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In Tender Compassion
“In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Lk 1:78-79).
Zechariah spoke these verses upon the birth of his son, John the Baptist. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he prophesized that John would “go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people” (Lk 1:76-77). For the Holy Spirit, the love between father and son, always encourages movement and action. He knew that John would play a vital role in the salvation story. John would till the field, as it were, to ready it for the One yet to come who would sow fertile seeds of the new Way and show us how to reap its fruits.
Zechariah knew, however, that there would be darkness and death. The Way would be perilous and often uncertain, even for those who believed. And yet, the prophet understood that our God is one of “compassion.” Because He loves us, he would “break upon us” and “shine” brightly in the darkness to “guide our feet.”
Let us remember today, in the midst of our own darknesses, upsets, disappointments, and uncertainties, these words of Zechariah. God is always with us, ready to break into our sadness and despair. He knows all and will guide us. As were the prophet and his son, we must remain open to this goodness and salvation. May we, even when surrounded by darkness in low places, turn towards the “dawn from on high” that will light our paths and lead us to “peace.”
We All Have Crosses
“You can take the cross out of your room, but you can’t take the cross out of your life.” Fr. Mike Schmitz
For all of those who have relegated religion and faith to the sidelines or trash cans of their lives, here is something that is true. Yes, there actually is objective truth.
We will all bear crossed in our lives. Suffering is part of being human. Whether we choose to call them crosses or just difficulties, injustices, or tragedies, we will all experience them.
Why are so many of us, especially young people, desperately unhappy? First, they don’t know that to suffer, to bear the cross, is normal. Not easy, normal.
More importantly, though, if we don’t know about the ubiquity of life’s crosses, we won’t know how to carry them. We won’t know how to sit at their feet, acknowledge our hardship, and with open hearts and minds, reorder ourselves to goodness and hope.
Darkness without hope is despair. Pain without transcendence leads to perpetual misery. It is in acknowledging the cross that we discover meaning and can begin to move through pain and toward the good. Even towards happiness and joy.
No, we can’t remove crosses from our lives. But actually, we wouldn’t really want to. For it is on the cross that our fears are vanquished and our hopes are resurrected. It is there that we actually experience a rebirth.
The cross isn’t the end. It’s actually just the beginning.
Doesn’t that change everything?
Be Forewarned and Grow in Grace
“[I]n accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home. Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of the Lord as salvation….There are some things in [Paul’s letters] hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, beware that you are not carried away with the error of the lawless and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:13-18).
Friends, as I go about my day, listening to the news and talk radio, I have been inundated with more seemingly unbelievable developments in our culture. From Planned Parenthood opening mobile abortion clinics around the country to transgender kids being allowed free use of formerly single-sex locker rooms to universities mandating masks even if a single student or professor desires it, the world is obviously more upside-down than ever. We are, indeed, surrounded by ignorance, instability, and moral chaos.
I admit it sometimes seems like too much to bear. This is when we turn to the Scriptures and allow God to remind us of the Truth. We are called to “wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.” In the meantime, though, let us seek “patience,” as well as the fortitude to live in this world prudently and charitably. Let the “grace and knowledge of…Christ” strengthen us as we serve others in a world where confusion and suffering abound.
Speak the Truth
“[D]o not be afraid. These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another, render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace, do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath; for all these are things that I hate, says the Lord” (Zech 8:15-17).
How many times have we heard from parents, teachers, or even loving religious folks that it’s wrong to hate? Religious people don’t hate; they love. Right?
But here God reminds us that we are in fact called to hate evil. “Those who love the Lord must hate evil,” Dennis Prager has reminded us for decades. And of course, that’s right. We must speak the truth and work for peace, but we who love what is good must also be spiritual warriors. “Prepare war,” we read in Joel. “Let all the soldiers draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weakling say, ‘I am a warrior.'” (Joel 3:9-10).
“Devis[ing] evil,” “lov[ing]…false oath[s]”–these are the “things” God rejects, and so must we as well. As we continue to confront the evils of our time, let us keep all of this in mind. We shall rightly order ourselves to the truth, love one another, work for peace, and stand firmly against evil. May we seek in all things to do God’s will and serve each other with fortitude and in charity.
Exhortations of Hope and Salvation
“So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and sober….[S]ince we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation…” (1 Thes. 5:6-9).
It is so tempting these days to despair. The world seems wedded to a litany of upside-down values that many argue as truths, but in reality, are nothing but lies. We have become habituated to gossip, sensationalism, soundbites, victimization, blame, scandal, and a win-at-all-costs mentality. If asked to define virtue, generations of people now would not only be unable to do so, they would probably laugh at the idea that there is such a thing.
But for those of us who believe in objective truth, for those of us who try daily to rightly order our minds and hearts to God, we look for the virtues to guide us and help us to act rightly in accordance with God’s will.
Indeed the challenges we face are daunting. We are in a battle for our culture, our faith, and our very souls. Some days it seems there is nothing we can do–that we are powerless to confront the onslaught of lies and distortions perpetuated by politicians, the media, and those we meet every day who have been blinded by ideology.
But we are not powerless. As Paul exhorts, we are to “keep awake and sober” and put on the armor of God–“the breastplate of faith and love, and…a helmet of hope.” This helmet is to protect our minds from despair. At risk of being consumed by the evil that tempts us to turn away from goodness and salvation, we must keep vigilant. We must enter into the intellectual, cultural, and spiritual battle of our time armed with helmets that will shield us from chaos and keep our thoughts clear and intentional.
After all, “we belong to the day.” Let us enter our daily battles, convicted of this truth, and willing to share God’s light with all who will listen.
Tenets that Seduce Through Lies
More on Truth
“God did not put you in this world to be successful; He put you in this world to be faithful.” Mother Teresa
Bishop Barron’s Response to Moral Incongruity
Prayer for a New School Year
As a doctor of the Church and the patron saint of eduction and Catholic schools, among other notable titles, we often look to St. Thomas Aquinas for his wisdom on learning and understanding.
As a new school year commences, the following prayer provides encouragement, comfort, and guidance for students and teachers, as well as parents.
Let us remember that we can do nothing without God. Let us remember that only when we are rightly ordered to Him and His will can we fully flourish. As we study and teach, seek and attempt to reveal Truth, may we see you in all things and know you are guiding us always.
To Live Gladly 