That the Fathers and the Great Spiritual Writers all Agree on
“Wisdom hath built herself a house, she hath hewn her out seven pillars. She hath slain her victims, mingled her wine, and set forth her table. She hath sent her maids to invite to the tower, and to the walls of the city: Whosoever is a little one, let him come to me. And to the unwise she said: Come, eat my bread, and drink the wine which I have mingled for you.” (Wisdom 9:1-5)
As another American election approaches, the normal media stream of outrage, slander, and scapegoating (more American than Baseball and Apple Pie) has begun to reach a fever pitch. Christians, sadly, are not immune to this. Being a quarrelsome bunch of works-in-progress, the polarization of an election provides an opportune time to bring the knives out and pontificate on who is a heretic or a fake Christian or a pagan or any variety of heartless, brainless monster that sticks.
It is not my desire to join that pandemonious chorus. Rather, I would like to use my own voice, small though it may be, to remind my readers of seven truths of the Faith that seem to be overlooked in the current climate (by myself as much as anyone else). It would be pointless to cite a specific source for these, since they are repeated so often by so many spiritual writers, from Gregory of Nyssa to Thomas Aquinas. I will leave to one side the importance of reverently partaking of the Sacraments, because it goes without saying. And though I write from a Roman Catholic perspective, I believe Christians of other traditions will find value in them too.
So, in ascending order of importance:
7. The Need for Silence
One of the features of living in a democratic society is the unspoken assumption that each citizen must be fully informed of all the happenings in the world and have an educated opinion on every topic and field of study known to man. This expectation is not realistic. The only ones with the time to amass that kind of knowledge are, by their income or profession, so removed from the experience of everyday life that their opinions are not worth much to the rest of us. But as admitting this is embarrassing, we tend to cover up our lack of knowledge with empty talk, echoing what we have heard from others or simply talking out of our backsides.
The Fathers condemn this (often and at great length), not only for its pretension, but also for the simple fact that when you are talking, you are not listening, to others or to God. By keeping silent, you render yourself more open to listening and learning, as well as contemplating the Divine Mysteries in your heart. Words do have good purpose: to speak the Truth, to defend the ill-used, to comfort the sorrowful, to edify our brethren and express our love and devotion for each other. But it is also an opportunity for gossip, slander, rash words, and profanity (as in, blasphemy). Speak little, and you will have little to fear from such things.
6. Almsgiving is a Duty, not an Option
Those who have the means have the obligation to support those in need. Obligation, not Option. This is a matter of justice. If we truly believe that Our Lord loves and desires eternal union with every human being, and if we will be saved or condemned by how we have treated the least among us, it follows that we have a sacred duty to see that the poorest among us our taken care of and given a decent standard of living, the dignity of good work, and a good amount of leisure time. How this translates into public policy, I am not qualified to say. However, a good start would be ridding ourselves of the notion (plaguing both sides of the political divide in various ways) that the misery and suffering of others is not allowed to disrupt our desire to live how we wish.
5. Root Out Sin from Your Life at All Cost
Our biggest obstacle to becoming a Saint (which is to say, a complete and happy human being) is our own sins. If we are like most human beings, our reflexive reaction is to comfort ourselves by pointing the accusing finger elsewhere. This is self-deception: someone else’s misdeeds do not amend our own. The only way to deal with sinful habits is to get rid of them. Frequent prayer, fasting, Confession, Reception of the Holy Eucharist, and of course, avoiding near occasions of sin are essential in this task. This is necessary training, for once the temptation strikes, it is far to late to train. In general, bad habits can be fixed by doing deeds of their opposing virtues. Other times, the best recourse is to distract yourself from the temptation (this is especially true of sins of the flesh). And then there is Pride, the most insidious and damaging sin. Which leads us to…
4. Humility, Humility, Humility
No matter how much progress you have made in the spiritual life, no matter how severe your practice, there will always be someone more advanced and more austere than you. How many of us rise in the middle of the night and sing Matins before holding vigil until dawn? How many of us subsist on only bread and water once a day for several days at a time? How many of us have spent years living alone in caves or atop pillars, to better think on the things of God? I do not say you should set these as goals, but rather that you should gain perspective. Even if you did all these things, the gap between you and God remains infinite, crossable only by God’s infinite love for you. Great love matters more than great deeds.
3. Charity Towards Others
By charity I do not mean simple kindness, but genuinely thinking better of others than you do of yourself. Since you cannot read the hearts of others, think the best of them and excuse their faults. Your harshness should be reserved for yourself, because you are the only one that you can control.
2. Submission
Submission to Authority doesn’t count when you like said authority and it orders you to do things you want to do anyway. It’s when the Authority is someone you don’t like and asks you to do things hard and uncomfortable that your virtue of submission (or lack thereof) becomes apparent. This is one reason why I do not criticize the Pope or other clerics in this space. It does nothing to change their actions, but it does disturb my peace and those of my readers. As with charity, focus on yourself. Be docile to the teachings of those in authority. If Our Lord was mistreated by both the secular and religious authorities of His day, why should we expect any different for us? And unless we endure in patience as Our Lord did, how can we expect to be formed into His likeness?
1. Trust in Divine Providence
If we accept as truth that the is only one all-powerful God who has perfect control over all things and see perfectly all possibilities, and that His goal is to sanctify is so that we may spend eternity with Him in heavenly bliss, it follows that anything that happens to us is, ultimately, the Will of God and for our own good. This child-like trust is, after Charity, the most important characteristic a Christian needs to have. What will be, will be. This does not mean we should be completely passive, absolving ourselves of any responsibility. It does mean that no matter who the Pope is, who the President is, or what kind of good or ill fortune comes upon us, we must remember that we are children in the hands of a loving Father. The sorrows of this life are temporary. The joys of the next life are eternal.
It is my sincere hope that this reminder has benefited you. May your charity and trust in Our Lord increase daily, and may we meet each other in Paradise.
If you like what I write here, be sure to check out my novel, Cain Son of Adam: A Gothic Tragedy, available in paperback and eBook formats on Amazon, and free to read on Kindle Unlimited.