dead serious in following Christ, we have to
expect
misunderstanding and persecution. This goes with the territory. Christ
himself said so. If he himself had to suffer such, then his followers,
that’s us, cannot expect anything different.
We have to be ready for these unavoidable situations. The world
cannot understand the things of God. That’s one thing for sure. It
needs man’s intervention for it to reconcile itself with its Creator.
Aside from its natural limitations with respect to the supernatural
reality of God, its Creator, the world has been damaged by our sins,
whose effects the world has absorbed. Thus, its inability to
appreciate God’s wisdom is further aggravated.
But it is our responsibility, always with God’s grace, to infuse the
world with the spirit of God. We need to be more aware of this
responsibility, because we often take it for granted. Besides, we
really need to know how to go about it. We’re still as clumsy as a
babe in the woods in this regard.
We need to infuse the world with the spirit of love, of truth and
justice that can come only from God, not from us, not from any
man-made ideology, no matter how brilliant it may sound or successful
it so far has been.
For this to take place, we have to understand that an indispensable
requirement is that we be vitally united with God. It’s not enough
that we be smart, or popular, or powerful, or rich. Unless these
qualities spring from a living union with God, they can only give a
very limited success, at best.
What’s more likely is that they can pose a great danger to us, since
objectively excellent qualities not grounded on God have graver
effects than mediocre qualities, also not grounded on God.
Thus, we have to see to it that our God-given talents and other
endowments are engaged with God. This is a real challenge, since we
kind of automatically consider our talents and endowments simply as
our own, to be used completely at our own dispositions, with hardly
any reference to God and his laws.
We need to correct that attitude, so embedded in the mind and culture
of the men and women today. Then we should try to master the doctrine
of our faith, the teaching left by Christ and deposited in the Church
for perpetual transmission to all.
We should master it in such a way that we feel at home with it, have
a global grasp of it and would know what part of it is relevant to
the issue or question raised at the moment.
We should also learn the skill of spreading this doctrine, actively
proclaiming it more than just using it to react to a controversy. With
all the information technologies we now have at hand, this task should
be made easier.
But we cannot deny the fact that we will always find problems, people
who resist to believe or who, while considering themselves as
believers, are consistent with their faith. In the gospel, we are made
familiar with the possibility that those who appear close to God or to
the Church can be the ones who can give the biggest problems.
We should be ready for these eventualities. Christ assured us that we
should not worry when things can get so bad that we as believers can
be persecuted. “Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts
and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before
governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the
pagans,” he said.
“When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or
what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to
say." (Mt 10,19-20)
Still we have to understand that despite God’s assurance that we will
be taken care of by him, we need to prepare ourselves. God’s grace
never takes away our human responsibilities, our duty to study and do
whatever is humanly possible to spread and defend our faith.
As to the difficulties that can include the misunderstandings and
persecution, let’s just be game about them. We should not allow them
to hinder us in our duties. Besides they are a clear sign we would be
doing God’s work, since if Christ suffered these things, we, his
followers, should not expect anything different.
We just have to be patient and optimistic. What also helps is to have
a good sense of humor.
misunderstanding and persecution. This goes with the territory. Christ
himself said so. If he himself had to suffer such, then his followers,
that’s us, cannot expect anything different.
We have to be ready for these unavoidable situations. The world
cannot understand the things of God. That’s one thing for sure. It
needs man’s intervention for it to reconcile itself with its Creator.
Aside from its natural limitations with respect to the supernatural
reality of God, its Creator, the world has been damaged by our sins,
whose effects the world has absorbed. Thus, its inability to
appreciate God’s wisdom is further aggravated.
But it is our responsibility, always with God’s grace, to infuse the
world with the spirit of God. We need to be more aware of this
responsibility, because we often take it for granted. Besides, we
really need to know how to go about it. We’re still as clumsy as a
babe in the woods in this regard.
We need to infuse the world with the spirit of love, of truth and
justice that can come only from God, not from us, not from any
man-made ideology, no matter how brilliant it may sound or successful
it so far has been.
For this to take place, we have to understand that an indispensable
requirement is that we be vitally united with God. It’s not enough
that we be smart, or popular, or powerful, or rich. Unless these
qualities spring from a living union with God, they can only give a
very limited success, at best.
What’s more likely is that they can pose a great danger to us, since
objectively excellent qualities not grounded on God have graver
effects than mediocre qualities, also not grounded on God.
Thus, we have to see to it that our God-given talents and other
endowments are engaged with God. This is a real challenge, since we
kind of automatically consider our talents and endowments simply as
our own, to be used completely at our own dispositions, with hardly
any reference to God and his laws.
We need to correct that attitude, so embedded in the mind and culture
of the men and women today. Then we should try to master the doctrine
of our faith, the teaching left by Christ and deposited in the Church
for perpetual transmission to all.
We should master it in such a way that we feel at home with it, have
a global grasp of it and would know what part of it is relevant to
the issue or question raised at the moment.
We should also learn the skill of spreading this doctrine, actively
proclaiming it more than just using it to react to a controversy. With
all the information technologies we now have at hand, this task should
be made easier.
But we cannot deny the fact that we will always find problems, people
who resist to believe or who, while considering themselves as
believers, are consistent with their faith. In the gospel, we are made
familiar with the possibility that those who appear close to God or to
the Church can be the ones who can give the biggest problems.
We should be ready for these eventualities. Christ assured us that we
should not worry when things can get so bad that we as believers can
be persecuted. “Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts
and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before
governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the
pagans,” he said.
“When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or
what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to
say." (Mt 10,19-20)
Still we have to understand that despite God’s assurance that we will
be taken care of by him, we need to prepare ourselves. God’s grace
never takes away our human responsibilities, our duty to study and do
whatever is humanly possible to spread and defend our faith.
As to the difficulties that can include the misunderstandings and
persecution, let’s just be game about them. We should not allow them
to hinder us in our duties. Besides they are a clear sign we would be
doing God’s work, since if Christ suffered these things, we, his
followers, should not expect anything different.
We just have to be patient and optimistic. What also helps is to have
a good sense of humor.
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