11-18-2013, 03:04 PM
THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY REQUIRES OUR COOPERATION WITH THE GRACE OF GOD TO FIGHT AGAINST EVIL
SCRIPTURE READINGS: MAL 3:19-20; 2 TH 3:7-12; LK 21:5-19http://www.universalis.com/20131117/mass.htmWe are living in a critical age; one that is so ambiguous. On one hand, there is globalization, technological progress, democracy, freedom and the equality of sexes. On the other hand, we struggle with the moral degradation of the third millennium – secularism and godlessness, materialism and consumerism, relativism and pragmatism; all resulting in a society that is amoral.Then there are the negative consequences of globalization. With growing urbanization, we are faced with the inevitable cultural uprooting. Social evils plaguing society include the trading and consumption of drugs; modern ideologies that reject the concept of the family based on marriage; the progressive divide between the rich and poor; violations of human rights; and the problems facing migrants. Most of all, the culture of death, which manifests itself in guerrilla warfare and international terrorism, human cloning, stem cell research involving human embryos and euthanasia.Within the Church, there is an increasing loss of faith among our young with a corresponding loss of values. There is a general numbness to the reality of sin. There is also a growing irreverence for God and the sacred.In the face of all these evils, what would be the consequences for humanity? In other words, is there is a future for humanity? Will humanity and the earth be destroyed like the beautiful Temple of Jerusalem when Jesus remarked, “All these things you are staring at now – the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed.” How can we keep our faith in the face of such stark reality?Well, we can take heart in today’s scripture readings when Prophet Malachi says that there will be judgment. The positive aspect of judgment is that there will be vindication and salvation for the just. The negative aspect of judgment is that there will be doom for all the arrogant and evildoers. For us Christians, we must look forward to the judgment not as a day of doom but with joy, waiting earnestly for the day of the Lord. Indeed, Malachi said, “The day is coming now, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and the evil-doers will be like stubble … But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will shine out with healing in its rays.”Until then, we must accept that history is a constant struggle between the forces of good and evil. We have no reason to believe that things will get better and better or that Christ’s kingdom will progress without hindrance. For Jesus reminds us, “when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened, for this is something that must happen but the end is not soon.” Indeed, “Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines here and there; there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.”The important question is, do we take flight or do we fight? We can take flight, as the Thessalonians did. In the hope of Christ’s imminent Second Coming, they refused to work and wait in resignation instead. But St Paul makes it clear that we cannot afford to cop out of the world. He reprimanded the Thessalonians and ordered them to carry on living because the world is going to be transformed and not destroyed. He said, “We gave you a rule when we were with you: not to let anyone have any food if he refused to do any work. Now we hear that there are some of you who are living in idleness, doing no work themselves but interfering with everyone else’s. In the Lord Jesus Christ, we order and call on people of this kind to go on quietly working and earning the food that they eat.”So, we must be strong and fight against the insidious trends of the world. We cannot in this age of Anti-Christ, resign ourselves to the evil forces of the world, be it sexual immorality, the culture of death, materialism and the worship of men and things. As Jesus counseled us, we must “Take care not to be deceived…because many will come using my name and saying, “I am he … The time is near at hand.” We must recognize the false messiahs of the world who are promising freedom under the guise of licentiousness, freedom without responsibility especially without communal responsibility; a life reduced to hedonism or pleasure; and eternal life seen in terms of an endless physical life, which cloning seeks to do.We will face persecution for refusing to succumb to the seductions of the world. But should this be a surprise? Indeed, Jesus warns us, “You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends; and some of you will be put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name, but not a hair of your head will be lost.” That is why the Church is hated by many for speaking out against moral issues like abortion, euthanasia, same-sex union, homosexuality, contraception, injustices, and discrimination. Satan is trying to destroy the Church by discrediting its leaders particularly. Some priests are even misled and deceived by the world. Our faithful have been bought over by the propaganda of the world. Day in and day out, they listen to what the world is saying instead of what God is saying through the Church.Nevertheless as Jesus tells us, we need not fear under persecution but rather we must use it as an occasion for witnessing. “But before all this happens, men will seize you and persecute you; they will hand you over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and bring you before kings and governors because of my name – and that will be your opportunity to bear witness.” Yes, we must seek every opportunity to defend the faith of the Church and the values of the gospel through public forum on moral issues that affect the common good of society, e.g. gambling, stem cell research involving embryos and human cloning; economic and political issues especially those pertaining to public order, morality and injustices. We must initiate debate and dialogue.In spite of such insidious forces at work in the world today, we thank God that we also have many people who, like St Paul, dare to go against the mentality of the world and stand up for the gospel, “in order to make ourselves an example for you to follow.” Yes, as Catholics, we must show ourselves to be different. We must be willing to put a price to what we stand for in life. We cannot afford to be wishy-washy and ambiguous in our values. We must be people who show the way and walk the way for the world to follow.To be steadfast under persecution, we must rely on God’s help and strength. Jesus reminds us, “Keep this carefully in mind: you are not to prepare your defense, because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict.” We cannot stand against the current tide of the world unless we stand with Jesus and with His Church. Only those of us who grow in personal knowledge of Jesus and a deeper understanding of the teaching of the Church on both doctrinal and moral issues can face the world confidently and expose the falsehood that are being promoted.Will you stand up to this challenge and save this world, this humanity from destruction? God needs you to work with Him. If we do this, then Jesus assures us, ““You will be hated by all men on account of my name, but not a hair of your head will be lost. Your endurance will win you your lives.” Not only your lives but also that of your children and the future of humanity!Of course, endurance is not a stoic pessimism but faith that victory lies with God. We can be confident that God will triumph in the end. Our faith is that God will judge the earth and as the responsorial psalm says, He will rule the earth. In spite of the ambiguity of history, the Christian knows for sure that God will eventually bring good out of evil; that the truth will triumph in the end. On that day, the ambiguity of history will be resolved and made clear.- See more at: http://www.csctr.net/reflections/#sthash.vjLnMt28.dpuf
SCRIPTURE READINGS: MAL 3:19-20; 2 TH 3:7-12; LK 21:5-19http://www.universalis.com/20131117/mass.htmWe are living in a critical age; one that is so ambiguous. On one hand, there is globalization, technological progress, democracy, freedom and the equality of sexes. On the other hand, we struggle with the moral degradation of the third millennium – secularism and godlessness, materialism and consumerism, relativism and pragmatism; all resulting in a society that is amoral.Then there are the negative consequences of globalization. With growing urbanization, we are faced with the inevitable cultural uprooting. Social evils plaguing society include the trading and consumption of drugs; modern ideologies that reject the concept of the family based on marriage; the progressive divide between the rich and poor; violations of human rights; and the problems facing migrants. Most of all, the culture of death, which manifests itself in guerrilla warfare and international terrorism, human cloning, stem cell research involving human embryos and euthanasia.Within the Church, there is an increasing loss of faith among our young with a corresponding loss of values. There is a general numbness to the reality of sin. There is also a growing irreverence for God and the sacred.In the face of all these evils, what would be the consequences for humanity? In other words, is there is a future for humanity? Will humanity and the earth be destroyed like the beautiful Temple of Jerusalem when Jesus remarked, “All these things you are staring at now – the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed.” How can we keep our faith in the face of such stark reality?Well, we can take heart in today’s scripture readings when Prophet Malachi says that there will be judgment. The positive aspect of judgment is that there will be vindication and salvation for the just. The negative aspect of judgment is that there will be doom for all the arrogant and evildoers. For us Christians, we must look forward to the judgment not as a day of doom but with joy, waiting earnestly for the day of the Lord. Indeed, Malachi said, “The day is coming now, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and the evil-doers will be like stubble … But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will shine out with healing in its rays.”Until then, we must accept that history is a constant struggle between the forces of good and evil. We have no reason to believe that things will get better and better or that Christ’s kingdom will progress without hindrance. For Jesus reminds us, “when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened, for this is something that must happen but the end is not soon.” Indeed, “Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines here and there; there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.”The important question is, do we take flight or do we fight? We can take flight, as the Thessalonians did. In the hope of Christ’s imminent Second Coming, they refused to work and wait in resignation instead. But St Paul makes it clear that we cannot afford to cop out of the world. He reprimanded the Thessalonians and ordered them to carry on living because the world is going to be transformed and not destroyed. He said, “We gave you a rule when we were with you: not to let anyone have any food if he refused to do any work. Now we hear that there are some of you who are living in idleness, doing no work themselves but interfering with everyone else’s. In the Lord Jesus Christ, we order and call on people of this kind to go on quietly working and earning the food that they eat.”So, we must be strong and fight against the insidious trends of the world. We cannot in this age of Anti-Christ, resign ourselves to the evil forces of the world, be it sexual immorality, the culture of death, materialism and the worship of men and things. As Jesus counseled us, we must “Take care not to be deceived…because many will come using my name and saying, “I am he … The time is near at hand.” We must recognize the false messiahs of the world who are promising freedom under the guise of licentiousness, freedom without responsibility especially without communal responsibility; a life reduced to hedonism or pleasure; and eternal life seen in terms of an endless physical life, which cloning seeks to do.We will face persecution for refusing to succumb to the seductions of the world. But should this be a surprise? Indeed, Jesus warns us, “You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends; and some of you will be put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name, but not a hair of your head will be lost.” That is why the Church is hated by many for speaking out against moral issues like abortion, euthanasia, same-sex union, homosexuality, contraception, injustices, and discrimination. Satan is trying to destroy the Church by discrediting its leaders particularly. Some priests are even misled and deceived by the world. Our faithful have been bought over by the propaganda of the world. Day in and day out, they listen to what the world is saying instead of what God is saying through the Church.Nevertheless as Jesus tells us, we need not fear under persecution but rather we must use it as an occasion for witnessing. “But before all this happens, men will seize you and persecute you; they will hand you over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and bring you before kings and governors because of my name – and that will be your opportunity to bear witness.” Yes, we must seek every opportunity to defend the faith of the Church and the values of the gospel through public forum on moral issues that affect the common good of society, e.g. gambling, stem cell research involving embryos and human cloning; economic and political issues especially those pertaining to public order, morality and injustices. We must initiate debate and dialogue.In spite of such insidious forces at work in the world today, we thank God that we also have many people who, like St Paul, dare to go against the mentality of the world and stand up for the gospel, “in order to make ourselves an example for you to follow.” Yes, as Catholics, we must show ourselves to be different. We must be willing to put a price to what we stand for in life. We cannot afford to be wishy-washy and ambiguous in our values. We must be people who show the way and walk the way for the world to follow.To be steadfast under persecution, we must rely on God’s help and strength. Jesus reminds us, “Keep this carefully in mind: you are not to prepare your defense, because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict.” We cannot stand against the current tide of the world unless we stand with Jesus and with His Church. Only those of us who grow in personal knowledge of Jesus and a deeper understanding of the teaching of the Church on both doctrinal and moral issues can face the world confidently and expose the falsehood that are being promoted.Will you stand up to this challenge and save this world, this humanity from destruction? God needs you to work with Him. If we do this, then Jesus assures us, ““You will be hated by all men on account of my name, but not a hair of your head will be lost. Your endurance will win you your lives.” Not only your lives but also that of your children and the future of humanity!Of course, endurance is not a stoic pessimism but faith that victory lies with God. We can be confident that God will triumph in the end. Our faith is that God will judge the earth and as the responsorial psalm says, He will rule the earth. In spite of the ambiguity of history, the Christian knows for sure that God will eventually bring good out of evil; that the truth will triumph in the end. On that day, the ambiguity of history will be resolved and made clear.- See more at: http://www.csctr.net/reflections/#sthash.vjLnMt28.dpuf