Acts 12:1-10; 2 Tim. 4:6-8, 17-18; Mt. 16:13-19, Solemity of Sts. Peter and Paul June 29
“Ultimate confidence in the goodness of life cannot rest upon
confidence in the goodness of human beings. If that is where it
rests, it is an optimism which will suffer ultimate
disillusionment. Romanticism will be transmuted into cynicism, as
it has always been in the world’s history. The faith of a Christian
is something quite different from this optimism. It is trust in
God, in a good God who created a good world, though the world is
not now good; in a good God, powerful and good enough finally to
destroy the evil that we do and redeem us of our sins. This kind of
faith is not optimism. It does not, in fact, arise until optimism
breaks down and we cease to trust in ourselves that we are
righteous.”
… Reinhold Niebuhr, “Beyond Tragedy”
People often talk about how well we human beings are doing, how we have progressed, how we can trust in the goodness of human beings. That is bullshit. To trust in human beings and their goodness leads to cynicism. It is God within the human being that brings goodness and righteousness. Peter and Paul both on their own were egomaniacs, they were self-righteous, but with Christ, they changed the world. Our environment is being destroyed, people are suffering in poverty, because human beings are greedy, selfish, and could care less about anyone about themselves, but with God they open their eyes to people, they see life not as an end in itself, but as simply a part of the journey, and they reach out and care about those around them and the environment. The God I serve is One of love, of acceptance, and she opens her arms to the world. Deo Gratis! Thanks be to God!