“What marvelous things God would do for all souls if, ceasing to look at the clay from which they are formed, they would fix their gaze on him,” wrote the Ven. Mary Magdalen, a nun and spiritual writer from Spain who died in 1960.
I don’t know what crosses this religious sister was dealing with at the time of this writing, but her words resonate with me now.
Having friends who were visiting the Holy Land when war broke out there Oct. 7, I was drawn into the conflict in ways I might not have been otherwise and have been continuing to sort through the bullets and blood to know how to best respond.
The message that keeps coming is similar to Ven. Mary Magdalen’s advice: Eyes to the skies. While we need to be aware of world conflicts, ultimately, peace will not come from watching another news briefing or social media update, but something much wider, higher and wiser.
God might seem indifferent in times of war, but that is only our human perception. Some will even abandon God in such times, questioning how a good God could allow such atrocity. It always comes back to the same answer: God does not cause human devastation. Rather, due to the Fall, man chose to live life apart from God’s protection. That breach, not God, causes the death and destruction. God is always with us, both in the quiet moments and the loud blasts, waiting for us to turn to him.
In confusing days like this, we look around, wondering to whom we should offer our allegiance. Masks that had been securely fastened seem to be coming off, and the true depths of hearts are being revealed. While I unequivocally believe all humans are made good and are equal in dignity, I am realizing more acutely how varied cultures can be in viewing life and death.
That reality can call us out of our comfort zones. It would be nice to believe that everyone has the best of intentions. It would also be naïve. We want peace, but it rarely comes, in this world at least, without conflict. This is hard for my pacifist heart to grasp. It’s important to carefully discern what is right and good as lines grows fuzzy. Matthew bears much wisdom, including in 12:34: “From the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.” We need to pay attention to what people are saying.
And in 7:20, we are given this: “By their fruits you will know them.” We need to pay attention to whether actions seek to enhance or annihilate life.
Finally, in 10:16, we are cautioned to “be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.” We need to have our eyes open, while trusting ultimately in God’s ability and intention to bring good from the chaos.
God remains our one sure defense. With our eyes fixed on him, we “need not fear the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day.” (Psalm 91:5)
[For the sake of having a repository for my newspaper columns and articles, I reprint them here, with permission, a week after their run date. The preceding ran in The Forum newspaper on Nov. 6, 2023.]
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