Dear St. Rita Families,

            The world is in a precarious place, and every day it feels increasingly so. The various powers of the world are in conflict, jockeying for position to secure their own interests and (hopefully) that of their people. Our own country is locked in an internal standoff that is more about power and control than finding common ground. These happenings, however, are not to be feared. Our Lord tells us, “Take heed that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth-pangs” (Mt 24:4-8). And as difficult as these events are for those who experience them, we Catholics must not be cowed into silence or paralysis. It is for the sake of preaching the Gospel and the salvation of souls that all things have been planned and orchestrated, and so our time is now – opportune or not (cf. 2 Tim 4:2). And our time is not just now – our time is always!

As nations seek their own interests, it is imperative that some – as many as possible – who are involved are primarily seeking God’s interests. St. Josemaria said it this way: “A secret, an open secret: these world crises are crises of saints. God wants a handful of men ‘of his own’ in every human activity. And then… ‘pax Christi in regno Christi — the peace of Christ in the kingdom of Christ’” (The Way #301). It is only in Christ that there can be peace. He is the Prince of Peace, born during the politically obtained and enforced “Pax Romana” – the Roman Peace. But remember how they kept the peace: by crucifixion!

While we Christians are interested in peace in the world, we are more interested in Christ’s Peace in the hearts of men. His Kingdom is “not of this world” (Jn 18:36), but it is within our hearts (cf. Lk 17:21). The reason for ordering our interests in this way is simple: “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mk 8:36). This world will pass away, but His words will not pass away (cf. Mt 24:35). It is love, not earthly security, that never fails – even after death (cf. 1 Cor 13:8), because “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8). The whole meaning and purpose of this earthly existence is so that you and I might grow in charity – love – and so be enabled to live with Love, in Love, in God, forever! Do not forfeit that opportunity for the sake of earthly security!

In other words, whatever it is you are doing for the good of this country and the good of the world, you must underpin it with your prayer and with your good works. It is prayer, first, that puts us into direct contact with Reality Himself (God). My interaction with Him changes not Him, but me, and conforms me to Him so that I can be more effectively His witness in this world. This is the whole reason I have gone to God in the first place. I knew I needed someone other than myself and the people around me, so I went to Him for forgiveness of sins and growth in virtue. As that “new man” (Eph 4:24), turned away from sin, standing firm in freedom (Gal 5:1) and making no provisions for the desires of the flesh (Rom 3:14), you bring your new life in Christ to bear on all the human work in which you are engaged. That new life leads you in certain directions and prevents you from going in others, such that you are not just part of the machine, but you freely choose to insert goodness where the machine wanted outcome, results, efficiency, “victory”, etc. The presence of God’s Goodness by your action is the real victory.  

The battle in this world is not, fundamentally, between this political party or that, or this nation or that. The battle is between good and evil, and it is fought first in the concrete circumstances of your life. How can I hope to achieve real peace if my methods are sinful? Sin doesn’t achieve peace, but rather a caricature of it. Sin always requires healing, and where healing is required, there is woundedness. Woundedness involves suffering, and people try to escape suffering through…sin. In other words, the more we sin – even if it is an attempt to make things right – the more we create situations that need Christ’s Peace. Real peace has never been found anywhere else. 

Therefore, we must resolve again and again to bring our woundedness and suffering to the Cross, where alone we find Christ’s Peace, and we must resolve again and again to bring His Peace and His Peace alone into our dealings with others. This is particularly true if we are involved in things the world considers important. The only way to break the vicious cycle of sin, suffering, and more sin is to go to the Cross. At the Cross, there is suffering, but no sin. At the Cross, evil is vanquished. At the Cross, there is peace – Christ’s Peace.

Is not this the witness of all the saints? The saints are those in whom the cycle of sin was broken, because they stayed close to the Cross. They bore suffering – often immense suffering – so that sin would not continue, so that others would know Love and not evil. Suffering was overcome by them and in them, and Love prevailed. They were true witnesses of Christ, in Whom that victory was first won. Therefore, we proclaim with unbroken voices the same message – opportune or not – in Christ alone is suffering overcome. In Christ alone is victory won. In Christ alone is Peace obtained. 

In Christ (alone),

Fr. Christensen