The World Approves Of What God Forbids
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
“I love you, Lord, my strength.”Ps. 18
This world can be very deceptive for believers, as it often labels what is bad as good and what is good as bad. We will see some examples of what the world views as good, approves of, and legalizes, even though God has revealed to us that it is harmful because the world, like the devil, considers God a liar and turns its back on Him, preferring darkness to light. That’s why James 4:4 tells us, (cf. 1 John 2:15):
“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”James 4:4
The world invites us to live only for this earth, it doesn’t want us to have hope for eternal life, it wants our horizon to be no further than the grave, keeping us locked in the here and now, so that we fall into the idolatry of this world and all that is in it. This is why many fall into the obsession with money, an insatiable, excessive ambition to possess, to the point of theft or even murder, as in kidnapping or human trafficking networks, etc. Jesus teaches us to live in the world but not be of the world (John 17:14s) because we are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:12). However, we are in the world, and we must submit to many social rules, just as Jesus submitted and taught us:
“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”Matthew 22:21
Others fall into the idolatry of pleasure and think only of satisfying their instincts, as Saint Paul says,
“For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame —who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ…”Philippians 3:18ss
The ambition for power leads many to be driven by their colossal ego and to want to impose their will on those around them, thus missing the opportunity to live as children of God, being a source of love and blessing from God, due to their egocentric disease.
The law does not prohibit anyone from lying, which does not mean that it is right. Clearly, lying is illegitimate and does much harm. The world does not prohibit any of the 7 deadly sins that God forbids; on the contrary, the world encourages and promotes them in movies and proposals. The media and social networks normalize and propagate sin.
The law accepts abortion, and in many countries, it even defends it as a right, despite it being killing, which should be ILLEGAL as it always was, as well as euthanasia and assisted suicide. It also approves and legalizes drugs, all kinds of sexual disorders, and everything that clearly destroys human dignity. These are just small examples of how what the world tells us is often very different, often opposed to what God tells us and asks of us.
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! WE ARE CALLED TO LIVE AS CHRISTIANS AND NOT AS WORLDLINGS. TO GIVE TO GOD WHAT IS GOD’S AND WHAT HE ASKS OF US, FOR WE BELONG TO HIM.”Isaiah 5:20
Readings for the Week
Sunday: Ex 22:20-26/Ps 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51 (2)/1 Thes 1:5c-10/Mt 22:34-40
Monday: Rom 8:12-17/Ps 68:2 and 4, 6-7ab, 20-21/Lk 13:10-17
Tuesday: Rom 8:18-25/Ps 126:1b-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6/Lk 13:18-21
Wednesday: Rv 7:2-4, 9-14/Ps 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6/1 Jn 3:1-3/Mt 5:1-12a
Thursday: Wis 4:7-14/Ps 25:6, and 7b, 17-18, 20-21/Rom 5:17-21/Mt 11:25-30
Friday: Rom 9:1-5/Ps 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20/Lk 14:1-6
Saturday: Rom 11:1-2a, 11-12, 25-29/Ps 94:12-13a, 14-15, 17-18/Lk 14:1, 7-11
Next Sunday: Mal 1:14b—2:2b, 8-10/Ps 131:1, 2, 3/1 Thes 2:7b-9, 13/Mt 23:1-12
Observances for the Week
Sunday: 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Tuesday: All Hallow’s Eve
Wednesday: All Saints
Thursday: All Souls’ Day
Friday: St. Martin de Porres, Religious
Saturday: St. Charles Borromeo, Bishop
Next Sunday: 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time; Daylight Saving Time Ends; National Vocation Awareness Week