Wake Up Rulers of the World! WISDOM

Hear, O kings, and understand;
learn, you magistrates of the earth's expanse!
Hearken, you who are in power over the multitude
and lord it over throngs of peoples!
Because authority was given you by the Lord
and sovereignty by the Most High,
who shall probe your works and scrutinize your counsels.
Because, though you were ministers of his kingdom, you judged not rightly,
and did not keep the law,
nor walk according to the will of God,
Terribly and swiftly shall he come against you,
because judgment is stern for the exalted–
For the lowly may be pardoned out of mercy
but the mighty shall be mightily put to the test.
For the Lord of all shows no partiality,
nor does he fear greatness,
Because he himself made the great as well as the small,
and he provides for all alike;
but for those in power a rigorous scrutiny impends.
To you, therefore, O princes, are my words addressed
that you may learn wisdom and that you may not sin.
For those who keep the holy precepts hallowed shall be found holy,
and those learned in them will have ready a response.
Desire therefore my words;
long for them and you shall be instructed.

If you want to keep your friends, do not discuss religion or politics.  Well, this blog is about religion, in general Christianity and specifically Roman Catholicism but in general, I do not attack political issues in this blog except in the most general terms.  Today, because the Church has given us the eleven verses from Wisdom that I quote above, I just have to make what will sound like political pronouncements but I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat in this blog and it is a fact that I do not trust most politicians as far as I could throw them against a force five hurricane.  

In America, we pride ourselves on the separation of Church and State. The framers of the constitution meant that to mean that the government would establish no official religion and that we would be free to worship God in any manner that we thought appropriate or we could choose to not worship at all and the state would take no position on it.  That is as far as the constitution goes as it addresses religion.  We, of course, have taken it to an extreme.  There are people out there who are against any kind of religious expression what-so-ever and will take you to court to make sure that no religious statues or displays sully any public land. But these are not the people that Wisdom is speaking about today. 

In our reading, we are told that those in power have that power only because God has given it to them and they are to use it for the good of the people that they are over.  Look how far we as a people, and I mean the world, not just the United States, leaders in many countries have led the fight to legalize things that we know offend God greatly such as abortion and so-called same-sex marriage.  These are two examples of how the leaders of many countries are leading the way to the day when lawlessness becomes the law of the land.   Wisdom says that the powerless will receive mercy but the powerful will receive a powerful judgment against them because they have used their authority for evil and not for the good of their charges. 

But what are the consequences to these great men and women, these princes, and princesses of the earth?  If they follow the principles of God in their dealings with their people God will be there to help and strengthen them but if they do not, well, they will be on their own. 

I do have to make an observation about the United States of America, the land I live in, the land that I love.  Today, our Senators and Congressmen are leeches sucking the very vitality out of the people that elected them to the office.  They have forgotten the very concept of service and hold to principles of the party first and America second.  When they have acted in recent times, their actions took no account of right or wrong based on the morals that America has always followed.  President Obama busied himself with making it impossible for people to follow their conscience when it came to things such as contraception and he spent an awful lot of time making sure that abortion was funded with public money and he spent many hours writing decrees stating which public bathroom we could use.  Today, when it comes to President Trump, I have no idea as to where he is leading the nation.  I can say that he is more protective of the unborn and has proven himself a friend of people of conscience but he willy-nilly plows through things accepting only his version of the truth no matter what the evidence proves.  His world is a looney tuney world that is going to wreak havoc on the prestige of the United States.  What he has going for him is that he is not a professional politician and perhaps this first year or so of on the job training will pay dividends later, maybe, we will see. 

The mighty of this world need to get in touch with God and govern justly and walk in right paths.  If a country ever gets a leader that can do that, they will be unstoppable.  For those of us on the bottom of the food chain, please, pray for our senators, congressmen (women), judges, mayors, councilman, and all those in authority that they might seek and find wisdom from God above and turn this world into what it was meant to be. 

Please pray for the poor souls in Purgatory.  Remember, as they are, perhaps, one day you shall be...

Can We Violate The Law?

Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking,

"Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?"

But they kept silent; so he took the man and,

after he had healed him, dismissed him.

Then he said to them 

"Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern,

would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?" 

But they were unable to answer his question.

The law is there to protect you.  For example, when you are driving and you see a circular globe of light at an intersection and the color of it is red, well, the law says you have to stop.  If you decide not to, a vehicle coming from the other street may attempt to occupy the same space as you are using as you whizz through, thus causing what we call an accident.  Your failure to obey the law brought you the prompt reward of a crushed up car, various injuries, a citation memorializing this occasion from an official of the state and to top it all off you've made a new friend in the other vehicle who will introduce you to his friend, his lawyer. 

In our reading today, Jesus very clearly violates the law and He did so in front of a bunch of lawyers.  The lawyer's point of view is that engaging in curing a person on the Sabbath is a clear violation of the injunction against working on the official day of rest. They didn't say anything to him, they kept their silence and probably were thinking how they could use this violation to rid themselves of this so-called Messiah.  Jesus knew what was in their heart and confronted the case head-on. This is something that the lawyers were not used to. They enjoyed talking about the fine points of the law, splitting hairs, then splitting them again.  But Jesus asks them outright if He had violated the law.  Jesus gives an example asking if their ox or their son fell into a hole on the Sabbath, would they rescue the victim or not.  Jesus knew that the Law is made for the people and not the other way around.   The lawyers present did not give an answer because they couldn't. 

We are to obey God's law.  This is a firm obligation for all of us without exception.  We are to interpret the law in a way that preserves the intent of the law which means sometimes there might have to be an apparent violation provided that the violation was to save the innocent or to save life itself.  God will hold us harmless as long as we do things out of love. Now, don't go overboard.  Wreckless behavior cannot be disguised as a legitimate violation of the law.  You must be able to show that there was no other option but to engage in disobedience to save life or limb of an innocent party. 

You may live your whole life without encountering a situation where civil disobedience is the right thing to do.  But if you do, know that God will look upon your behavior with generous forgiveness.  Know also, that if you engage in things that are against the law, civil authorities are within their rights to arrest you and exact any legal penalties that are provided for in the law that you break.  You have to accept these as the results of your going against the law.  Be prudent in your judgments, pray, and beg for wisdom from God to know when the law is to be obeyed or if the situation you find yourself in requires disobedience. 

VIOLENCE IS NEVER, EVER  AN APPROPRIATE TOOL FOR A  CHRISTIAN TO USE.  

In any event, be ready to accept the consequences of your actions and always temper your actions with love as is befitting an ambassador for the Great King. 

Please remember the Poor Souls in Purgatory.  As they are perhaps one day you will also be.  Praying for the deceased is an important Christian ministry that you can engage in from the comfort of your own home.  Read the article on Purgatory -  click on the link to the right.  

Freedom

It is the 4th of July holiday weekend. It is a time for festive events, picnics, family reunions, fireworks, and parades. I think it should be a time also for sober reflection on just what it means to be free. 

In America we have the freedom to hold any opinion about the government that we want to hold and we can shout it to the rooftops if we want to!  

In America we can elect any citizen to any office based on what they say and we can hold them accountable and even demand a recall election if they seriously fail in their job. 

In America we have the right to be free of government interference in our life and concurrently we have the right to give the government authority to do things for us and in our name, We the People!

In America we have an absolute right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 

In America we are guaranteed the right to worship God in the way that we want to and to follow our conscience using the light that God sends to us. 

In America we can be what and who we want to be. We can be a garbage collector or a doctor, it is our choice what we become and what we work towards.

In America we have citizen soldiers, volunteers to protect us and our country. We have a duty to see to their welfare during and after the service that the give to us. 

In America we unite with our brothers and sisters in our neighborhood, in out towns and cities and try to live in peace and in harmony with each other. 

In America, law is master over might.

In America in modern times we have lost the ability to discuss things with one another, the word compromise has lost its meaning with our elected representatives. 

In America, we have lost confidence in our senate, in our congress, in our executive and legal branches because they no longer want to work together for the common good. 

In America, we move ever closer to having a state instead of a government. 

In America, our freedom of religion is being rescinded little bit by little bit. 

In America, the president now issues decrees called executive orders that have the force of law. 

In America, the Supreme Court issues decrees called decisions that have the force of law. 

In America, our Congress and Senate are deadlocked because party politics have become more important than the good of the citizens that sent them to Washington. Those entrusted to define the law do nothing. 

In America, you have the right to live unless you are in the womb and then you have no rights at all. 

In America, there is good, there is bad. But the only other form over government that is worse than ours is any other. 

God bless this country I call home, my Lord protect us, speak more loudly that we may hear your voice.  We pray oh Lord that never take for granted the freedoms that come from you. May America be a shining light to all the world of what can be.  Amen.