Yes, I know, I know; I’ve long said I was going to keep this blog a “politics free” zone, and there it is; the title of today’s issue is a phrase quite similar to that of the Grand Poobah of conservative talk, El Rushbo himself. But before you get out the pitchforks, please allow me to assure you: today’s blog is going to have nothing to do with the golden microphone, the EIB network, or a Shanklin parody. Not that I have any familiarity with such a program. But if I did, I might find that phrase, “talent on loan from God”, apropos to today’s citation from The Way. So, before I step into it any further, why not step back from the parapet of political quagmire, and jump right into the writings of St. Josemaria Escriva. And if some of you are snickering, from right wing talk to right wing Catholic authority figure….well, the connection is purely coincidental. Or is it? Anyway…here’s Escriva:
#728: All our fortitude is on loan.
So you now see why I borrowed a phrase from Rush? But whereas that icon of conservative radio uses the phrase as a boast, Escriva is going the opposite way. It is an admission of human frailty, our complete helplessness in a world drowning in sin. It goes back to what I’ve talked about recently, the concept of original sin and how there’s no way we can avoid it. It’s interesting how things line up. At the beginning of this year, I made a resolution that this was going to be my year of living a more Catholic life. As part of doing so, I increased my morning readings from just the Bible, to also include a section of the Catechism (always good to know what you profess); the Lives of the Saints (interesting, to say the least. Sometimes pushing a bit of incredulity when dealing with the very old saints, but that’s for another day) and the Confessions of St. Augustine (tough; very, very tough. I’ll leave it at that. No I won’t. I’ll just say, there are many mornings where I’m not sure what I just read. Anyone else feel that way?). But the reason I bring this up, by pure coincidence, my recent blogging on original sin has happened at the same time that I’ve been reading the Catechism’s teaching about the subject. It explains why infant baptism is so important in the Church; in a world where sin runs rampant, the idea is to dedicate the child to Christ, before they commit their own, knowing sin. Now, I realize infant baptism is something many of our Protestant brothers/sisters disagree with. I understand their reasoning, that you need to be mature enough to make a conscious decision to dedicate your life to Christ. But as I’ve mentioned on here before, with Catholicism, it’s an “all in” proposition. The Church holds to infant baptism as being essential. So, if I’m going to call myself Catholic, it’s what I need to get behind. But this is digressing from the main point, which is, I’ve been doing a lot of thought about original sin lately.
I’ve written about Jesus speaking of how difficult the path to Salvation is, and that its impossible for man, but through God, all things are possible. It would seem Escriva’s thoughts on fortitude are in line with St. Paul’s. One of the latter’s most famous images is that of the “armor of God.” This is found in Ephesians 6. Echoing what Jesus said, St. Paul reminds us that we can’t face Satan alone. I should explain. Paul is not talking about a Milton-esque confrontation with the great romantic anti-villain of Satan. It makes Paradise Lost gripping reading, but that’s not the Satan we meet. Our Satan is the same that Jesus encountered in the desert, it’s the one of temptations. No, we’re not going to be guided to the parapet of the Temple. But it’s the everyday things of life. Talking bad about someone; finding a way to cheat on an assignment/exam; using inappropriate language; dealing dishonestly with someone; not fulfilling our obligations. The Satan we are battling with is the one who cuts us off while driving, prompting us to raise our voice, extend a middle finger, and use bad language. Our Satan calls us to focus more on work and the bottom line, in promise of a better financial future, than spend time with loved ones. Our Satan makes us avoid certain people, because we don’t want to ride in the same car as someone we just don’t like. No, it’s not as romantic as Milton….but we don’t live in his literary world. The decision to try and avoid someone for any myriad of reasons: personal hygiene, uninteresting conversation, perception of others….that’s not going to make the pages of Paradise Lost, but it goes against what Jesus told us in Matthew 25, about what we did unto others, we did to Him. That’s the Satan we deal with. Hopefully you can see just how easy it is to sin in our everyday lives. Chances are, there’s no dramatic, course of humanity changing choice we have to face like Adam and Eve did. Rather, the opportunity to sin is so prevalent in our lives, we may sin and not even realize we did it. I know I’m absolutely guilty of it. It’s part of living in a world where original sin exists.
It’s why Jesus came. His gift of unquestioning love for us, realized upon the Cross, is how we can survive in a sinful world. But just accepting Jesus is not enough. As I’ve mentioned before, He didn’t condemn the woman who was to be stoned. He also told her to sin no more. In a sinful world, that’s impossible. But we can improve our chances by relying upon God. Back to Ephesians, which, yes, I never really got to in the previous paragraph. St. Paul, in verse 10, calls us to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” It’s an acknowledgment, just like Escriva, that Satan is too much for us by ourselves. We can only do this with God. “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the Devil’s schemes.” It’s what you spend your money on, the words you speak, the thoughts you think, the way you carry yourself. With the armor of God, you can make a choice that will reflect the life Jesus has called you to. We can’t do it alone. It’s strength on loan from God.
And since it’s a loan, what is the interest we are to pay? Why, it’s nothing less than our devotion to Jesus, and living our life as He called us to do. It’s being part of a community of faith (going to Church), it’s giving of ourselves (our time and talents….aka, tithe to the Church and to others), and it’s loving our neighbors as ourselves. It’s turning the other cheek. It’s helping others. As Escriva calls for, it’s living your life dedicated to a higher purpose. The way you carry yourself, that’s your missionary work. Living the Christian life, and it may be an example for others. That’s the interest we pay, for strength on loan from God. It’s not easy, but its impossible to do so alone.
All our fortitude is a loan from God. May we don that armor and enter into the fray.
guyinaboater 