I wrote previously on the parables of the Kingdom in the Gospel of Matthew. They fascinated me then, and I read a great reflection on them that continued the wonder. Alongside reading the Gospel of Matthew, I've been making my way through In Soft Garments by Msgr. Ronald Knox. He uses the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven to put a frame on the issue of the Church and human progress.
Here are some extended quotes, and any attempt at a summary wouldn't do him justice.
"... the growth of the mustard seed shows you the Christian Church as a body which swells in size, whereas the spread of the leaven shows you the Christian gospel as an influence which radiates fore and communicated it to its neighbourhood. The tree takes something from its surroundings; takes nourishment from the earth and the moisture and the sunlight, and so grows bigger: and the Church takes something from her surroundings, takes the souls of men from the world and incorporates them into herself. The leaven gives something to its surroundings, infects them with its own life; so the Christian gospel gives something to its surroundings; communicates to mankind its own spirit of discipline and its own philosophy of life." (pg. 166-167)
"One word needs to be added, not less important. Our Lord says that the mustard tree is to grow out of all recognition; he doesn't say that it is to grow indefinitely; does not mean us to understand that there will ever be a time at which the whole of mankind will be even nominally Christian. His prophecy that his Gospel will be preached in the whole world is sufficiently fulfilled if all mankind has a real chance of hearing it. Similarly, when he says that the leaven hidden in the meal spread till the whole was leavened, I don't think we are necessarily to understand this as meaning that there will be a time at which the principles of Christian charity towards one's neighbour will dominate the counsels of humanity. We are to understand that the Christian message will make itself felt throughout the world which harbours it, not necessarily that it will triumph. Don't be disappointed, therefore, if it appears--it may perfectly well come to appear so in your lifetime--as if things were going backwards instead of forwards, as if the world were relapsing into barbarism instead of following along the path marked out for it by what we call civilization.... the social influence of the Church is in reality a by-product of her activity; it is not her life. Her business, ultimately, is with the individual soul, and the promises by which she lives are not limited within the these narrow horizons. The leaven is there, and it does not lose its virtue with the centuries. But whether in our particular age the time is ripe for its manifestation, that we cannot know." (pg. 172-173)
The latter quote put the modern world into good perspective, I think. Couldn't Knox be writing for today, and not the 1930s? Doesn't the world seem to be going backward instead of forward? It slips my mind frequently, but it's key to our spiritual life: Christ has won the war, yes, but the victory will not come in this world until the end of time. Until then, we are in the midst of the battles.
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Saturday, August 30, 2014
7 Quick Takes: Etc. & Lighthouse Catholic Media favorites edition, 8/29/14
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We're having a baby boy! It's surreal and wonderful seeing the baby on the ultrasound. He was much bigger (of course, which is a good thing) and his little head has grown a lot... he's going to be a good looking kid, that's for sure. One of the highlights of my life: seeing the little guy play with his foot on the ultrasound.
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Happy birthday to my big sister Kristy, who turned __ a week ago today! (age removed to protect the innocent)
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There were some college football games earlier this week, but Notre Dame opened their season with a nice win over Rice today. In Oregon, football season reignites the major rivalry between the Ducks and Beavers. Seriously, it's a big deal. Sure, you hear about college football being big in Texas, and the Midwest, etc. But it is here too, it's just big everywhere! I remember teaching a parish CCD class that was made up of 3rd and 4th graders. We did a coloring activity one night, having the kids trace an outline of their hand and color them. Yeah, out of the 6-8 kids in the class, at least two or three colored their handprint in Beavers or Ducks colors.
My son will be a Notre Dame fan and can just be amused when people go crazy with Ducks or Beavers fervor.
There were some college football games earlier this week, but Notre Dame opened their season with a nice win over Rice today. In Oregon, football season reignites the major rivalry between the Ducks and Beavers. Seriously, it's a big deal. Sure, you hear about college football being big in Texas, and the Midwest, etc. But it is here too, it's just big everywhere! I remember teaching a parish CCD class that was made up of 3rd and 4th graders. We did a coloring activity one night, having the kids trace an outline of their hand and color them. Yeah, out of the 6-8 kids in the class, at least two or three colored their handprint in Beavers or Ducks colors.
My son will be a Notre Dame fan and can just be amused when people go crazy with Ducks or Beavers fervor.
I'm still part of the CD of the month club with Lighthouse Catholic Media. I highly recommend it! At the very least, their website is worth checking out. There are talks from the most well-known Catholic evangelists as well as many other gems. To fill up the rest of my quick takes, I'll list some of my favorites.
First up: Scott Hahn's Abba or Allah? Ecumenical efforts can be confusing sometimes. In some cases, actual unity/reconciliation is possible with other Christian denominations. In other cases, like the dialogue with Islam, unity is utterly unrealistic. For the latter cases, dialogue seems to take a look at the things we do have in common, and working together on those fronts. Do you want an authentically Catholic take on the similarities/differences between Catholicism and Islam? Check out this talk.
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First up: Scott Hahn's Abba or Allah? Ecumenical efforts can be confusing sometimes. In some cases, actual unity/reconciliation is possible with other Christian denominations. In other cases, like the dialogue with Islam, unity is utterly unrealistic. For the latter cases, dialogue seems to take a look at the things we do have in common, and working together on those fronts. Do you want an authentically Catholic take on the similarities/differences between Catholicism and Islam? Check out this talk.
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Fr. Robert Barron has been getting more and more well-known over the last few years. In my humble opinion, it's well deserved. I really like his cultured & philosophical take on the Catholic faith. His Sunday sermons are reliably good, too. His talk, Who Do You Say That I Am?, asks of us the question that Jesus asked His disciples in Matthew 16:15. Jesus claimed to be God, and the Church has taught that very tenet since her first breath.
I love a good conversion story, and John Pridmore's is a dramatic one: From Gangland to Promised Land. (Lighthouse also sells his book with that same title) I sometimes underestimate the power of God's grace, and stories like Pridmore's remind me. Imagine a thug in the London criminal underground converting to the Catholic faith. And then imagine that same guy becoming a missionary, speaking at schools, jails, and parish missions throughout the British Isles. A great listen!
P.S. I'd recommend reading his blog or liking his Facebook page. He sends out updates of his mission work and testimonials of his listeners who returned to the Lord. It's uplifting!
P.S. I'd recommend reading his blog or liking his Facebook page. He sends out updates of his mission work and testimonials of his listeners who returned to the Lord. It's uplifting!
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How about an apologetics tome within a conversion story, a la Rome Sweet Home? Both my wife and I have listed to Steve Ray's Born Again? Faith Alone? talk from Lighthouse multiple times. He's engaging and incredibly knowledgeable about the Catholic faith.
For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!
Saturday, July 26, 2014
7 Quick Takes: Great News & French Saints edition, 7/24/14
First, with some fantastic news:
Thanks be to God! We're very excited and incredibly happy; our prayers have been answered! 15 weeks and all is well. Please keep us in your prayers as our baby & my wife grows bigger and cuter.
When we pray a litany of saints after the rosary, we (=I) sometimes go on and on. Recently, I noticed how many saints on our list are French. And I says to meself, says I, what a good 7QT that would be! The title links for each saint go to the Catholic Encyclopedia entry on newadvent.org.
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St. Joan of Arc
Thanks be to God! We're very excited and incredibly happy; our prayers have been answered! 15 weeks and all is well. Please keep us in your prayers as our baby & my wife grows bigger and cuter.
When we pray a litany of saints after the rosary, we (=I) sometimes go on and on. Recently, I noticed how many saints on our list are French. And I says to meself, says I, what a good 7QT that would be! The title links for each saint go to the Catholic Encyclopedia entry on newadvent.org.
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St. Joan of Arc
I've written about her before, here. A great book on her life is by the French historian Regine Pernoud, The Retrial of Joan of Arc. Lighthouse Catholic Media just started selling copies of Mark Twain's biography of St. Joan, for $5 (plus shipping)! Well, it is abridged, I just discovered. :( Anyway, it's worth reading this brief Wikipedia page. Mark Twain was fascinated with St. Joan and put a lot of work and research into this book.
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St. Bernadette
Extra points for St. Bernadette, a close, personal friend of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her life was marked by a great degree of suffering, both from her health and from her religious superior. As a nun, her superior felt it was her mission to constantly tear down and humble the terrible pride she saw in Bernadette. I've come to appreciate this more as I've grown older: it's very difficult to be graceful/grace-filled in humbling situations. I'm much more inclined to justify myself, get angry, etc. and those situations can completely ruin my day. And there's St. Bernadette, who faced that on a near-daily basis, who responded by deepening her love for others.
Extra points for St. Bernadette, a close, personal friend of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her life was marked by a great degree of suffering, both from her health and from her religious superior. As a nun, her superior felt it was her mission to constantly tear down and humble the terrible pride she saw in Bernadette. I've come to appreciate this more as I've grown older: it's very difficult to be graceful/grace-filled in humbling situations. I'm much more inclined to justify myself, get angry, etc. and those situations can completely ruin my day. And there's St. Bernadette, who faced that on a near-daily basis, who responded by deepening her love for others.
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St. Genevieve
St. Genevieve lived at the end of the 5th century and a little bit into the 6th century, and was awesome. In addition to having a beautiful name (the frontrunner if we have a baby girl), she had a hand in saving Paris. Twice! The first was when Attila the Hun was approaching with his army; Genevieve exhorted the city to pray, fast, and trust in God as opposed to getting the heck out of there. The residents did, and the Huns left Paris alone. Next, when the city was under siege by Merowig (two kings before Clovis), Genevieve's influence caused Merowig and his successors to deal very kindly with the inhabitants of Paris. (which would not have been a common thing in those days)
St. Genevieve
St. Genevieve lived at the end of the 5th century and a little bit into the 6th century, and was awesome. In addition to having a beautiful name (the frontrunner if we have a baby girl), she had a hand in saving Paris. Twice! The first was when Attila the Hun was approaching with his army; Genevieve exhorted the city to pray, fast, and trust in God as opposed to getting the heck out of there. The residents did, and the Huns left Paris alone. Next, when the city was under siege by Merowig (two kings before Clovis), Genevieve's influence caused Merowig and his successors to deal very kindly with the inhabitants of Paris. (which would not have been a common thing in those days)
St. Martin of Tours
I've written about him before as well, and like St. Joan, there's a great book on him by Regine Pernoud. His zeal for the faith--as well as his care of souls--drove him to preach the Gospel everywhere he could. He risked death many times to convert the villages he visited, and the Lord was with him.
I've written about him before as well, and like St. Joan, there's a great book on him by Regine Pernoud. His zeal for the faith--as well as his care of souls--drove him to preach the Gospel everywhere he could. He risked death many times to convert the villages he visited, and the Lord was with him.
St. Therese
Her spiritual autobiography is very well known; The Story of a Soul is a step inside the mind of a saint. Another interesting read is a lesser-known book that was popular when I was in the seminary, Maurice and Therese. St. Therese corresponded with a seminarian who was studying to be a missionary in Africa. Worth picking up for any Therese-o-phile!
Her spiritual autobiography is very well known; The Story of a Soul is a step inside the mind of a saint. Another interesting read is a lesser-known book that was popular when I was in the seminary, Maurice and Therese. St. Therese corresponded with a seminarian who was studying to be a missionary in Africa. Worth picking up for any Therese-o-phile!
St. John Vianney
In English we know his French title, and St. John is commonly known as the Cure of Ars. Ever notice? St. John was so extraordinary that he was widely known in France as "the priest of Ars." Nothing else needed saying; his reputation for sanctity spoke for him. Wow.
In English we know his French title, and St. John is commonly known as the Cure of Ars. Ever notice? St. John was so extraordinary that he was widely known in France as "the priest of Ars." Nothing else needed saying; his reputation for sanctity spoke for him. Wow.
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So many saints are needed in every age, but ours especially. It's sad that the Catholic faith is dying in France, as it is in many countries in the West. For anyone that reads this: please say a prayer for the nation of France. There is such a rich heritage of French saints, from the earliest days of the Church (e.g. St. Irenaeus who served there as a priest & bishop in the 2rd century). May it please God to send more saints to France in our day!
So many saints are needed in every age, but ours especially. It's sad that the Catholic faith is dying in France, as it is in many countries in the West. For anyone that reads this: please say a prayer for the nation of France. There is such a rich heritage of French saints, from the earliest days of the Church (e.g. St. Irenaeus who served there as a priest & bishop in the 2rd century). May it please God to send more saints to France in our day!
For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!
Saturday, July 5, 2014
7 Quick Takes, Soccer edition 7/5/14
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Last weekend, Archbishop Sample consecrated the Archdiocese of Portland to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He encouraged the First Saturday devotion, the instructions for which are here. At the Fatima apparitions, Our Lady requested this herself. Specifically, all the actions that day are to be done in reparation to the Immaculate Heart. Good for our Archbishop! We're lucky to have him.
Last weekend, Archbishop Sample consecrated the Archdiocese of Portland to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He encouraged the First Saturday devotion, the instructions for which are here. At the Fatima apparitions, Our Lady requested this herself. Specifically, all the actions that day are to be done in reparation to the Immaculate Heart. Good for our Archbishop! We're lucky to have him.
I was reminded this week of the value of fasting. I always seem to forget, especially when someone at work brings in donuts... or refills the candy dish at their desk... On Thursday, I became wrapped up in projects and didn't notice the passage of time, missing my lunch. I figured I'd use it as an opportunity to fast. The result? It helped me so much, almost like I was seeing with different eyes. It was easier to combat all my usual struggles. It's amazing how slow I am to learn, since I've experienced this before.
In honor of the World Cup, here's a very funny audio clip of Gary Miller, an old ESPN anchor, attempting to read the commentary for some soccer highlights...
The USA had a tough loss against Belgium in the World Cup, but I can't say that I was too surprised. Soccer is slowly starting to catch on as a mainstream sport, but it hasn't quite yet. Generally, our best athletes play other sports first: football, baseball, or basketball. There was a speculative article on Bleacher Report a week ago, wondering if Kobe Bryant, Calvin Johnson, Chris Paul, LeBron James, LeSean McCoy, and other athletes had played soccer their whole lives. We'd have a formidable team!
Lately work has been getting more and more stressful. One of the biggest effects I feel is on the weekend, more than the week. Weekends are free! I can wake up, have a cup of coffee, and leisurely start my day. Sure, it gets filled with yard work and errands, but it's so much better than being at work! I am lucky to have a job to support me, don't get me wrong. More and more, I'm in great need of a break.
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Great point today in the homily; the gospel reading was warning about pouring new wine into old wineskins. The priest noted that our souls, weakened by sin and sloth, can turn into those old wineskins. That is, it becomes so much harder to hold onto grace. I never thought of it that way before, and it was a good insight.
Great point today in the homily; the gospel reading was warning about pouring new wine into old wineskins. The priest noted that our souls, weakened by sin and sloth, can turn into those old wineskins. That is, it becomes so much harder to hold onto grace. I never thought of it that way before, and it was a good insight.
For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!
Saturday, June 21, 2014
7 Quick Takes: Sports & Fundraising edition, 6/21/14
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I had a treat this afternoon in the form of golfing with two of my brothers-in-law. We went to the local course and I birdied the 9th hole! A great way to finish the day. A good drive, a perfect (for me) approach shot, and a miracle putt to hole out. None of my golf vices were used on that hole, either--mulligans, ignoring penalties, or swearing!
I had a treat this afternoon in the form of golfing with two of my brothers-in-law. We went to the local course and I birdied the 9th hole! A great way to finish the day. A good drive, a perfect (for me) approach shot, and a miracle putt to hole out. None of my golf vices were used on that hole, either--mulligans, ignoring penalties, or swearing!
My current read: Search and Rescue by Patrick Madrid. The way it's formatted... the book is 256 pages long but could easily get under 200 if it was formatted a little tighter. I've gone through it pretty quickly so far, and I really appreciate his approach. His first principles are in the right place: 1) having the humility to know God is the one who turns hearts, not us, and 2) love is paramount. Love of God, love of the truth, and love of everyone for the sake of God.
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Speaking of golf again, the golf fundraiser for the Fr. Bernard Youth Center is on Saturday, August 16. It's a great charity that serves youth; it depends largely on the generosity of donors. Donors like you! Could you spare $5, or $50? Email me or leave a comment with how to get in touch with you. Check out the FBYC website to learn about the organization!
Speaking of golf again, the golf fundraiser for the Fr. Bernard Youth Center is on Saturday, August 16. It's a great charity that serves youth; it depends largely on the generosity of donors. Donors like you! Could you spare $5, or $50? Email me or leave a comment with how to get in touch with you. Check out the FBYC website to learn about the organization!
Probably the best pitcher in baseball, Clayton Kershaw, pitched a no-hitter against Colorado on Wednesday. It was tremendous! The elite pitchers can really embarrass hitters... and Kershaw made some guys look downright foolish as they chased balls in the dirt. He's a solid Christian and, by all accounts, a terrific guy. He and his wife have a charity that benefits schools in Africa--and it's not just the obligatory foundation. They've been going to Africa every year since they were in college, I think. Thank The Lord for good people!
My wife and I did end up going to the In Mulieribus concert a couple weeks ago. Some pretty amazing polyphony and beautiful voices! They recorded a live album that night, and I've never been so tempted to shout "WOO!" nor been so terrified to sneeze. It's worth checking out on iTunes if it's available yet.
We watched "The Quiet Man" on bluray on Monday. It was in memory of my wife's step-grandfather, who was originally from Ireland. The movie stars John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara (can you have a more Irish name than that?) and is a delight. I was stunned at the quality of the bluray! It looked like they filmed the movie with modern cameras & technology. Kudos to the folks who remastered it; I had no idea they could work such magic.
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A repeat of the shameless sponsorship request (what's a blog for, after all?): help FBYC continue its service of youth and bringing them to Christ!
A repeat of the shameless sponsorship request (what's a blog for, after all?): help FBYC continue its service of youth and bringing them to Christ!
For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!
Friday, June 6, 2014
Easter Prefaces
I’ve
written about prefaces before, and it’s a great thing to come back to: they
encapsulate many tenets of the faith in a few short lines. The function of the preface is to kick off
the Eucharistic Prayer—after the priest calls upon the assembly to lift up our
hearts to the Lord, they respond that it is right and just.
Why is
it right and just? The preface answers
the question! It lists the mysteries of
salvation. The priest is reminding us
that, when we sing the Holy, Holy, Holy, we should really rejoice and give praise to the Lord.
We
always have cause to give praise to God for all He has done for us/in us… but
the Easter season is something extra special.
The prefaces reflect that quite literally. I’ll pull a Fr. Z and put my comments in bold.
Each of the five Easter prefaces start with the same sentence:
“It is
truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, at all times to acclaim you,
O Lord,
(this is similar to the formula used in other prefaces—but wait, there’s
more!)
but in
this time above all to laud you yet more gloriously,
(let’s remember that the Paschal
Mystery is THE foundational narrative to our faith, it’s a huge deal)
when
Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.”
(notice the emphasis on sacrifice
and the tie to the Passover)
That
extra part of the first sentence of the preface is overflowing with
meaning. If the Paschal Mystery is THE
foundational narrative to the New Testament, the Passover was THE foundational
narrative to the Old Testament. It
marked a new chapter in Israel’s history, cemented their identity as the Chosen
People, and featured the direct involvement of God stepping into human history
and saving His Chosen People. The
Paschal Mystery accomplished those same three things and is the perfect
fulfillment of the Passover! And if we
really want to set our nets out into the deep, our thoughts could drift to…
- the Lamb of God and the Eucharist. None of the gospel writers note that a lamb was eaten at the meal, but for a Passover meal to be a true Passover meal, as Mother Miriam of the Lamb of God (formerly-named Rosalind Moss) would emphasize, you had to eat the lamb. They all consumed the first Eucharist... hmmm... and one of Jesus' titles was one given by John the Baptist: the Lamb of God. Hmm, Jesus is also called that in the Book of Revelation...
- the events of the Passover and the flight from Egypt saw the Israelites passing through water to be delivered from their pursuers… prefiguring baptism! And within baptism, we’re reminded of the intimate unity we have with the Lord and our Church in the Mystical Body of Christ… the missionary zeal that the Lord assigned us, to go out to all the nations… it even leads into the other sacraments of initiation, confirmation and Eucharist.
And we didn't even get into the specialized text of the prefaces! More on that for another day.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
The Blast Zone
This weekend, we watched "August: Osage County" starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts. This does contain spoilers, so if you're interested in seeing the movie, first please reconsider. If you still want to see the movie, stop reading. Good acting throughout, but not a light movie. Very dark, despite the previews.
The movie chronicles a few days in the life of an extremely dysfunctional family. Unfortunately, "extremely dysfunctional" is an understatement. The twists and turns of the plot reveal level after level of pain. Just when you think it can't get any worse for the family, it does! What I found interesting in the movie was how each character dealt with pain. My CPE supervisor would've had a field day with this movie.
Okay, final warning about the spoilers.
You look at the events of the movie, and how tragic they are. The drug-addicted Meryl Streep; Julia Roberts, whose husband recently left her and who can't relate to her daughter; one sister who engages in an incestuous relationship because she can't find anything else; another sister who "has everything she wants" but also has a massive front built up to shield her from the deep sadness inside her; the alcoholic husband of Meryl, who hires a cook to take care of his wife and then leaves her, only to commit suicide. Quite literally, every character in the movie has a deeply traumatic flaw/pain/event and it all explodes in the end.
I tried to imagine real people going through that... a real family. It would be a wonder if there weren't more suicides! Three thoughts struck me.
First, that simple verse from the letter of James: the wages of sin are death. Not might be death, only death if you don't psychologically process your sins well. A very plain equation. Sin = death. Bringing in adultery, addictions, and other dysfunction into life? There's only one outcome if we don't root it out of our lives.
Second, sin is not a private matter. No matter how we try to convince ourselves to the contrary (and our culture is convinced that sins can be private), we have to go back to the previous point. Introducing sin into our lives inevitably affects others. In the movie, two couples' poor choices scarred their lives, all of their children (4 total), their children's spouses, and their grandchild couldn't escape, either. At its very nature, sin is destructive--of grace, of good things, and of anything good in our lives. Give Satan his chance and he'll make the most of it.
Third, as I had compassion on these fictional folks in the movie, I realized that the explosion of darkness and sin wasn't a sudden onset. These poor people set the stage for this nastiness long ago. Meryl Streep & her husband chose addictions rather than a life-giving marriage (in the opening of the movie, the husband tells the cook that he and his wife had made an arrangement long ago, not to bother each other about their respective addictions). Meryl's sister chose to have an affair to cope with her husband's smoking habits (not cigarettes). The mess that their families became was a direct result of those choices. Isn't it the same with us? Problems we have in our spiritual life don't usually come out of nowhere.
Although I was somewhat depressed after watching this movie, it was an interesting insight into human nature. It convinced me, even more than before, of how much we're in need of a Savior. Thank you Lord!
The movie chronicles a few days in the life of an extremely dysfunctional family. Unfortunately, "extremely dysfunctional" is an understatement. The twists and turns of the plot reveal level after level of pain. Just when you think it can't get any worse for the family, it does! What I found interesting in the movie was how each character dealt with pain. My CPE supervisor would've had a field day with this movie.
Okay, final warning about the spoilers.
You look at the events of the movie, and how tragic they are. The drug-addicted Meryl Streep; Julia Roberts, whose husband recently left her and who can't relate to her daughter; one sister who engages in an incestuous relationship because she can't find anything else; another sister who "has everything she wants" but also has a massive front built up to shield her from the deep sadness inside her; the alcoholic husband of Meryl, who hires a cook to take care of his wife and then leaves her, only to commit suicide. Quite literally, every character in the movie has a deeply traumatic flaw/pain/event and it all explodes in the end.
I tried to imagine real people going through that... a real family. It would be a wonder if there weren't more suicides! Three thoughts struck me.
First, that simple verse from the letter of James: the wages of sin are death. Not might be death, only death if you don't psychologically process your sins well. A very plain equation. Sin = death. Bringing in adultery, addictions, and other dysfunction into life? There's only one outcome if we don't root it out of our lives.
Second, sin is not a private matter. No matter how we try to convince ourselves to the contrary (and our culture is convinced that sins can be private), we have to go back to the previous point. Introducing sin into our lives inevitably affects others. In the movie, two couples' poor choices scarred their lives, all of their children (4 total), their children's spouses, and their grandchild couldn't escape, either. At its very nature, sin is destructive--of grace, of good things, and of anything good in our lives. Give Satan his chance and he'll make the most of it.
Third, as I had compassion on these fictional folks in the movie, I realized that the explosion of darkness and sin wasn't a sudden onset. These poor people set the stage for this nastiness long ago. Meryl Streep & her husband chose addictions rather than a life-giving marriage (in the opening of the movie, the husband tells the cook that he and his wife had made an arrangement long ago, not to bother each other about their respective addictions). Meryl's sister chose to have an affair to cope with her husband's smoking habits (not cigarettes). The mess that their families became was a direct result of those choices. Isn't it the same with us? Problems we have in our spiritual life don't usually come out of nowhere.
Although I was somewhat depressed after watching this movie, it was an interesting insight into human nature. It convinced me, even more than before, of how much we're in need of a Savior. Thank you Lord!
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