LET'S not be daunted by this undeniably difficult combination of
qualities we all ought to have. There's God's grace to help us. As
long as we also do our part, things would just jell.
The fact is that Christ tells it to us very clearly. “Look, I am
sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be as shrewd as
serpents and as innocent as doves.” (Mt 10,16)
Indeed, we cannot deny that we are in an increasingly complicated
world. There are now many smart people around, quick to rationalize
their actions. This is especially true among our political leaders,
who in their quest for power, will do everything—mostly unfair means
and reasonings—to gain or keep that power.
But it would be a disaster to us if we respond to this complicated
mess with our own version of convoluted self-justifications. This
happens when we start thinking, judging, reasoning and concluding
without God or, worse, when we think God's clear commandments are
already obsolete, irrelevant, a drag to our interests, etc.
Sad to say, there are now many people who think that God's clear laws
are out of touch with reality, and so they craft their own ideologies
that are mainly based on what is practical, convenient, popular, or
what can gain them power, etc.
In history, we have seen many cases like this. There was barbarianism,
massive persecution of Christians or people not in agreement with the
current administration. There was Nazism, Fascism, Communism and some
questionable forms of socialism and capitalism, and now, an unhinged
Liberalism.
What could be worse were those instances when religion was used to
precisely go against God's clear commandments. Some people have gone
to the extent of using their religion to justify divorce, abortion,
ethnic cleansing, terrorism, etc.
Yes, we have to deal with the complicated and complex situations as
they come. That's what Christ warned us about: “I am sending you out
as sheep in the midst of wolves.” But we have to remain simple just
the same.
Simplicity is not naivete. It is not an excuse to escape from the
world and to isolate oneself. It just means we have to know how to
stick by God's laws no matter how difficult a situation may be. It's a
matter of conviction that knows how to reinvent itself without
compromising its essence as the need arises. It knows how to be
flexible, adaptable and versatile. This is precisely the shrewdness of
simplicity.
We get complicated when we detach ourselves from God and would just
depend on our own brilliant ideas. In this case, we become very
vulnerable to fall into deceit and duplicity, to having unfair
ulterior motives, as we get more concerned with our own interests than
with the common good. We get complicated when we are afraid to suffer
for truth, justice, mercy, in short, for love of God and others.
Being complicated springs from self-righteousness as well as
reinforces it. It can be so bad as to go to the extent of making
oneself his own god, creating one's own reality, his own law that
defines what is good and bad, right and wrong.
Being complicated only shows one does not have faith or, at least, has
a weak or distorted faith. That's why he considers the word of God as
ineffective to tackle the challenges of life.
But this is contradicted by what the Letter to the Hebrews tells us
about the word of God: “For the word of God is alive and active.
Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing
soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and
attitudes of the heart.” (4,12)
We need to understand that God's words, as revealed fully by Christ
and taught authoritatively now by the Church, can capture everything
that any human situation may present us and can lead us to understand
and resolve things as Christ himself would understand and resolve
them.
Of course, toward this end, we need to be ready to suffer and even to
die as shown by Christ himself. That suffering and death can never be
taken as a defeat or loss, because if it is suffering and death in
Christ, the victory of the resurrection is assured to us. So, we need
a training in suffering by developing a spirit of sacrifice and
self-denial all throughout our life.
In all this, we should try to maintain a happy and hopeful
disposition, sporty in attitude, knowing how to look for Christ
always, so we don't get lost in the complicated ways of the world
today.
qualities we all ought to have. There's God's grace to help us. As
long as we also do our part, things would just jell.
The fact is that Christ tells it to us very clearly. “Look, I am
sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be as shrewd as
serpents and as innocent as doves.” (Mt 10,16)
Indeed, we cannot deny that we are in an increasingly complicated
world. There are now many smart people around, quick to rationalize
their actions. This is especially true among our political leaders,
who in their quest for power, will do everything—mostly unfair means
and reasonings—to gain or keep that power.
But it would be a disaster to us if we respond to this complicated
mess with our own version of convoluted self-justifications. This
happens when we start thinking, judging, reasoning and concluding
without God or, worse, when we think God's clear commandments are
already obsolete, irrelevant, a drag to our interests, etc.
Sad to say, there are now many people who think that God's clear laws
are out of touch with reality, and so they craft their own ideologies
that are mainly based on what is practical, convenient, popular, or
what can gain them power, etc.
In history, we have seen many cases like this. There was barbarianism,
massive persecution of Christians or people not in agreement with the
current administration. There was Nazism, Fascism, Communism and some
questionable forms of socialism and capitalism, and now, an unhinged
Liberalism.
What could be worse were those instances when religion was used to
precisely go against God's clear commandments. Some people have gone
to the extent of using their religion to justify divorce, abortion,
ethnic cleansing, terrorism, etc.
Yes, we have to deal with the complicated and complex situations as
they come. That's what Christ warned us about: “I am sending you out
as sheep in the midst of wolves.” But we have to remain simple just
the same.
Simplicity is not naivete. It is not an excuse to escape from the
world and to isolate oneself. It just means we have to know how to
stick by God's laws no matter how difficult a situation may be. It's a
matter of conviction that knows how to reinvent itself without
compromising its essence as the need arises. It knows how to be
flexible, adaptable and versatile. This is precisely the shrewdness of
simplicity.
We get complicated when we detach ourselves from God and would just
depend on our own brilliant ideas. In this case, we become very
vulnerable to fall into deceit and duplicity, to having unfair
ulterior motives, as we get more concerned with our own interests than
with the common good. We get complicated when we are afraid to suffer
for truth, justice, mercy, in short, for love of God and others.
Being complicated springs from self-righteousness as well as
reinforces it. It can be so bad as to go to the extent of making
oneself his own god, creating one's own reality, his own law that
defines what is good and bad, right and wrong.
Being complicated only shows one does not have faith or, at least, has
a weak or distorted faith. That's why he considers the word of God as
ineffective to tackle the challenges of life.
But this is contradicted by what the Letter to the Hebrews tells us
about the word of God: “For the word of God is alive and active.
Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing
soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and
attitudes of the heart.” (4,12)
We need to understand that God's words, as revealed fully by Christ
and taught authoritatively now by the Church, can capture everything
that any human situation may present us and can lead us to understand
and resolve things as Christ himself would understand and resolve
them.
Of course, toward this end, we need to be ready to suffer and even to
die as shown by Christ himself. That suffering and death can never be
taken as a defeat or loss, because if it is suffering and death in
Christ, the victory of the resurrection is assured to us. So, we need
a training in suffering by developing a spirit of sacrifice and
self-denial all throughout our life.
In all this, we should try to maintain a happy and hopeful
disposition, sporty in attitude, knowing how to look for Christ
always, so we don't get lost in the complicated ways of the world
today.
No comments:
Post a Comment