June 5, 2012
Recently I had occasion to take up a book I’ve owned for years but hadn’t finished, The Apocalypse Explained
On various feasts throughout the year our sacred liturgy draws from the book of Revelation, but Féret’s discussion brings out a central truth we laity should consider often and should embrace if we are to be the light of the world Christ ordered us to be (Matt. 5:14). Archbishop Chaput alluded to this truth in his quote I covered in my post Archbishop Chaput and the Test of Fire.
Féret writes:
…the cause of Christ and of truth are one and the same. They identify themselves with one another, if one may say so, in the mystery of God himself, where Christ pre-existed for all eternity as the Word, the personal Word of God.
They identify themselves in time and in history, where the truth of the gospel prolongs through the centuries the first revelation of Jesus Christ. From that time on no partial truth could save mankind; men could only be saved by surrendering to total truth.
The demon knows this well; therefore he sets up false prophets and gives the second Beast a mask which enables him to be mistaken for the Lamb. There are bits of truth in liberalism, and in all sorts of doctrines that raise false messianic hopes. They are often, as we have said, Christian truths that have gone mad.
It is necessary to reintegrate the whole truth of the gospel, otherwise men will be drawn into illusion and misery. Therefore, from the Christian standpoint, moral truth towers over all other truths.
One must not, of course, underrate other orders of truth, like those of science or technique, which are adding so much to the sum-total of human achievement. But the Christian knows very well that all the scientific and technical triumphs in the world, unless they are backed by moral truth, cannot save mankind. However perfect their individual disciplines, their social plans and their politics; however legitimate and idealistic the particular point of view from which such systems spring; however powerful the means they are able to press into their service, the Christian knows in advance that in backing them he is riding towards a fall if they do not measure up to the moral requirements of the truth which commands all others – the truth of the Gospel. [which must be taken in it's entirety, not piecemeal.]
Today’s media allows all sorts of special interest groups to gain attention for their various causes, giving a platform for all sorts of immoral propositions. Many people are confused by the apparent logic of the rhetoric employed, without looking beyond it to ask whether the causes are congruent with what Jesus says. But then, I’ve noticed that altogether too many people are really adverse to thinking anything through and only until we find ourselves in complete misery do we stop, if then, and ask ourselves what should be our first two questions: “What is the truth I must hold to, and why?”
Féret continues:
And something more. For the Christian, evangelical truth is not a collection of abstract affirmations, a code of theoretical principles. It is a mysterious link with the Person of Jesus Christ, of whom it is said that He is Himself the Truth. Therefore from the Christian standpoint service to truth is the same as service to Jesus Christ, just as in history the two causes are one and the same. The same white horseman in the Apocalypse, stands turn and turn about for the two aspects of the same idea. In the first instance the impersonal truth of the Gospel (Ch. 6) is symbolized; and in the second (Ch. 19) it is He whose personal name is “Word of God”.
The Christian subscribes to the personal cult of Jesus Christ in his devotion to every true cause, and inversely, his love for his Master makes him first and foremost a witness of truth in the world.
If we accept this as true, then we must ask ourselves some hard questions such as:
Do I actively seek understanding of the Gospel beyond attending Mass regularly on Sundays and Holy Days?
Do I spend time pondering the causes and claims of groups to determine if what they say is congruent with the moral requirements of the Gospel truth?
Are my words and actions in daily life congruent with these moral requirements?
Am I committed to advancing a personal agenda for a temporal advantage or am I a witness of truth?
Do I sit by quietly when others are speaking manifest error in my presence for fear of offending somebody or becoming a target of vitriol?
Do I spread the truth in word and action with charity?
Do I spend time daily in prayer, seeking to know Christ and His truth better?
Have I surrendered to the total truth of the Gospel or am I stubbornly holding back because of something I don’t want to accept?
Do I pray for public leaders to know and understand the truth and accept it? (Like, for instance, when was the last time I prayed for Sibelius, Pelosi, Biden, Obama?)
Have I troubled myself to know true Catholic social teaching or do I just think I know?
As Catholics we know that there are sins of commission and sins of omission. To me, the worst sins of omission are to sit around doing other things rather than
- seeking a clear understanding of the moral requirements of the Gospel truth and
- failing to witness to it.
It’s how we got legal abortion, euthanasia, the push for “gay marriage”, unjust wars, a brutally expensive health care system that is unaffordable to a large percentage of people, illegal immigration, and every other social ill we can think of.
We will answer to God at our particular judgment for failing to use whatever level of intelligence He has given us to confront error in this world according to our vocation. Failing to confront error deprives our fellow man of the peace of Christ and the joy of living in His truth. How can we do that to people Christ died for? How can we call ourselves Christian if we live silently in the shadows without our lamps lit?
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R. Now and forever!
(Click on the link above to read why I end my posts this way.)
