EVIL AND ADVENT

It is God himself who can place a definitive limit upon evil. He is the essence of justice, because it is he who rewards good and punishes evil in a manner perfectly befitting the objective situation. I am speaking here of moral evil, of sin. In the Garden of Eden, human history already encounters the God who judges and punishes. The Book of Genesis describes in detail the penalty imposed on our first parents after their sin (see Gn 3:14-19). And their penalty has been prolonged throughout human history. Original sin is an inherited condition. As such, it signifies the innate sinfulness of man, his radical inclination toward evil instead of good. There is is mana congenital moral weakness which goes hand in hand with the fragility of his being, with his psycho-physical fragility. And of his fragility is accompanied by the multiple sufferings indicated in the Bible, from the very first pages, as punishment for sin. It could be said that human history is marked from the very beginning by the limit God the Creator places upon evil....God himself came to save us and to deliver us from evil, and this coming of God, this "Advent" which we celebrate in such a joyful way the weeks preceding the Nativity of the Lord, is truly redemptive. It is impossible to think of the limit placed by God himself up the various forms of evil without reference to the mystery of Redemption. Could the mystery of Redemption be the response to that historical evil which, in different forms, continually recurs in human affairs? It can seem that the evil of concentration camps, of gas chambers, of police cruelty, of total war, and of oppressive regimes - evil which among other things, systematically contradicts the message of the cross - it can seem, I say, that such evil is more powerful than any good. Yet if we look more closely at the history of those peoples and nations who have endured the trial of totalitarian systems and persecutions on account of faith, we discover that is is precisely where the victorious presence of Christ's cross is most clearly revealed. Against such a dramatic background, that presence may be even more striking. To those who are subjected to systematic evil, there remains only Christ and his cross as a source of spiritual self-defense, as a promise of victory.

Venerable John Paul II

(t 2005) reigned from 1978 until 2005

How To Be Vigilant

     It is sad to see many disturb their soul when it desires to abide in this calm and repose of interior quietude, where it is filled with the peace and refreshment of God. Desirous of making it retrace its steps and revert from the goal in which it now reposes, they draw it out to more exterior, to considerations which are the means. This they do, not without strong repugnance and reluctance in the soul. The soul would want to remain in that unintelligible peace as in its right place. A man is deeply pained if, after intense effort to reach his place of rest, he is forced to return to his labor.

    Since these individuals do not understand the mystery of that new experience, they imagine themselves to be idle and doing nothing. Thus, in their struggle with considerations and discursive meditations they disturb their quietude. They become filled with aridity and trial because of efforts to get satisfaction by means no longer apt. We can say that the more intense their efforts, the less will be their gain. The more they persist at meditation, the worse their state becomes, because they drag the soul further away from spiritual peace. They resemble one who abandons the greater for the lesser, turns back on a road already covered, and wants to redo what is already done.

     The advice proper for these individuals is that they must learn to abide in the quietude with a loving attentiveness to God and pay no heed to the imagination and its work. At this stage, as we said, the faculties are at rest, and do not work actively but passively, by receiving what God is effecting in them. If at times they put the faculties to work, they should not make use of excessive efforts or studied reasonings, but do so with gentleness of love, moved more by God than by their own abilities.

St. John Of The Cross

(t 1591) is called the Mystical Doctor.

The Spirit of the Widow

     Christ, our adored and freely chosen Master, at the hour of inner renewal and freedom of consent, fashions and transforms us in such a way, by continuous and intangible action, that the words of Saint Paul become true and we experience this triumphant reality: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." (Gal 2:20). That is, the Christ of interior souls, the Christ of the little ones, and the poor, the one and only, eternally living Christ, whom we can never forget once we have been in his company and communicated with him...

     In times of anxiety and suffering, God sometimes gives, in that deep place in the soul where human torments can longer reach, movements of joy and an intense awareness of spiritual realities, so that one can return to life with its struggles and sorrows. Divine illumination makes the road more luminous and enables us to see our destination.

     We must know how to recognize the important responsibilities contained in the monotonies of everyday life and how to transform them through a lively spirit and love.....

     Let us never look for the result of our efforts for others. It is good for us not to know it, for if we did, pride in doing good, the most subtle pride of all, might follow. Let us entrust to God the prayers, sacrifices, and efforts that we make, without looking back at what we have already done. Let us continue to work and to act for our brothers and sisters and for the coming of God's reign in them......

     A simple human connection can sometimes be the best sermon; a spark can ignite a great fire.

Elizabeth Leseur

(t 1914) was a French married laywoman whose cause for canonization is underway.

Rendering Thanks

     Do not let a day slip by without considering God's favors; praise and exalt his generosity, particularly in contrast with yours, for truly what you deserve is to be deprived of what you already have received. Do not delude yourself about being worthy in any respect, for whatever is meritorious in you is a gift from God. You are nothing but matter stripped of all good and anything you might have is clothing God lends you because he wishes you to have it. Faithfully remember the gifts bestowed by nature as well as those you enjoy by chance and grace and by the promised glory that, unless you happen to lose it through your own fault, is as certain as the rest. Think intently about the special and general graces from the Lord and admit truthfully that you received them from his hand. Preserve them assiduously in the greatest possible purity and love them dearly, but even more, love him who so blessed you. Withdraw and guard against offending grace and the Lord of grace......


     A theologian who agrees with this says: "Woe to those who remain silent and do not acclaim you, Lord, the source of all good things, for even though such people speak at great length, they are mute. Happy the tongue that thanks you, for it fulfills its purpose in life. It now begins the business of thanking your Maker in which it will remain forever."


Father Francisco De Osuna, OFM
(t c. 1540), known as Fray Francisco, was a Franciscan friar and ascetic writer from the Seville region of Spain.

YOU CANNOT SERVE TWO MASTERS

     I long to see your heart and affection stripped of the world and of yourself. There is no other way we can be clothed in Christ crucified, since the world has nothing in common with God. The world's disordered affection loves pride, and God loves humility. The world looks for honor, status and greatness and God spurned these things, embracing disgrace, scorn and insult, hunger, thirst, cold and heat, even to a shameful death on the cross. By this death of his gave honor to the Father, and we were restored to grace. The world looks to please creatures, unconcerned about displeasing the Creator, Christ never looked to anything but to fulfill his eternal Father's command for the sake of our salvation. He embraced voluntary poverty and clothed himself in it, while the world seeks great wealth. They are really different from one another. So, if our heart is clothed in the world it is necessarily stripped of God, and if it is stipped of the world, it is necessarily filled with God. This is what our Savior said: " No one can serve two masters. If you serve one, you hold the other in contempt." We must, then, very conscientiously free our heart and affection from this tyrant, the world, and set it on God, completely  free and sincere, letting nothing come between ourselves and him. We must not be two-faced or love falsely, since he is our dear God, and he keeps his eyes on us, seeing our hidden  and inmost heart.


St. Catherine of Sienna
(+1380) Doctor of the Church, was a Dominican stigmatist and papal counselor.