What IS good for us? A Lenten Reflection

So, I was visiting my daughter and went to confession with her priest, Father Ben.  I’m 62 years old, so there’s not a lot of passion leading to serious sin in my life these days…  Mostly, it is a mental battle.  And the mental battle lately, that I had to confess, is ANGER.

You see, I’ve been following all sides of the ‘Covid-19’ and ‘vaccine’ debate; and if what many doctors, scientists and others say is true - this entire thing has been orchestrated to grab control - by terrifying the populace.  And now people are so terrified they are rushing to take an experimental injection - that has NEVER worked before - and in fact has always killed in the past.  But the vaccine makers have zero liability, and are now overnight billionaires - so what do they care?

And the numerous deaths by vaccine have already begun.

But people are so terrified by the perpetual updates of the ‘killings’ of a virus (that has a 99.9% survival rate) - that no one is listening and/or thinking anymore. They are blindly following those in charge who are telling them to hate anyone who disagrees with the ‘narrative’ being told. Kind of like Nazi Germany all over again.

Hence my anger.  Any time I see innocent people being abused by a ‘system’, I get angry.  And yet, anger is a sin.  Further hence, my confession.

Father Ben listened carefully to my rantings and my ravings; and then said a couple things that really struck home.

‘First,’ he commented, ‘you do know that we are no longer a Christian nation?  We are post-Christian.  Most people no longer believe in God.’

And it shows.

‘But mostly,’  he continued, ‘I no longer know what is best for us anymore.’

Huh?  A man of God no longer knowing what is ‘best’ for people of God?

He explained:

‘In the early days of Christianity, to be a Christian meant death.  If you went to mass, there was a good possibility that your family would be killed for it.  Not only that, but babies were not only ‘aborted’; they were simply discarded after birth; thrown away to die if their father didn’t want them.’

‘That was the ‘culture’ surrounding the early church.  And YET, Christianity flourished in leaps and bounds, and more and more people were saved and came to believe in Christ.’

‘And so, how do we know what is best for us?

He finished by noting, ‘In the last year, I have personally seen so many people turning to God because of this virus, and their fear.  So how do we know if that was a ‘bad’ thing?  In the height of ‘Christian America’, the 60’s, the 70’s - did people really have any faith?  Those who are discovering it now - do.’

And so my goal for Lent this year is to stop looking at the world; and start looking exclusively to God. The more you look at the world, the angrier you get.  But the more you look at God - the more you get to feeling His Presence permeate your life.  And the more you feel His Presence; the more joyful you become, until you actually  ‘glow’ with HIS glory.  THAT is how you attract people.  

Saints attract attention because there are so few of them.

There was ONE girl in my college like that.  She was always joyful, always kind, always unworried, always laughing off the ‘threats’ of people & the world.  She seemed to have such confidence in God, and in herself - since God loved her.  I still remember this one girl, even though I barely remember anyone else.  She was a curiosity to me, and to everyone.  Her calmness, security & mostly joy - attracted attention.  People wanted to know how she had it.

St. Peter, also, was a man initially concerned with others.  After all, it was his fear of other people that got him to deny Christ.  And after Jesus’ resurrection, when informed of how he would die, Peter looked over at John and asked what was going to happen to HIM.  Jesus’ response is something I need to take to heart more often:  

“…what is that to you?  (You) Follow me!”

I keep this quote by St. Katharine Drexel in my journal:  

“It is a lesson we all need - to let alone the things that do not concern us.  He has other ways for others to follow Him; all do not go by the same path.  It is for each of us to learn the path by which He requires us to follow Him, and to follow Him in that path.”

I need to reflect on it more often!  Because, after all, how DO we really know ‘what is best’ for us, for our nation, for our world?  We don’t, but God does.  How about we trust that He can handle it? And the resultant joy that would come from that trust; is what just might change the world.

Now THAT, I believe, would be a worthy Lenten Goal.