I grew up in a world that needed to know and understand everything. When I was at University, mysteries were something awaiting the discovery of science. There was nothing that would not be explained in the very near future by the systematic scientific action of humans.
I smile when I think of how naïve I was; how conceited and proud and proud I could be that a human could understand the universe and all that of creation. As I matured I realised the extent of the unknown and humankind had been on a quest to increase understanding of creation. I started to realise that many things in life would remain mysteries; no matter how much I would like it to be otherwise.
Evil is one of those mysteries. Why is there evil in the world when God created us out of love? On the surface we can say that it is about free will. If we were buffeted against natural and human evil, we would not be free, and therefore never able to choose for or against God. Only in a world where we have the freedom to affect destiny can we be said to be free.
And this evil, where does it come from? Well most of it comes from you and me, and it is given life and power the more we make bad or selfish decisions. Each time we choose badly, we restrict our freedom. We make the world a worse place instead of making it the perfect society God infused it to become. Conversely, each time we make a good decision our freedom is increased and the world made a better place.
In the Gospel, the demons, the personification of evil, ask Jesus: have you come to destroy us? You bet he has! His ministry is to destroy all that leads to death, and the demons in the Gospel know that, and speak up out of desperation. It is funny, but some treat this as a fairy story, but for those who know themselves and what humans are capable of, this is no light matter. As Catholics we don't talk about the devil or demons much. We prefer to talk about the power of God's love, which is greater than anything. However, the devil does exist and possession, if rare, is real, just as the Gospel teaches.
The great saints of the church, when they became very holy, often lamented their sinfulness. I used to think this was a false piety, but now I understand that as they became more spiritually attuned, they could see clearly and could see the ramifications of their actions. They could see the hurt that actions we often regard as innocuous can sustain. The saints, like the demons in the Gospel, have a spiritual insight that they can share. Obviously the difference is that the saints bear witness to the truth, and the demons to falsehood.
This is not meant to confuse us, but to call us to a deeper appreciation of the spiritual in our lives. We do not have to grope in the darkness for answers, for there is a well-trodden path that guides us through the great mysteries of life.
Firstly, we look, we discern and we evaluate.
Secondly we trust, not in our own fallible judgement, but in the collective wisdom God has given to the Church by which she has been sustained and guided.
Thirdly, we embrace the freedom that belongs to the children of God, by daily rejecting evil so that we can, live in the freedom of God’s children, for that is our baptism calling.
By being open, humble, and living out our baptismal calling, we will become comfortable with the mysteries that surround us, but we will increasingly become aware of the presence of God which sustains us and draws us upward and onward.
Homily OLQP 29th Jnaury 2012, 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
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