Most of us have been to a beach, held a handful of sand, and let the tiny grains fall from our fingers. Yet, do we see the uniqueness of the sand–each tiny piece?
Each tiny piece is different from the others. Amazing!!
Each of us human beings is different from every other human being, as well. That is because this world made by God and each person made by God has an ordered uniqueness. If we are made men or women, if we are made white, black, brown, or any color in between, it is an ordered decision of God. We cannot change it. To attempt to do so is chaos, the opposite of order. And a world without order is destined to destroy itself.
Most of our problems are caused by the weaknesses within us. They are humanity’s weaknesses. Catholics call them the seven deadly sins:
Pride, Greed, Envy, Lust, Anger, Sloth, and Gluttony.
And they are the way of the world. Just look around.
Each of the seven deadly sins is a form of Idolatry-of-Self, and we all know people who may be in danger of destroying their lives –and our country–in selfish ways through one or more of them.
Except, just as we have capability of sin, human beings also have the capability of virtue. The seven virtues are:
Faith, Hope, Love, Prudence, Temperance, Courage, and Justice.
Are these virtues the way of our world today? Good news; many times they are.
Because whenever there is great evil, virtuous people will fight. Sadly, the reverse is also true. If a person is known to have virtue, there is usually someone to tear him/her down–even to crucify him.
We have free will, however, so we can choose chaos. We can choose to destroy God’s orderliness. We can choose to hate, or disrupt, or bring others down because of their skin color, or gender. We can choose not to see our unique connection to the God who made us all. We can even choose to destroy our wonderful America, by doing nothing to keep her alive, and by allowing the chaos to continue.
Sometimes we choose not to see because we lack the courage to express our convictions openly. Sometimes we choose not to see the dark things that are happening because we are falsely shamed into it by the lies of our leaders. We are told we are racists if we protest, or get angry. Do not listen to their selfish lies.
Sometimes we are called to get angry, to rock the boat, to be irate enough to ‘overturn the tables in the temple’ as Jesus did to the moneychangers.
And I think TODAY is one of those times.
I believe our country, our once-respected and great, bright America, is in dark chaos. We are being threatened from within, as well as from without. Evil is running rampart, and we are allowing it to do so, because we have forgotten who we are!
If you read this blog, you know I’m a fan of Aesop’s fables. Here is another: The Swallow and the Other Birds
It happened that a Countryman was sowing some hemp seeds in a field where a Swallow and some other birds were hopping about picking up their food. “Beware of that man,” quoth the Swallow. “Why, what is he doing?” said the others. “That is hemp seed he is sowing; be careful to pick up every one of the seeds, or else you will repent it.” The birds paid no heed to the Swallow’s words, and by and by the hemp grew up and was made into cord, and of the cords nets were made, and many a bird that had despised the Swallow’s advice was caught in nets made out of that very hemp.
What did I tell you? said the Swallow. “Destroy the seed of evil, or it will grow up to your ruin. “
Are we headed to a place of ruin? We find it so easy to go along with the crowd—and we find it so hard to stand up against what we know isn’t right. And often we throw up our hands and give up.
Have we given up on America? Have we become tired or indifferent to what our country was supposed to be, but is no longer? What can we do about it?
Of course, the first answer is prayer. But we should expect that our prayer will lead God to call for our personal action. When we pray that God’s Kingdom will come on earth—who will bring it if not us? We are, after all, God’s hands, heart, eyes, and feet on Earth.
The call we discover through prayer will be different for each of us. It may be a tiny call by God. It may be a significant one. But small or large, if we don’t act on it, nothing will change for the better.
And so, I ask: Does the re-constructed path we’re presently allowing in America resemble God’s Kingdom on Earth? Or does it resemble the sort of dark evil that has brought down–ruined–many other countries? If not, then in prayer, each one of us should listen carefully to what we ought to do to make our country great again.
Translating a World on the Edge 