Be forewarned: The following letter is an exercise at coming to terms with my own anger. It is not intended to offend anyone, so please read with caution.
A LETTER PRESUMING TRUTH IN THE STATEMENT BY YOUR COMMUNITY:
Dear Sheepdog,
I am angry. I guess I feel fooled and hurt...and sad for those whose faith was damaged by an arrogant opportunist. It’s one thing to fail. It’s quite another to unabashedly persist in defying the moral code you continue to preach, and to repeatedly attempt to cover up your sins with the money you have earned by these good people who trusted you, because of your mask of fidelity.
Now the truth comes out.
First a trickle of disobedient rhetoric, a slight clue that should have revealed your dark intentions especially when juxtaposed against the light of our Lord, who died for us, and all those who were doing their best to keep your corruption from hurting us.
As more stones fell from your fortress of lies, you continually held that you were unjustly persecuted, even to the point of disgustingly likening yourself to Christ Himself during His passion.
And then today, the final crack in the dam broke, revealing you to be who you are, a snake-oil salesman who just happened to be selling the real thing.
Though my anger at your hypocrisy still remains, I do not wish the wrath of judgment upon you. I pray that you spend the rest of your life repenting in solitude, speaking no word to anyone but God. And I know that God will be merciful to you, if you only ask.
Your once inspired listener,
Beth
I realize that maybe it's too much to ask for charitable comments after calling you-know-who a snake-oil salesman, but I still welcome your thoughts about my anger.
I am praying for holiness. We all could use some more.
Showing posts with label prayer in disillusionment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prayer in disillusionment. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
St. Francis de Sales on true devotion
St. Francis de Sales has a thought-provoking insight about spiritual devotion in his spiritual masterpiece, Introduction to the Devout Life, “There is only one true devotion but there are many that are false and empty. If you are unable to recognize which kind is true, you can easily be deceived and led astray by following one that is offensive and superstitious.”
Just how easy is it to be led astray? Very easy. Super easy. So easy that if we are not constantly vigilant, especially when we are doing some good work, our weaknesses will be found. Do we struggle with obedience, detachment from worldly possessions? Are we hot-tempered or arrogant? Do we prefer the affection and adulation that we get from others over the glorification of God and the furthering of His Kingdom? Do we rationalize disobedience or attachment to wealth in order to promote the mission that has become our own twisted creation?
It is easy for us to point fingers at someone else and say that these are not our problems, but just as quickly these same weaknesses could be on the brink of taking down any one of us. What are we to do? Again, I turn to St. Francis de Sales.
“Genuine, living devotion, Philothea, presupposes the love of God, and hence it is simply true love of God. Yet it is not always love as such. Inasmuch as divine love adorns the soul, it is called grace, which makes us pleasing to his Divine Majesty. Inasmuch as it strengthens us to do good, it is called charity. When it has reached a degree of perfection at which it not only makes us do good but also do this carefully, frequently, and promptly, it is called devotion.”
I hope that whenever we experience disappointments, whether it be with friends or relatives, coworkers or people in roles of leadership and ministry and especially with ourselves, the sadness of detaching from our worldly affections will draw us more deeply into the love of Christ and into the joy of sharing in the communion of truly devoted believers.
Deo gratias. Let’s all continue to pray for each other.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)