-Last Sunday's homily is available by email
-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at www.usccb.org
-check out this week's LinC Letter at www.parishlincletter.blogspot.com
-I will be celebrating mass at 5:30 on Sat and 11:00 on Sunday
Division
This summer the people of the world and especially we in the United States have been bombarded by the divisions among us. Holy War attacks by ISIS, violent racial conflicts, personal rancor between politicians, guerilla warfare executions of innocent law enforcement, gender-confusing impositions upon our school children......that's enough. All of it reveals and reminds us of the radical divisions within the human family. In fact, re-reading these sentences gives me a new understanding of the biblical image of the "tower of Babel". People are not engaging in passionate debate and dialogue, they are living on philosophical islands exchanging violent missiles in order to annihilate their enemies.
What's funny is that all of this division is born of a beautiful sounding concept: tolerance. Tolerance is a Socio-political Trojan horse, the love child of radical relativism and plain old sin. Sin is the devil's work of separating individuals(no longer human creatures) from God and one another. Relativism is the declaration and embrace of the notion that there is "no objective or revealed truth" beyond any one individual's perceived needs.
So, tolerance is the plan sold to us reasonable minded people. It appears to be the only way to survive. Tolerance demands that everybody identifies their own needs, identity, and pathway to personal fulfillment , happiness. Nobody, no God, no church, no laws can judge me (judgment is the only crime in relativism). Tolerance is the obligation of everyone to accept your feelings and stay out of your way in making yourself happy. After all, "the pursuit of happiness" is the American way, it's my right.
The way of diversity, tolerance, and relativism has broken our families, countries, and world into "Division".
Jesus prophecied that he Would bring such division on the earth in this weeks gospel. He knew that the appearance of "truth and love" in the flesh would be met by the powers of this world and they would annihilate/eradicate it from the face of the earth.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ over death and division – (remember my againstness homily) is the only path to healing the world. Division = death. Unity= life.
2 comments:
The word tolerance or act of tolerance implies something temporary. We tolerate or put up with 'things'. A bad boss, a 2 yr old child, a job, house, car, marriage, situation we are in until we find something better. Tolerance also speaks to the current world we live in. Everything is disposable. We buy new or throw out old or broken because we don't have the means or patience to seek help or to fix something.
God did not say to be tolerant. He said to love. Love takes work and time. It is a goal. Love one another as I have loved you. And, this ties us to penance and atonement. We all judge and make mistakes, and we cannot love one another unless we love ourselves as God loves us.
long rambling passionate comment- Tolerance & Forgiveness have been distorted to imply accepting continual sin (against child in the womb, Catholic teaching...) and forbidding the expression of a belief. A difference in belief or even opinion is increasingly becoming illegal. It is "intolerant" to now express your faith. We can hold no animosity, forgive and love someone but that is not the same as supporting evil or not speaking the truth. Relativism is the poison that has even impacted churches and has supported the blurring of moral truth. Parents believe that a child must decide for themselves what is truth which is so contrary to God's Word. My gay friends, my far left friends know what I believe & what I believe sin against God is so I can express beliefs to them which may be tolerant/forgiving/loving but not endorsing. Social Media & the Media in general promotes divisiveness and judgement s based on words, impressions & emotions. We all fall into these traps so keeping one's interior clean through prayer, adoration and the Eucharist helps one realize that all this is temporary and clearly our continually seeking Christ is the only way to our Father and eternal life and peace.
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