Part II
WHERE ARE YOU HEADED?
Now is an opportune time to ask the question where are we going in the midst of the chaos and turmoil around us. No matter the profession or trade, we see degeneration, disaster, and war around us. Little seems to be working as originally designed. Government is broken. The financial markets and structures of governance, the political system, economic structures, and nearly every other social indice that you can think of is completely out of control and beyond help unless there is Divine Intervention or revolution. Years ago, believers may have witnessed the degeneration in their gut, but now the data is out there for all to see and it is ugly. The slide is fast and furious—-and it is accelerating at an alarming rate. It makes one dizzy to look at the news, and unless there is a focus on what is most important in life, it can be a cause of depression and discouragement.
First and foremost, we need to understand that we are pilgrims on a sojourn in a foreign land. As Jesus said, “my kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36.) Our worldly life is not the ultimate goal and we need to keep that in perspective. Life is a test and at the end, we will hopefully hear from the Lord “well done good and faithful servant.” The saints are the saints because they lived the gospel no matter the cost and understood that they were not battling flesh and blood but spiritual wickedness in high places. There are dozens of fratricidal wars throughout the world, and there are wars because there are first wars in men’s hearts. It is for this reason Jesus never addressed the issue of politics or taught on it. It is a cursory and elemental way to deal with what makes a society sick—and the USA is a very sick patient at the this point in time. What is making us sick is the epidemic of sin that is rarely addressed in the pulpit or the public square.
Whenever an athletic team or company excels, we always hear the same things. “We stuck to the fundamentals” is said after hoisting the trophy. Whether it be a locker room celebration for any sport, at one time in the victory speech, the same thing is said. “We practiced the fundamentals.” Day in and day out, it is the fundamentals that produce winners no matter the venue or the locale. All sportsmen know exactly what the fundamentals are to their sport. When we deviate, we lose the basic elements of success. The writing is on the wall, and the U.S. has lost its way from the fundamentals of what is considered wholesome living. Many violate God’s Law and the most basic tenets of dignified and righteous living. Should they then expect Heaven to bless their families and labor? It is not possible in this life or the next to be under the protective hedge of God’s blessing living a life of sin. It is not Scriptural to think one deserves His blessings unless there is first repentance.
The Lord has shown in Gideon’s army that He will work with the few no matter how large the odds. Judges chapters 7 & 8 tell the story that Yahweh will win the battle if they follow His plan. Starting with an army of 32,000 that was whittled to 300 battling a great force, Yahweh said, “that is your army.” In what is not allegory or metaphor, Yahweh made it very clear to Gideon, it would be Him winning the battle, not Gideon. Yahweh was going to do it His way. He had a plan for Gideon, and He has a plan and agenda today that is clearly for us to find out what it is. But, we must understand that the Lord is in control and what happens will pass through His Divine Will. There is always a long term agenda that we most often fail to see.
To not get swallowed up in the chaos, we must stick to the spiritual fundamentals. Let’s take a look at the tried and tested aspects of our faith. People may perish around you to the left and the right, but if we adhere to the most basic elements of the faith, we will come out the other end whole. We may get wounded here and there, which is to be expected if we are in the battle, but in the end, we will have given it our best and can look back at the effort.
So, when ships are capsizing around us, things we need to be doing are:
–Attending daily Mass if possible, as the effort should be made.
–Keeping the Sabbath Holy. Not a day of “getting it (Mass) out of the way” on Saturday night to run errands and mindless entertainment in front of the television all day Sunday.
–Confession. At least one a month to keep the soul clean where the Lord can hear our prayers because we are in a state of grace.
–Adoration/Prayer. There are 168 hours in a week, 672 hours in a month, and 8,064 hours in a year. Mother Teresa said abortion would end throughout the world if there were Adoration in the churches. She credits the growth of her order when they instituted Adoration in the houses of her sisters. “Can you not pray with me one hour’ said the Lord when the apostles fell asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane. Prayer is what people talk the most about, and do the least.
–The Rosary. It takes roughly 20 minutes a day and can be done to a CD in the car during a commute. The Blessed Mother has said saying the Rosary is the equivalent to a spiritual nuclear bomb. Saints throughout the ages attest to its power. It is simply Heaven’s Way of doing things and we need to listen to the wisdom of heaven. The Rosary is heaven’s weapon for the destruction of evil.
–Scripture reading. Scripture is the Eternal Word of God. It is what has been given to us to know Him and His Ways. There are millions of books interpreting the Bible, exegesis of it, and a million other topics, but one should spend time in the word of God to know what the Lord is asking of us.
–Limiting and monitoring television. Turn off the television to the inane and banal programming bombarding your senses. It is destructive to your spiritual life. Count the hours in front of the television in a month, yet that same person will speak of how little time they have for prayer.
That is a primer on what ails us and if we stick to the most basic fundamentals, we will do OK. It is in following such an agenda where peace, joy, and contentment will be found in our midst. The trials will come, but we will have the armor to buffet what is sent our way.