Reflection for the Solemnity of Christ the King, From the sermons and writings of Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer (1902-1975): I want to draw your attention, especially those involved in public life the following words of the Curé of Ars, Saint John Mary Vianney: ‘To dissent from the teachings of Christ and of His Church in any important matter of faith or morals, especially those related to God’s Commandments, such as with regards to the sanctity and indissolubility of marriage, as God wills it and has established right from the very beginning of creation, is to automatically separate oneself from Christ, to lose one’s communion with Him, and to violate, nullify and loose one’s Catholic identity. Whoever is in this situation cannot call himself a Catholic, nor consider himself as a disciple of Christ. Those who dissent from the teachings of Christ and of His Church on such fundamental issues, are choosing to serve their own pride, their own selfishness, their own lust, their own comfort, instead of loving and serving God by following His Commandments. These people think that they know as much as God, or even more than Him, so they do not need to follow the Divine Word of His Son and the teachings of His Church. That same self-pride that led to the fall of Adam and Eve, who wanted to become like God’! I readily understand those words of Saint Augustine: God, who created you without you, will not save you without you. Every single one of us, you and I as well, always has the possibility, the unfortunate possibility of rising up against Jesus, who redeemed each and every one of us with His most Precious Blood, of rejecting Him, by not following the Commandments and accepting His teachings, and tell Him: We do not want You to rule over us. Many people will not accept that Christ should reign over them in their life. They oppose Him in thousands of ways: in their attitude toward their circumstances, in their approach to human society, in morality, in science and the arts. They reject Christ because that would involve accepting His law. And law they will not accept, not even the wonderful precept of charity, for they do not want to reach out to Gods love. Their ambition is to serve their own lust, selfishness and self-pride. And therefore they will neither accept Christ nor His Holy Church. So they expect the state to legalize what infringes God’s Commandments and greatly displeases Him, claiming that the state refuses them the civil right to do so, when the state does not have any right to try to make itself above God and His Commandments. Reject the deception of those who appease themselves with the pathetic cry of ‘Freedom! Freedom!’ Their cry often masks a tragic enslavement, because choices that prefer error and displease God immensely do not liberate. Freedom finds its true meaning when it is put in service of the truth which redeems, when it is spent seeking God’s infinite Love which liberates us from all forms of slavery. For even when God’s will seems painful and its demands wounding, it coincides perfectly with our freedom, which is only to be found in God and His plans. We must defend always the truth, without any sort of compromise, because the truth makes us free, while going against God’s will and infringing His Commandments enslaves. I want to warn all Catholics of the temptation, so common in our times, to lead a kind of double life: on the one hand an inner life, a life related to God, and on the other, as something separate and distinct, their professional, social and family lives, made up of earthly realities. No! We cannot lead a double life! We cannot be like schizophrenics, if we want to be true Christians. There is only just one life, made of flesh and spirit. And it is this life which has to become, in both soul and body, holy and filled with God. This applies to all who wish to follow Christ, but especially to those politicians who profess themselves as Catholics. What they say, do and promote in society must be in conformity with their faith in the Teachings of Christ, and in accordance with God’s Commandments. If they do not do so, then they are leading a double life. They cannot preach in one way, and then live or do the opposite way. As Catholics faithful to Christ, we have to practise, or at least try to practise the values we preach. But if we do not do so, then we are only being a serious cause of scandal to others. In human affairs other people may also be right: they see the same question as you, but from a different point of view, under another light, with other shades, with other contours. But in matters of faith and morals is only one indisputable truth, that of Christ and of the Church which He founded and which He gave authority to teach His Word. In these areas Gods sons have to stand firm and defend God’s Commandments, for the sake of all mankind. To give way in matters of faith and morals would be a false, diabolical, deceitful charity. This is not fanaticism, but quite simply the practice of our faith. This is not imposing our beliefs on others, but defending the truth. We can give way in all temporal matters, but in matters of faith and morals we cannot give way. We cannot compromise in any way God’s own Commandments, nor accept anything that goes against these Commandments. We cannot change anything of the teachings of Christ in order to accommodate ourselves. These are not our rights; they are Gods rights! Remember what Our Lord said: ‘Render to God what belongs to God, and to Caesar what belongs to Caesar!’ God’s Commandments are His, and nobody, not even the state, has any right to modify, play around, compromise or infringe His Commandments. He who is our King has entrusted His Commandments to us, his subjects, so that we may exercise them appropriately! So any law approved by the state that is against any of God’s Commandment is a serious act of rebellion towards God, King of all people and Lord of all mankind, and even if the majority in a country is in favour of that law this stills remains immoral and wrong, and will certainly have its severe repercussions and consequences on society. There is no reason why the Church and the State should clash on laws concerning life, marriage, the family, Christian education in schools, or any other issue of faith and morals when the two proceed with the lawful exercise of their respective authorities, in fulfilment of the mission our sovereign Lord has entrusted to them, and in line with all of His Commandments. Those who affirm the contrary are liars, yes, liars! They are the same people who honour a false liberty, and ask us Catholics to do them the favour of going back to the catacombs!
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 21:22:02 +0000
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