December 25, 2009
The Second Half
Armed and dangerous
BY DEACON JIM AND ANN CAVERA
With each passing year we feel as though we are riding a carousel that is spinning too fast. While we sit here wondering what happened, the things that come to mind are things we could have done without. Years ago celebrity “news” was something women read in pulp gossip magazines while they sat under the hair dryer at a local beauty shop. Now the six o’clock evening news gives more coverage to passing pop stars and messy celebrity divorces than to hungry children and homeless people. How did that happen? Meanwhile, our leaders seem unable to agree on anything of national or worldwide importance. As we write this column, the President is in Copenhagen hoping to bring about an agreement on how to lessen the pollution that threatens to overtake us.
In the fifth century in his book “City of God” St. Augustine wrote: “Though there are very many nations all over the earth, . . . there are no more than two kinds of human society, . . . which we may justly call two cities . . . one consisting of those who live according to man, the other of those who live according to God.”
As we leave behind another year, the need to spread the love and peace of Christ becomes more and more urgent. Those of us who have chosen to live as citizens of the second city wonder more than ever how we can bring the joy we find in God’s company to those who are struggling to find hope. As people of Light, this is a good time to take inventory of the few things we can actually control. We can’t remember whether we have already written about the four things we think God has placed in our hands, but as we cross into 2010, we want to make certain we have these tools firmly in place.
Prayer: No one can force another person to open their heart in prayer and even throwing someone in the worst prison can’t keep them from praying. Whether or not we really pray is completely in our hands. Commitment: what is the focus of our mind and heart? No one can determine what we think about, long for and are willing to work for with all of our heart. Surrender: How much of our life are we willing to let go of for God’s kingdom? Is an hour on Sunday morning sufficient, or does it give us great joy to welcome Christ into every corner of our lives? Forgiveness: This takes place first in the mind and then in the heart. No one can force us to forgive someone else and, regardless of what we say, whether or not forgiveness has taken place is known only to God and us.
The older we become, the less power we have over national and international concerns. On the other hand, we do become more certain about who we are becoming. We don’t know what the future holds, but we believe prayer, commitment, surrender and forgiveness make us armed and dangerous to forces that would keep the world in darkness.
Deacon Jim and Ann Cavera are former residents of Evansville; their award-winning column is a regular feature of the Message. Contact them at www.catholicseniorspirit.com.