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Out
on the political hustings, talk radio, and cable television this
past week, much has been made about an observation former U.S.
Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) made while delivering an address in
2008 at Ave Maria University. Discussing his belief that the power
of evil is alive and well and at work in our nation, Santorum told
the students:
This
is not a political war at all. This is not a cultural war. This is a
spiritual war. And the Father of Lies has his sights on what you
would think the Father of Lies would have his sights on: a good,
decent, powerful, influential country—the United States of America.
If you were Satan, who would you attack in this day and age? There
is no one else to go after other than the United States and that has
been the case now for almost two hundred years, once America’s
pre-eminence was sown by our great Founding Fathers.
After watching a video of this speech, I was amazed to hear so many
commentators and talking heads who were nothing short of aghast that
any sane person would believe that Satan exists and is alive and
very much at work in our nation. Even commentators and talking
heads who identify themselves as Catholics were incredulous.
Later in the week, I watched as Don Imus of “Imus in the Morning”
quizzed his guest, Father Jonathan Morris, starting with the
question, “You don’t believe that Satan exists do you? I mean, you
don’t think there’s this red devil with horns and a pointy tail
carrying a pitch fork, do you?” Fr. Morris responded, “No, I
don’t. But, that’s different from saying that the power of evil
doesn’t exist.”
I
would suggest that Fr. Morris is correct. How a concept or idea is
depicted visually or linguistically can be very different from the
concept or idea itself. So, as we begin this Lenten season, I
thought it might be good to reflect together upon the concept or
idea of “Satan,” not just because it has been a focus of so much
discussion this past week on the political hustings, talk radio, and
on cable television shows. More importantly, I thought it might be
good to reflect together upon the concept or idea of “Satan” because
St. Mark uses that very term in today’s gospel. Perhaps these
reflections can help focus us more clearly upon the spiritual
challenges we are confronting today and that Rick Santorum was
alluding to in his 2008 speech at Ave Maria University.
The etymology of the concept or idea of “satan” (from the Hebrew,
s-t-n, and the Greek,
satan)
means “adversary, one who plots against another,” “to show enmity
to, oppose, plot against,” or “someone one who or something that
opposes, obstructs, or acts as an adversary.” These ideas suggest
that we think about satan in the form of an external reality—it
could be a person, but it could also be an idea or perhaps even
public opinion—that keeps people like you and me from doing or
saying what we know deep inside must be done or said. After all,
you might recall that St. Paul wrote in last Sunday’s epistle, “As
God is faithful, our word to you is not ‘yes’ and ‘no’….but “yes.”
Framed in this way, we experience the reality of satan when a
situation confronts us and we know what we should say from deep
within ourselves. Yet, something outside of us tests us and our
determination. Will we say “yes” and mean “yes”? Will we say “no”
and mean “no”? Will we say “maybe” and mean “well, perhaps”? Or,
will we consult public opinion polls? Remember that St. Paul also
wrote in last week’s epistle that God has “put his seal upon us and
given the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.” If our
desire is to be good and holy people, all we can say when satan
tests us is “Yes,” that is, “yes” to what God has already placed
into our hearts.
Interestingly, the Greek version of the Old Testament, the
Septuagint, translates satan (satan)
as diabolos (diabolos)
meaning “slanderer,” literally one who throws (something) across.”
Thus, as early as the Christian community from which Mark produced
his gospel, Christians have used the term “Satan” as the proper name
of the supreme evil spirit.
It
is of this understanding of Satan that Mark wrote in today’s gospel,
“The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the
desert for forty days, tempted by Satan.” That is, the Spirit of
God impelled Jesus—something from very deep within Jesus drove
him—to leave his home and to go out into the desert where the
adversary—the one who detested and was plotting against, opposing,
and obstructing Jesus—would test Jesus and his resolve. Invoking
St. Paul’s terminology, would Jesus say “Yes,” “No,” “Maybe,” or
take a public opinion poll to determine what he should say?
We
already know the answer to that confrontation between good and evil
and not just because when the forty days had passed “Jesus came to
Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God.” More importantly, we know
the answer because in everything that follows Jesus’ forty day
sojourn in the desert in Mark’s gospel, whenever Jesus says
“Yes”—like to the paralytic, “Yes, I say to you, rise pick up your
mat, and go home,” to the leper, “Yes, I do will it. Be made
clean,” or to God, “Yes, I say not my will but your will be
done”—the people—people just like you and me—are “astounded and
glorified God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this’.”
To
my ears, that sounds an awful lot like those cable television
commentators and talking heads who were incredulous that Rick
Santorum had the audacity to say that Satan was alive and well and
at work in our nation. They said: “How can he say this? It’s
nothing short of political suicide.” For his part, the columnist
Ben Shaprio wrote:
Moderate to liberal opinion holds that Santorum is a fringe
candidate, a religious panderer who revs up the base but loses the
middle. There’s truth to that perception—polling shows that Santorum
is seen as a more fringy candidate than, say, Mitt Romney. More
damaging, there is a popular perception that Santorum is paranoid
about sex, focused solely and completely on matters of the bedroom.
This is just plain false. But Santorum’s own language lends
support to that false perception. When he talks about Satan using
“sensuality” to seduce the United States, he sounds like a tent
preacher, rather than a politician. When he rails against the
pervasive sexuality of our society—all of which is true—he doesn’t
do so on social grounds, but on moral grounds, slinging around
terminology that makes the irreligious blush….
So
where does this leave Santorum? It leaves him out in the cold,
unless he can find a way to better articulate the socially
conservative position. He’s a politician, not a preacher. He needs
to stop citing religious belief as the source of government values
and start citing the social truths that religious beliefs describe.
Unwed motherhood is a moral issue, but it’s a secular, societal
issue, too—which is why Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a former Democrat
senator from New York, could make the case against it.
Santorum prefers to stay on the moral plane rather than the social
one.
While
that may be sage political advice, if Ben Shapiro is to be believed,
then the only way a politician can win office is to compromise his
or her moral beliefs. Instead, a politician should say “Maybe,” or
perhaps, conduct a poll and tell the majority of people what they
want to hear, or even better yet, say “My religious beliefs are a
private matter and I would never, ever allow them to influence my
decision-making process, even if that means I have to act contrary
to my religious beliefs.”
In
plain English, that’s what the biblical word “satan” means. When we
are tested, something external to us who detests and is plotting
against, opposing, and obstructing us seeks to silence us. Most
normally, this is accomplished by shaming us. Almost as frequently
is the fear induced when we consider having to live with the fallout
if we are to say “yes” and mean “yes.” So, we don’t. Another trick
is the old “let’s give it a try and let’s see how things turn out.”
In the end, what we are doing is to choose to live in unholy fear of
human beings—people who could care less about us as long as they get
their way—instead living in holy “fear of God—who loves us and has
shown us how to live His way by giving us the gift of the Holy
Spirit.
Let me be clear: I am not endorsing Rick Santorum for the Republican
nomination for the office of President of the United States. What I
am endorsing is the model of courage and conviction he exemplifies
as he lives out his Catholic faith on the political hustings by
saying “yes” when it would be much easier and more politically
expedient to say “no.” As Catholics, it really doesn’t matter what
Rick Santorum’s public policy positions are because as Satan
continues to attack Rick Santorum as an adversary, Rick Santorum is
responding out on the political hustings by catechizing us—as Jesus
did for the people of Israel—about how we might better witness to
our Catholic faith, assuming of course that we believe what the
Church teaches. After all, what does committing political
suicide and standing outside in the political cold matter,
especially when one believes that what’s at stake is one’s soul and
perhaps that of the nation as well?
It
might be the test for our generation is the general trend in our
nation of silencing any public discussion of values, in general, and
of moral and religious values, in particular. Is Satan—the adversary
who detested and was plotting against, opposing, and obstructing
Jesus—is now testing us and our resolve to live our Catholic faith?
This season of Lent provides each of us an extended period of
time—forty days—to contemplate and to answer that question.
The
answer will be evident on Easter Sunday and in the days and months
and years afterwards if we
emerge from the Lenten desert “proclaiming the gospel of God [and
saying]: ‘This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at
hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel’.”
A brief
commercial break...
And, now,
the Annual Top 10 Lenten Penances:
The 2012 edition...
These penances are arranged in order from those fellow parishioners
have identified as “least demanding” to those they’ve identified as
“most demanding.” Those who want to practice a more “muscular” form
of Catholicism during the season of Lent should try performing as
many penances from the most difficult (“easier”) penances to the
least difficult (“very difficult”) penances as is possible.
(easier penances)
10. Immediately upon waking up, begin each day by making a very slow
and thoughtful Sign of the Cross. Be sure to press you hand against
your forehead (mind), your stomach (source of emotions), and
shoulders (heart and lungs) so that you feel your body as you say
the words. And, before going to bed, do the same.
9. Abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays during Lent
and give up something you enjoy—like adult beverages, second
helpings, candy, or desserts—for forty days.
8. Attend daily Mass and participate in the Stations of the Cross on
the Fridays of Lent.
7. Each day, pick out and offer to complete an undesirable chore
assigned to someone else at home, school, or at work. "Here,
let me do that for you..."
(more difficult penances)
6. Abstain from all foul language, lewd jokes, gossip, and sarcastic
or demeaning language each day of Lent. That includes
name-calling.
5. Turn off the computer except for absolutely essential work. That
means: no Internet chatrooms, IMs (instant messaging), non-essential
emails, and absolutely no websurfing...for forty days.
4. (a choice) [especially for retired persons] Spend one hour each
week of Lent in Eucharistic adoration. Don’t bring anything but
yourself. Sit there in silence and contemplate the gift of the
Eucharist. [especially for married couples] Spend one hour one night
each week looking at your wedding albums and discuss what your hopes
and dreams were. Ask each other: What do I need to do so that we can
fulfill our hopes and desires? [especially for kids] Ask you Mom or
Dad what one thing you need to do to improve yourself during Lent
and do it.
(very difficult penances)
3. Say the rosary every day. But, do so by offering the rosary
sincerely from your heart for someone you are having difficulties
with, like your in-laws, brother or sister, etc. Or, in a private
space each day, stand up, stretch out your arms as if you are
placing yourself on the Cross, and envision your sins nailing Jesus
to the Cross. Feel the pain that sin causes and offer this pain up
for those you are having difficulties with.
2. Turn off the television, radio, IPod, Playstation, etc., for
forty days. “What am I going to do?” you may wonder. (especially for
single adults and older couples) Try reading the Sunday Scriptures
each day of the week or a section from the Catechism of the
Catholic Church each day. (especially for teenagers) Along with
your parents, read Pope John Paul II’s encyclical, On The Family
(Familiaris Consortio). It’s free and available on the web.
Read one section each day and discuss it after dinner as a family.
If you don’t understand something, ask your parents to explain what
the Pope means. Or, alternatively, take one hour after dinner each
evening to engage in spiritual reading and discussion together in
the living room or family room. Take 20 minutes to read a selection.
Take 10 minutes to write down what that selection indicates you need
to change in your life to be a more spiritual person. Take the next
20 minutes to share these insights with one another. Use the last 10
minutes to invoke God's Holy Spirit to help each member of the
family build one another up in doing these things.
1. Each day, sit down in absolute silence. Think about yourself and
your life for about five minutes. Then, write down a sin or
character flaw you know you need to improve upon. When you think
you’ve completed your list, go to Church and make a good confession.
Then, repeat as necessary.
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HOMILY
