The Roman Catholic Man and the Virtue of Justice

I would imagine that the cardinal virtue of justice might well be one of the most hotly contested in definition in our society. One camp would hold that justice is the giving to another that which his or her actions deserve.  A plea is made to Exodus 21:24, sometimes known as the lex taliones, which says "and eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth..." This is not so much a biblical prescription for the righteousness in taking revenge as it is a placement of restraint for the amount of vengeance that could be taken. In this interpretation, justice is the rendering of retaliation for wrong.  Is this what is meant by the cardinal virtue of justice?  Is it that we have a divine commission to rain down punishment on the guilty because they deserve it?

Those Christians who love to quote Exodus 21:24 quickly forget that Jesus negated such as interpretation in Matthew 5:36-41 where Jesus states "You have heard it said to you and eye for an eye and a tooth for tooth, but I say to you...turn the other cheek".  Does this sound like the allowance for revenge as justice?  NO.  What changed?  The Incarnation changes this.  This leads to the definition of the virtue of justice within the Church.

If justice was about rendering to another that which their actions, for good or for ill, merited, then the Incarnation  (the Son of God fully becoming human as well in all things but sin) doesn't happen. Our sins merit hell.  They merit eternal punishment.  This is what we deserved.  As St. Paul reminds us multiple times, God sent His Son while we were still sinners.  God didn't give what we deserved, but what we needed.  To render to another that which is needed is the definition of the cardinal virtue of justice.  The corporal and spiritual works of mercy are powerful examples of this.  As a quick aside, the false definition of social justice as a delegating of personal responsibility to engage in justice to the state is not what we are talking about.  We may ask the state to be just, but this does not absolve of us personal responsibility.  Taxes do not equal charity.

For the Roman Catholic Man, cultivating the virtue of justice requires the discipline of love.  It requires a man to actively be aware of those around him and to look to their needs, especially when they cannot do this themselves.  Furthermore, the virtue of justice holds a man back from the abuse, exploitation, neglect, or apathy towards another person.  To give an example, pornography is a sin against justice in that it reduces another person to a means to a personal end of self-gratification.  It leads to a stripping away of a person's dignity.  That the person might well have surrendered that dignity does not mean we should take it; what is needed by the person is their dignity to be respected even if their actions do not merit such.

The call to forgiveness that is constant within the New Testament, it is a rendering of judgement that allows mercy to temper any and all forays into vengeance.  The sinner needs forgiveness.  They might merit condemnation, but forgiveness is the standard to which the Roman Catholic man is called.

For the Roman Catholic man called to marriage.  To render justice, you must come last.  Your wife and children come first.  God comes first. Justice requires selflessness.  Their needs come before your wants.  Sometimes it comes before your needs. When dealing with mistakes and sins, regardless of their severity, the use of anger and vengeance are always wrong.  Abuse is never justified.  As spiritual head of the home, you are to be the model of restraint, mercy, and forgiveness.  Sometimes, especially with children, the removal of something to correct behavior might be what they need.  For example to find your son viewing porn.  It is in his best interest to restrict access to the internet.  This is not vengeance as it is doing what is necessary to correct the behavior so as to set thing back on the road on which they should be.  Ignoring or enabling bad behavior is just as unjust as inflicting revenge.  Hence the virtue of prudence is necessary in how to exercise justice.

For the Roman Catholic man called to priesthood. God and your flock come first.  We are to be poured out like a libation, as St. Paul says of himself, for the good of those God has placed in our care.  Fear cannot mitigate message.  Our flock may not want to hear the truth about Catholic morality.  This does matter, they need to hear it.  Our flock has a need to a Mass which orients them to God.  Our flocks need to experience mercy; regulating confession to 45 minutes or less at the most inconvenient time is criminal.  Our flocks need Jesus.  They need the truth.  Our flocks need forgiveness and mercy.  They need to find this in their parish.  Woe to the priests who is neglectful or abusive!  We are to model ourselves after Christ Himself, who gave the totality of his entire being for the good of the flock.  It is that high standard to which we are held.

As Roman Catholic men, we need to recapture this virtue of justice.  In a society transfixed by entitlement and selfishness, the selflessness of the just man is a powerful witness that provides the safe harbor needed by those who are tossed about by the storms of this life, especially the storms of their own making.  We need to model our judgement and its rendering on Jesus Christ Himself. 

The Roman Catholic Man and the virtue of Temperance

Sorry, I couldn't resist. Honestly, when many hear the word temperance, visions of scary looking ladies with hatchets just going to town destroying bars can come to mind. Ironically the temperance movement in this country wasn't really about temperance; at least not about the virtue of temperance. The cardinal virtue of temperance is the virtue concerning self-control, voluntary restraint, and moderation. 

This virtue restrains the sinful nature of the deadly sins of lust, greed and gluttony.  Temperance keeps us from the self indulgence of either craving or consuming too much.  Temperance also tells us what are the things we need to stay away from altogether.  As with the other virtues, the Roman Catholic man, motivated by love, trains himself to use wisely the things of this world for the sake of those placed under his care and as a witness to the larger world.

Temperance holds us firm in the face of falling into addiction.  This virtue informs our will that the use of certain items which are not evil in and of themselves (food, drink, alcohol) are always to be used in moderation and never to be seen as a crutch.  This virtue also informs us to stay away from certain items that are evil in their nature (pornography) lest we damage the relationships we have.

In conjunction with prudence, the Roman Catholic man is given the divine help to learn what is a proper use of his time and what is a waste of time on the basis of whether the behavior being engaged in is to the betterment or abasement of man himself and to the betterment or abasement of those placed under his care.  Temperance also helps him to set his priorities straight, knowing they either guide himself and those placed in his care towards or away from God.

Temperance is about detachment from worldly things, using them correctly.  Temperance underlies the use of the will in the mortifications of  abstinence and fasting.  Temperance helps the Roman Catholic man towards chastity (the right ordering of one's use of sexuality) so that he never degrades himself or others sexually so as to achieve a fleeting moment of pleasure.  In fact, the Roman Catholic man who hones the discipline of temperance does not see pleasure as a primary goal in life.  Informed by love, temperance gives us the ability to embrace sacrifice and suffering for those whom we love.

For the Roman Catholic man called to marriage, the virtue of temperance and its attendant discipline affords him the necessary mastery over himself to correctly navigate the balance needed in being the spiritual head of the home.  Not enslaved to pleasure or self aggrandizement, he is free to consciously and soberly lead, provide, and protect those placed under his care.  He can place himself last as an act of love, never allowing his wants to trump the needs of those laced in his care.  The temperate man is not willing to jeopardize the welfare of others for his own self-gain.

For the Roman Catholic man called to the priesthood, the virtue of temperance and its attendant discipline affords him the ability to act always in the person of the Good Shepherd, putting his own desires aside for the good of the flock assigned to him.  The temperate priest is a fitting model for the men of his parish in what Catholic masculinity looks like.  Not given to sin, he is free to openly act as the Persona Christi in all his endeavors.  He is able to live simply as the Church calls him to live, as is seen in Canon Law (Canon 282).

Temperance is so needed in this culture where the tyranny of selfishness has emasculated men into being driven like livestock from one transitory pleasure to another.  The only outcome of this is the attachment to compensatory behaviors (abuse of alcohol, narcotics/ use of pornography...to name a few) which further break down any classical sense of masculinity.  The Roman Catholic man needs to be witness and light in such grave darkness; to remind all men of the greatness to which they were called and created.     

The Roman Catholic Man and Prudence

I have the lofty goal of examining over the next week the Cardinal and Theological Virtues and finding within them the very definition of Roman Catholic masculinity.  The theological virtues are faith, hope, and love. The cardinal virtues are prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude.  The way a Roman Catholic man looks at who he is, who he is before God, and what his role is in this world and in the Church is and should be substantially different  than how a secular man would identify himself in the same circumstances.

Virtue is a good habit.  It is strengthened by the discipline of practice. It is to our soul and mind what exercise is to the body.  While the seeds of these virtues are planted within us by God, the growth of these seeds comes through a mixture of God's grace and our active cooperation.  They are to be nurtured consciously by our thoughts which give rise to our words and actions.

The desire to practice virtue is bound in the theological virtue of love.  By love, we speak of the Greek word 'agape' which conveys a complete self giving for the good of the other.  In the determined growth in virtue, it is a response to our desire to love God, our neighbor, and ourselves in such a way as to lift up these relationships towards God.  The man who eschews the virtues is no man at all, but merely a overgrown adolescent.  Virtues and their intentional practice lead the Catholic man from adolescence to maturity.

A cardinal virtue is hinge virtue, that is, virtues that inform our decisions and actions. They are conscious decisions and courses of actions in how we deal with events and people around us.  Flowing from our active will to love, they inform us as to how to act and decide as men of God.

Prudence is the exercise of good judgement and wisdom in practical matters.  The prudent Roman Catholic man weighs his actions in light of the Gospel of Christ and the subsequent teachings of the Church.  The prudent Roman Catholic man knows he cannot do this without be familiar with the Gospel and the teachings of the Church.  Why?  The prudent man knows that within himself is NOT the totality and wisdom of the ages.  He knows that God has revealed what it is that He desires. Humility drives him to seek such things out and use them as measures of his own behaviors and words.  Love of God drives him to seek such wisdom.

Prudence helps us combat rashness in words and actions.  It tempers us from explosions of emotion and foolishness.  For the Roman Catholic man, prudence is a filter by which he determines a path of action or words.  Prudence leads us to look to the long term.  Is what I am about to say or do going to have consequences now and in the future?  Who suffers or benefits from these consequences?  Will these consequences lead to heaven or hell?  Will these actions give positive witness or cause scandal?  The prudent Roman Catholic man asks these questions continually.  Practiced enough, then these questions become second nature. 

As we look towards our society, we see a lack of prudence and the tyrannical reign of unrestrained emotions.  We see a foolhardiness in which the only criteria is how something makes me feel. Social media has given a super highway for such drivel.  This is not to say that social media is evil by nature, it isn't.  However. like any tool, it can be used for either and given the breadth of its reach, can be used for tremendous good or unspeakable evil. The lack of prudence will manifest itself in a narcissism. 

The need for Roman Catholic men to nurture prudence becomes more dire as the virtue is shuffled off the public stage.  Prudence connotes a strength of character and an awareness of both oneself and one's environs and relationships.  Prudence will guide where actions needs to take place and where it is appropriate to hold one's tongue. A Roman Catholic man cannot be the protector and provider he is without prudence.  Prudence will lead us to see that God has placed others into our care and protection.

For the Roman Catholic man called to marriage, prudence becomes the guide by which he measures the correct path with his wife and children.  Informed by love, he weighs his decisions on what consequences will be reaped or suffered by those entrusted to his care by God. Is his actions leading those entrusted to him towards or further away from God?  Is he giving witness or scandal?

For the Roman Catholic man called to priesthood, prudence becomes the guide by which he ever measures every word and action by whether he is leading the flock closer to or away from Christ.  Prudence keeps him from wandering away from church teaching.  It bolsters him in standing for the truth even when the truth is unpopular.  It informs him in the celebration of the Eucharist in not making it about a show, play, entertainment extravaganza, or anything else that changes the focus from God to us.  It informs his words of preaching and teaching and keeps him aware that said words are seeds which can produce a great harvest or can introduce weeds into the crop.

Let us Roman Catholic men strive to such a high standard.  Let us avail ourselves of becoming familiar with the teachings of the Gospel and the Church so that we might rightly judge and speak.  Let us reign in the emotions and more greatly exercise restraint before acting or speaking.  Remember, it is a good habit, furthered by each positive act of will to develop it.  Finally, let us realize that it by the grace of God as given through the power of the Holy Spirit that we are given what we need to do this.

Looking for Messiahs Where There are None to be Found

Call me jaded, but I have been well cognizant of politics since the 1984 presidential election.  For decades I have listened to one presidential candidate after another make essentially the same laundry list of promises (appropriate to party, of course).  Each claims to be the person or party that will make us better.  30+ years of we'll make health, education, infrastructure, and programs better.  35+ years of promising safety, welfare, and economic stability.  35+ year of making promises to unite us.  35 +long and painful years of steady failure.

I am sure each party and candidate believed what they were saying.  I do not think they intentionally lied or that they did lie, first to themselves, and then have bought the lie, spread the lie.  What is the lie?  They were wannabe messiahs.  Mere men and women who seek to move heaven and earth, to manipulate the very forces of nature themselves.  They make promises that simply cannot be kept by anyone.  They look for the power of THE Messiah and always fall short.  This does not stop the gravy train of rampant hubris from the next crop of messiahs from rising up and playing the populace for fools.

In the same time frame, we have busied ourselves with deleting the actual Messiah from the public purview.  Some actively have eliminated Him through endless lawsuits, harassment, and through good old fashioned demagoguery.  Most have eliminated Him by apathy and chasing after favored sins.  The new Messiahs promised what the old Messiah wouldn't: they promised wealth without work, choices without consequences, safety without wariness.  These messiahs, though, want a high price: surrender integrity, dignity, freedom, and independence to receive their chest of gold.  Of course, the chest of gold is appropriately filled with fool's gold every time.  Despite the Who's singing "we won't get fooled again" we line up like Charlie Brown, convinced that the football won't get yanked away by Lucy again.  So every election cycle?  To quote the Peanuts strip, "Auuuughhhhhh, THUMP!"

So, now we have a new crop of wannabe messiahs.  They promise vacuous things like free this or that, or he'll make America great again, or some other siren's song to get us to line up like lemmings to jump off the electoral cliff.  Auuughhhhhh....THUMP!  The dirty little truth is that there are consequences from which no earthly messiah can absolve us.  There is no true security without the work, vigilance, or wisdom.  The real Messiah tells us that.  He doesn't absolve of consequence but gives a Gospel to steer us to consequences which will give peace and joy.  This true Messiah doesn't tell us to sit on our kiester and wait for good, but to get off our kiester and get about the business of the Kingdom.

The difference between these poseurs for the throne and the actual Messiah, Jesus Christ?  The poseurs see you as a cog in the machine, largely disposable, and to be cast aside once you have outlived your usefulness.  The real Messiah sees you as worth surrendering His life for.  False messiahs seek power.  Jesus eschewed it, turning down the devil's temptation to rule over all earthly kingdoms if Jesus would but bow down to him. The false messiahs are motivated by what is in it for them; the true Messiah is selfless and empties himself.  False messiahs shear and slay their flock; the true Messiah gives His life for the flock.

The antidote to this cancer?  First, in politics: the president takes an oath of office.  See what is in it and what is not.  For the love of God, look at the Constitution and see what his duties are.  Saving us is not in the constitutional job description.  Can your candidate do this?  Then vote for them.  If not, then don't.  Second, recognize that anyone who does get elected is going to be a mere human being.  They do not always get it right.  That said, please try to elect a person who is honest and will do the job outlined in our constitution.  Third, we have got to start following the right Messiah again.  If we don't, we will have more of the same or even worse. History shows that any entity that shoves the hand of God away from them become easy targets for the predators out there.  We muct stop looking for messiahs where there are none to be found.

The Catholic and Social Justice

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne,  and all the nations^* will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous^* will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’  And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25: 31-40

Social Justice.  Fewer words cause more controversy in the political and religious spheres.  I believe that the controversy stems from an utter lack of understanding in what the concept means.  For some, these words represent the corporate responsibility of peoples to utilize government to the public welfare.  For others, these words represent the guise that many who favor socialism or communism use as a way of the redistribution of wealth.  Still others who favor a socioeconomic Darwinism see this as the seizure of their goods to be given to those who are undeserving.  What does the Church actually teach about this?

We should start by answering the question as to what justice itself is.  The concept has taken on the meaning in our culture of a person getting what their actions deserve.  This is certainly the operative meaning in our criminal justice system.  The socioeconomic Darwinist would apply this definition in regards to society.  What does the Church say?  First, understand that 'justice' is one of the four Cardinal Virtues. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church 1807, it is stated, " Justice is the moral virtue that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor.Justice towards God is called the 'virtue of religion".  Justice towards men disposes one to resp[ect the rights of each and to establishing human relationships the harmony that promotes equity with regards to persons and to the common good."

This is lived on two levels, not one.  First, as is seen in the Last Judgement Sequence, justice finds itself in what are commonly called the corporal works of mercy and, by extension,  the spiritual works of mercy as well.  In no teaching of Jesus does He command love or mercy only to the deserving, but commands love and mercy even to the undeserving, which He says is in imitation of the Father. (see Matthew 5: 43-48)  To see a need and simply do nothing is not an option in the Christian life.  In fact, it is a sin of omission. The onus, though, is on the individual first.  Many times, social justice warriors will concentrate their time and energy on institutions they perceive as unjust without looking towards their own injustices and lack of mercy.  Rallying for a government or business to be just is not a replacement for the person themselves exercising justice. 

To do so is the height of hypocrisy. It is tantamount to what we see in so many 'cause celebre' out there.  To give an example: the actor who on the one hand screams about global warming yet who owns multiple homes, cars, yachts, and such.  It smack of Gnosticism.  "I know the secret knowledge which exempts me from acting justly." We cannot demand corporate entities change or become just in lieu of my own action. Charity, as they say, begins at home.  Jesus' primary directive towards justice is aimed at the individual first.  This is why paying taxes does NOT absolve one of charity.

With this said, as Catholics, we do have a responsibility to be sure that the entities to which we belong reflect our own commitments to justice.  It is upon us to influence corporate entities to  be just and to use those entities to ensure the welfare of the populace.  Here, political and economic arguments can be made as to what system will best do this.  I am not going to tackle that here.  The Church herself favors no political or economic system; rather, she gives standards that should be used in seeing to the welfare of the citizens or workers of the various corporate entities.  The general guidelines point to a respect for the integrity and dignity of the human person; that the person is never reduced to a thing to be used and disposed with upon end of use.   These would include the sins that cry out to heaven: "There are particular mortal sins that are so evil that they are said to be sins that cry to heaven for vengeance: murder (Gn 4:10), sodomy (Gn 17:20-21), oppression of the poor (Ex 2:23), and defrauding workers of their just wages (Jas 5:4)." (taken from catholic answers website) http://www.catholic.com/quickquestions/what-are-sins-that-cry-to-heaven-for-vengeance-and-sins-against-the-holy-spirit)

Social justice is an extension on the corporate level of the demands of justice on the personal level.  One is not the exclusion of the other.  We can quibble as to what is covered and what is not; where charity ends and enabling begins.  The point is, we can never absolve ourselves of the duties we have to be just, to care for those in need (deserving or not), and to be the face of the love and mercy of God.

Bucking the Establishment: In the Church and in the State

The last three days I have been ill.  This has given me a lot of time looking at the internet, Facebook, and the news.  This has probably not helped my illness.  However I see a thread of thought throughout the postings.  In a phrase: To hell (literally) with the establishment!  The establishment is killing us! It really does not matter whether it is a thread about politics or religion, the sentiment is the same.  The establishment has ground to a halt, weighed down with corruption and greed.  The sides in the debate will agree with this.  Their answers to set things anew really fall into three camps: the purists, the anarchists, and the compromisers.

First, to American politics:  This political cycle might well be described as the rise of the outsider.  This is true for both parties.  I am by no means a political analyst, but here is my take. 

In the Democratic party you have Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, a man who is not a self identified democrat, but a self identified socialist who caucuses with the Senate Democrats.  In other cycles, Senator Sanders might well have been easily dismissed and out of the race by now.  The democrat establishment candidate, former 1st Lady and Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton seemed a shoe in for the nomination.  However Sen. Sanders is tapping into the youth and others who feel that the DNC has not fulfilled their promise of utopia.  These people have been raised with an idea that life should be fair, free, and easy; that the governments job is to make life such.  Mrs. Clinton, who herself is far to the left, seems establishment by comparison.  Gov. Martin O' Malley, who might well have been a shoe in for the nomination is decades past can garner no traction at all.  I do not know who will win that DNC primary, but it seems it will be a brutal race. 

In the Republican party, you have a similar fight.  You have Donald Trump, a multi-billionaire businessman, who is seen by many as the ultimate outsider.  A man, they perceive, as the one who gets things done, beholden to no one in the party.  You have Sen. Ted Cruz, a man reviled by the establishment, who seems to be a strict constitutionalist, running second.  The closest establishment candidate, and even some would argue this, would be Sen. Marco Rubio.  The GOP field was littered with political outsiders: Mr. Trump, businesswoman Carly Fiorina, and pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson.  Establishment candidates like Gov. Jeb Bush,  Gov. Chris Christie, Gov. John Kasich, and such have never really been a factor in the race.  Many in the GOP want a guy who can get things done.  Others want a guy who will adhere to the constitution, something they believe the parties have long abandoned.

In the races, both parties are contending with chunks of the population who are widely dissatisfied with the status quo.  Their dissatisfaction comes from a variety of sources, each wanting the body politic to move in a particular way.  The anger is palatable from all sides.  They perceive a country reeling from years of compromise, weakness, and corruption.  I do believe most of these people love their country and do want this country to succeed.

Next, to the Catholic Church. There has always been a division, it seems, through my life in the Church.   As with the body politic, there is real angst in the Body of Christ.  In Protestant faiths, if there be a disagreement, you simply split off and form a new Church.  In the Catholic Church, we stay in, for the most part, and slug it out.  There are many who want a Church who will return us back to what is perceived as the glory days of the Church (aka, before Vatican II) and those who see the same perceived lack of inertia and think we need to compromise further (aka Spirit of Vatican II).  They have taken to the internet and other forms of media.  I notice some, like Michael Voris, have started referring to the powers that be in the church as the establishment.

So why all the angst? Most perceive that the numbers have fallen in the developed world.  Traditions are dropped, it seems, and things watered down.  Those who are faithful Catholics are frustrated by what seems to be a litany of band aids or complete inaction as to the slide.  Their feelings about the bishops, including even the pope, is that they have failed in stemming the loss.  Empirical evidence would seem to back their claims, at least in the developed world. As before, I do believe that most of these people love Christ and His Church and want to see it grow.

I am not dismissing the feelings and frustrations people have, nor am I going to validate each and every one.  How do we deal with such dissatisfaction? There are some hard truths we will have to face.

First, this world is imperfect.  It is full of human beings who can be incredibly selfish.  So many have either ignored or dismissed the notion that our actions do bear consequences for myself and others.  The more selfish a society becomes, the more the fabric of the society of ripped apart.  If you notice, in the political arena, so often either greed, wrath, or envy are the underlying motivations to get people out to vote.  Getting any group of people to move in a unified direction is like trying to herd cats; a task that becomes more impossible as the size of that group grows.  Keep in mind that the population of the USA is over 321 million, and the members of the Roman Catholic Church is hovering around 1.2 Billion Catholics, with 65 Million in the USA alone.  Do we get the monumental task here?

Second, much of the world's imperfection comes from man's selfishness.  In Catholicism, we refer to concupiscence, a selfish desire that motivates the human soul towards sin. In essence , so many want the United States of Me, or the My Catholic Church. As pure or impure as the motivations might be, we want our leaders to cater to me and people who think like me.  I would guess that is because I feel I have figured out reality in all its rich complexity and know what needs to be done.  Inevitably, there will be monumental clashes as all these disparate like minded groups clash.  At stake, the institution they want to make better.  Oftentimes, those who do not think like me can either adapt, hit the bricks, or be eliminated.

Christ called for his followers to put God first.  Then they were to understand they were part of His people.  What was to be done was for the good of the entire Body.  This does not mean compromising the faith to suit an end; but means to allow the Gospel to transform us.  If that happens, then the anger subsides.  This is what St. Paul pleads with the people of Corinth in his letters.  This is more than just 'get along'; this is to be collectively transformed by Christ.

In the body politic, if we do not start asking what is in the best interest of this country and get away from what is in my best interest, we will rip apart this society.  Too many times we assume what is in my best interest is in the best interest of all as well.  This is not true.  If our vote is motivated by greed, wrath, or envy, the base of our vote is steeped in sin.  Nothing good will come of it.  Motivation matters.

It might well be true that the establishment has failed.  That said, what we seek to do to rectify that matters.  Not every overthrown establishment is replaced by something superior.  Witness the French Revolution, the Rise of Hitler, the Rise of Lenin and Stalin, and so on.  If we try to replace an establishment corrupted by human sin with en establishment built on another human sin, we will get the same result.  If we want a different result. we will need to take different tactics.  In the Church, that means the self-revelation of God comes first.  His teachings matter and can not be coopted to suit what we perceive to be a noble end.  The nanosecond I put myself above the need for conversion, I make myself a God.  We might well be successful in making a human government in our image, we will not be successful at all in trying to make a God in our own image.  It will be very difficult for us to positively effect the secular order if we are warring in the spiritual order.

Evangelization: Knowing Who You are Really Up Against

    In The Catholic Church, an increasingly popular character is the exorcist.  An exorcist is a cleric who is officially charged with combating demonic forces who have possessed a person.  It is not the business of B movies, schlock TV shows, or parlor games. It is real. Make no mistake about that.  However, no exorcist merely saunters into an encounter with demonic forces unready. He has spent much times in prayer, abstinence, and fasting.  He makes regular use of confession and the Eucharist.  Why?  He knows what he engages in is God’s work first.  He knows he is the tool, the weapon, with which battle will be entered.  He prays for his own steadfastness and fearlessness in encountering the hopelessness that is evil.  He knows that victory over the devil and his minions rest not on his power but the power of God.

    What on earth has this to do with evangelization?  Am I saying that those who have fallen away or are unchurched are possessed?  No.  However, in doing the work of evangelization, we are doing battle with demonic forces who have no interest in the conversion of human beings and will actively fight it.  Jesus understood that in the preaching of the Gospel, that the devil had an arsenal of weapons to stymie its growth.  We also know that Jesus was prone to pray much.  As to the weapons of the devil, let us look at Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23: The Parable of the Sower.  It tells us what we are up against. 

    Jesus speaks about the seed that falls on the footpath and is eaten immediately by the birds of the air.  These are those who hear the word with no understanding.  These are the indifferent.  Satan’s weapon of indifference is a powerful tool.  These are those who see no reason for conversion.  No matter how much of a mess their life is, either pride or anger have blinded them to the need for Christ.

    Jesus speaks next of that seed which falls in rocky soil and withers quickly for lack of roots.  These are those who hear the word and initially are provoked to change, but it dies off quickly.  These are those who know they need conversion, but to do so would require change in their lives.  Change that would require their letting go of their favorite sin.  They resent having to change or doubt they can change.  Here the devil uses the deadly sins, habits that prevent a person from change.  We know vices are hard to break. Good habits are harder to form than bad habits.  The devil convinces the person that either they should not have to give up their bad habits or that they can’t.  Thus they fall away.

    Jesus then speaks of the seed that falls among the thorns.  It grows but is choked off by the thorns.  These are those who hear the Word , allow it to start to transform them, but it choked off by anxiety and worry.  The devil will use anxiety and fear to stop conversion dead in its tracks.  He will use despair paired with pride and doubt to choke off growth.  In all of this, the devil and his demons will fight any seed you try to throw.  That will not suffice for the devil; he wants the sower to grow despondent and believe that they cannot do it.  He will tempt us to despair, frustration, and even abandonment of the evangelical call of Christ.  It is a good bet he is tempting you now with thoughts of how silly, foolish, and unrealistic this ’demon thing’ is and how medieval all this nonsense is.

    This, my friends, is what we are up against.  That said, be not afraid.  However as an exorcist wisely gears up for battle, so should we.  If we love the friends and family we are calling back or reaching out to, we will do these things.  We do them  because we love God, we love them, and we want their good.  People tell me they ‘have tried everything’ and yet what they do falls on deaf ears.  Might I suggest a different approach with a look at what exorcists do to prepare themselves.

    First, we pray.  We pray for the good of the individuals we are seeking to bring in or bring back.  This is not a one and done prayer.  This is a habit developed through the grace of God.  In doing so we are using this grace to invest ourselves in their good. As evangelization is not about ‘winning’ or gathering trophies, the disposition with which we come matters.  Love and care for a person and their soul cannot be synthesized. It must be real.  Without that love, the devil can easily ward off any and all attempts. In this we seek the help of the saints and angels in joining us in intercession for these people.  We do not attempt to go into battle on our own.

    Second, we fast and abstain for the good of these people.  This builds on the investing ourselves in other people’s good.  They are powerful weapons.  Remember, though, that Jesus tells us to keep our fasting and abstaining between you and Him.  This is not about publicly trying to show the person you love them.  Because we are willing to disrupt our lives and change our own habits through God’s grace, the devil knows he is coming up against a formidable opponent who is in union with God.  That does not mean he backs off; to the contrary, he will step up his game.

    Third, we make ample use of the sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist.  We believe that the Sacraments are the prime conduits of grace by which we receive the strength and courage we need to engage the devil, his temptations, and his lies.  In Confession, we ask God to heal us of our sin; a sick physician is hardly a good healer.  The devil loves wounded prey.  Sin becomes first his toehold, then foothold, then method of conquering.  We can give it no quarter in our lives.  It is said the Satan knows you by your sin, hence we must strip him of his knowledge.  The devil also likes a weakened foe.  Hence the regular reception of the Eucharist in a state of grace, provided by Confession,  is so very important.  Use of the Sacraments reminds us, like the exorcist, that we are not engaging in battle on our own, but we are with our brothers and sisters, both here and in heaven, and with Christ Himself.

    Finally, like the sower in the parable, we do our part realizing that the one who transforms hearts is Christ.  We live lives that show the transformation that is possible.  That life is authentic if we stay connected through prayer, fasting/abstinence, and the Sacraments.  Holiness can not be faked.  In all these things, we set the example, be a bridge of trust, and an open door.  Remember that these are the prerequisites for engagement and not the totality.  Let us begin here though, turning not to our power of persuasion, but to the grace of God.  If we tire of poor results, we must then start with good beginnings and approach.