But
there are real social problems that need to be fixed. I need to be involved
in the fight. How else will anything get accomplished?
 rue Christian life has nothing
to do with politics. It’s simply a matter of each individual soul finding
its freedom in God through total commitment to Christ. Granted, there may
be political effects of such a lifestyle, for if everyone did what Christ
told us to do, we would have perfect social justice—and
peace on earth. Sadly, everyone doesn’t live
this way—even most so-called Christians do not live this way—and
so we don’t have perfect justice. And we don’t have
peace.
The Social Role
of a Genuine Christian
The social role of a genuine
Christian, then, is not to force others politically to live holy lives but
to show them, through personal example,
how to live holy lives. And this means praying
for your enemies, not fighting to suppress them politically, or
protesting them, or seeking
revenge.
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The real battle,
therefore, is between Satan and your soul, not between you and other persons.
Have no doubts that Satan will tempt you through others in every way he can,
to induce you to turn against your baptismal promises.
And God will allow him to tempt you, as a way of strengthening and purifying
your soul.
So what is the point of reforming the world if you lose your soul in the
process? |
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The testimony of the mystics
provides ample evidence that if you do trust completely in God, then
God will take care of you, and you will be inspired to accomplish
more work of more holy and lasting value than you can possibly
imagine.
Fear of Facing
Psychological Darkness
So why would someone focus on
social problems rather than on living a personally holy life with complete
trust in God?
The answer is,
“Fear.” Fear of facing his or her own deepest
psychological
darkness.
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Why do you notice
the splinter in your brother’s eye but do not perceive the wooden beam
in your own eye? |
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—Matthew 7:3 |
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Even atheists perform political
works of social justice. And their hidden unconscious motive is to compensate
psychologically for their spiritual emptiness that is a private, interior
terror for them. In other words, the motive for social concern can easily
derive from a narcissistic attempt to make
yourself
feel useful and wanted. That’s a hard statement, but only when you have
learned to deny yourself according to the tradition
of the Catholic mystics will you understand the difference between
love and pride—and
the difference between justice and
terrorism.
The Greatest
Human Service of All Time
 Remember that the Blessed
Virgin performed the greatest human service of all
time, and yet she went back to being a nobody for the rest of her life. Despite
all she knew, and kept close to her heart, about the personal life of the
Holy Family, only a tiny portion of it made it into St. Luke’s
Gospel—and you can bet that he would have written more if she had let
him. And why was she so humble? She understood
humility to its most profound depths because she had carried the glory of
God within her. And that experience showed her how
insignificant all human accomplishments are—and
how useless is the pride taken in them.
Imprisoned in
Self-deception
Therefore, unless your desire
to make the world change—as you believe it should
change—comes from such an awesome reverence for the glory of God, and
such perfect humility as the Blessed Virgin,
you’re standing on the brink of pride. Activism is the first resort
of those who don’t understand prayer. If Christianity for you is
just a role or a job, or if you have to be
disobedient or get yourself arrested just
to feel socially useful, then you will be imprisoned in nothing other than
your own self-deception.
Liberation for
Everyone
Real Christianity, then, is
liberation for everyone, including the poor and the oppressed. But it is
not a political liberation. It’s liberation
from the slavery to sin. It’s the liberation
that comes from looking the prevailing culture in
the eye and saying, “We don’t want your empty riches and glamor.
We don’t want your Hollywood movies and cable television. We don’t
want your alcohol and drugs. We don’t want your abortions and divorces.
We don’t want your pornography, prostitution, adultery, and contempt
for chastity. We don’t want your gambling casinos. We don’t want
your sports. We don’t want your cut-throat
business competition and exploitation of the weak and helpless. We don’t
want your political squabbles, your terrorism,
or your wars. We want only Jesus Christ, and in Him
we are free.”
No
advertising—no sponsor—just the simple truth . . .
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Questions
and Answers: