MONDAY DIARY: ALMOST EXCRUCIATINGLY TRUE STORIES: I AM LEGION

Part of Christ's whole mission was to heal the divisions between us, that we might be one in the Body of Christ.  Part of the most insidious parts of the whole COVID situation is the division it causes (a sickness in and of itself) within the body that appears to be almost irreconcilable.  

No matter how helpful and diplomatic those in charge try to be, the nature of this beast just seems to make everything more difficult.

The diocese tries to do what they can which is mostly calling you to tell you somebody complained.

"Do you want me to kick people out?  Do you want me to hire security?"  "No!  You can't do that."  I wish it were that people on one side or the other were the ones who didn't come to Mass, donate, volunteer or offer encouragement.  At least then I could take sides.  

So I am doing my best to balance what is asked of us, what we are allowed to do, and what will make the sacraments available to the most people.  Of course, that makes nobody happy.  Including me.

May we look back on this time some day and say, "Remember when we were all concerned about masks?" as we unite once more around the Table of the Lord.

WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?

Then why must bad things happen to good people?  We will never understand fully nor completely satisfactorily in this life with this is so.  But we can begin to scratch the surface.  For example, yesterday we asked the question why did God allow the 9/11 accident to occur.  One clear reason is because of that pesky blessing and burden:  Free Will.

 

But why must innocent people suffer?  Why not keep the pain amongst those who want to play with fire?  Why must I lose my house because you fool around with matches?  It is because there must be consequences to one’s actions.  If I could perform a truly evil act and nobody would effected by it, would it be evil?  If there were never any consequences, what need would there be to punish people who choose ill?

 

Part of the problem is, of course, that often when we punish we want to cause harm back to the person who did evil, not correct him.  But let us suppose we have always the best of intentions and when someone errs, we would want to help set them on the right path.  If there were no negative consequences to our actions, how would we rate someone as sinful?  God’s laws would then simply amount to a chosen set of limited actions rather than the highest, healthiest, and most fruitful fashion of living.

 

Without suffering, there could be no sacrifice – no great offering of love.  With no effects from evil actions, Jesus could not have suffered and died for us as the innocent Victim for our sins, for nothing evil could happen in this life to the innocent.  In anger I could throw my Mother’s crystal glass into the fireplace and because she is innocent and would suffer most from the incident, it would not break.  If I knew it would not break, would there be sin since nobody would suffer?  If there could not be sin, would there be the possibility that I might grow in peace?  If there were not sin would it be possible for me to reject sin and so love?  Would there be love?

 

This world is imperfect and needs the innocent Victim to die because we live in a fallen but redeemable world where the innocent suffer.  But if they did not suffer, no one could choose the good, nobody could sacrifice, nobody would need God, and we would all suffer for that even more greatly.

WHY DOES GOD ALLOW THINGS LIKE 9/11 TO HAPPEN?

“Why does a good and loving God allow things like 9/11 to happen?”  It is often thought that if He is all good and all powerful, full of love and knows what we need before we ask it, why does He not do something like stop terrorists flying into buildings killing many innocent people?

 

There are a thousand answers to that question both negative and positive, but it boils down to that He must allow things like 9/11 to happen or our salvation is at risk.

 

God’s law is based on this: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind and to love your neighbor as yourself.  On this the whole law is based.  Therefore, to follow God freely and follow His way means we must have the capacity to love.  Ironically, we can only love to the extent that we are capable of hating.  We must have free will in this matter.  If there is no free will, if we are incapable of hating and our only choice is to love, then it is no choice at all, love is all that we can do and true love ceases to exist.  We have become puppets on a string.  We cannot choose God then because we cannot not choose God.  Our love would be empty.  We would be like a brick that remains being a brick because it can’t possibly be anything else.  What merit is there in that?

 

If we can hate just a little (mind you, I mean that we are capable of it, not that we must do it) then we can choose not hate that much, we can choose to love that amount instead in spite of ourselves.  We are capable of loving a little if we are capable of hating a little.  And how truly capable are we of loving?  We have the capability as a human race to hate so much that we are willing to fly a plane load of innocent people into a building filled with innocent people.  That we could foster that hate for long periods of time, spend countless days and hours planning destruction, and even be willing to use our own lives in the administration of our hate.

 

How much can we love?  We have the capability as a human race to love so much that we are willing to walk into a building that is engulfed in flames, debris falling everywhere, where there is chaos and death and danger of further destruction.  That we could foster love by preparing for such an event, choosing a lifestyle that focuses on assisting their fellow citizens, studying and training for countless days and hours preparing to rescue those in need and be willing to risk our own lives in the administration of our love.

 

Free will.  It has a down side.

 

But it also has an upside.

 

And for that upside to mean anything, God must allow events like 9/11.