Election Musings....
Well, as we all know, the United States of America has elected a new President. Here is what some people in the Church are saying about it:
Pope's message to President-Elect Obama
Certain Bishops from around the country
Other Catholic leaders
I was listening yesterday to Catholic talk radio and people were calling in, lamenting the election results and feeling frustrated and down, considering that the US just elected an open and ardent pro-abortion president and few people seem to really notice or care. And though the hosts of the show validated the feelings of these callers, they made a couple of good points that I would like to share with you (not that you asked, it's just my unsolicited advice!)
First of all, the hosts were saying that change begins within ourselves. All of the exterior conflict we see in the world is just a manifestation of the conflict within the heart of individuals. Yes, we complain about a lack of peace and death in our world, and rightfully so, however, how many of us look within ourselves and our own families and address the lack of peace and 'death' so to speak? Are we open to see the ways that we are not pro-life? Do we make concessions for ourselves for our anger, resentment, coldness and grudges we have? Because these things certainly do not bring life to ourselves, others and our country.
Another thing the hosts were saying is that God respects our free-will. So often we pray for things and we make Novenas with good intentions but perhaps we are not open to the will of God, for we think our way is the best way. And of course we should pray for what we believe is good, true and beautiful but in the end we must say the same words that Jesus said if we really want to authentically pray, "Lord, not my will but Yours be done." God's ways are so far above our ways that in His mercy He allows certain things to happen, things that seem to be horrible from our perspective, so that greater outcomes can be made manifest. God always ordains things with salvation in mind and all of know that many times we do not turn to God until we hit rock bottom or are really suffering, humans are curious like that.
In the end, God is in control of the universe, no president is. We are all just mortals. God is sovereign and is above all and loves all and He knows why He does what He does and His motives are always love. Would that we were motivated by such purity.
I also found this explanation of Samson, from the Old Testament, fascinating. As we all know, the famous story of Samson and Delilah revolves around a sacred young man who makes a terrible mistake, he gives away his secret and is destroyed by a manipulative woman. However, I was listening to someone explain it and I'll paraphrase it here. Maybe you have heard this before.
Samson's hair symbolized his fidelity to God. Samson's folly of telling Delilah about this secret promptly resulted in her shaving his head. When she did this, Samson's power was gone because he had been unfaithful to God. He tried to escape from the Philistines but they captured him, gouged out his eyes and led him away in chains.
This is an important lesson for us (and, no, it's not about your hair!). When we are unfaithful to God, we become blind (eyes gouged out) and enslaved (led away in chains). We can see this in ourselves, if we really look, and we can see a collective blindness and slavery also in the US. We have pushed God out of our schools and our government, we abort our helpless unborn children (this year the deathtoll from abortion will reach 50 MILLION since the passing of Roe vs. Wade), and we have turned our backs on morality. No wonder we have so many problems.
But all is not lost. Samson's hair began to grow back as soon as it was shaved, which is a sign that he repented of being unfaithful to God. We, too, can convert and repent. But we can't wait for others to do this, we must start first, here and now, within ourselves. We repent and strive for conversion everyday and this small act changes the world. No man is an island, there is no such thing as a private sin.
So if we are dissatisifed with the state of the world, let us not lament, complain and move away. Let's get involved. Let's stand up and promote the sacredness of life, let's frequent the sacraments and offer forgiveness to those who have hurt us, let's become who we were born to be, let's become saints. Let's change the world, one soul at a time, and let it begin with me.
Pope's message to President-Elect Obama
Certain Bishops from around the country
Other Catholic leaders
I was listening yesterday to Catholic talk radio and people were calling in, lamenting the election results and feeling frustrated and down, considering that the US just elected an open and ardent pro-abortion president and few people seem to really notice or care. And though the hosts of the show validated the feelings of these callers, they made a couple of good points that I would like to share with you (not that you asked, it's just my unsolicited advice!)
First of all, the hosts were saying that change begins within ourselves. All of the exterior conflict we see in the world is just a manifestation of the conflict within the heart of individuals. Yes, we complain about a lack of peace and death in our world, and rightfully so, however, how many of us look within ourselves and our own families and address the lack of peace and 'death' so to speak? Are we open to see the ways that we are not pro-life? Do we make concessions for ourselves for our anger, resentment, coldness and grudges we have? Because these things certainly do not bring life to ourselves, others and our country.
Another thing the hosts were saying is that God respects our free-will. So often we pray for things and we make Novenas with good intentions but perhaps we are not open to the will of God, for we think our way is the best way. And of course we should pray for what we believe is good, true and beautiful but in the end we must say the same words that Jesus said if we really want to authentically pray, "Lord, not my will but Yours be done." God's ways are so far above our ways that in His mercy He allows certain things to happen, things that seem to be horrible from our perspective, so that greater outcomes can be made manifest. God always ordains things with salvation in mind and all of know that many times we do not turn to God until we hit rock bottom or are really suffering, humans are curious like that.
In the end, God is in control of the universe, no president is. We are all just mortals. God is sovereign and is above all and loves all and He knows why He does what He does and His motives are always love. Would that we were motivated by such purity.
I also found this explanation of Samson, from the Old Testament, fascinating. As we all know, the famous story of Samson and Delilah revolves around a sacred young man who makes a terrible mistake, he gives away his secret and is destroyed by a manipulative woman. However, I was listening to someone explain it and I'll paraphrase it here. Maybe you have heard this before.
Samson's hair symbolized his fidelity to God. Samson's folly of telling Delilah about this secret promptly resulted in her shaving his head. When she did this, Samson's power was gone because he had been unfaithful to God. He tried to escape from the Philistines but they captured him, gouged out his eyes and led him away in chains.
This is an important lesson for us (and, no, it's not about your hair!). When we are unfaithful to God, we become blind (eyes gouged out) and enslaved (led away in chains). We can see this in ourselves, if we really look, and we can see a collective blindness and slavery also in the US. We have pushed God out of our schools and our government, we abort our helpless unborn children (this year the deathtoll from abortion will reach 50 MILLION since the passing of Roe vs. Wade), and we have turned our backs on morality. No wonder we have so many problems.
But all is not lost. Samson's hair began to grow back as soon as it was shaved, which is a sign that he repented of being unfaithful to God. We, too, can convert and repent. But we can't wait for others to do this, we must start first, here and now, within ourselves. We repent and strive for conversion everyday and this small act changes the world. No man is an island, there is no such thing as a private sin.
So if we are dissatisifed with the state of the world, let us not lament, complain and move away. Let's get involved. Let's stand up and promote the sacredness of life, let's frequent the sacraments and offer forgiveness to those who have hurt us, let's become who we were born to be, let's become saints. Let's change the world, one soul at a time, and let it begin with me.
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