Power Struggles, 2
“But let our strength be our norm of righteousness; for weakness proves itself useless” (Wis 2:11, NAB-RE).
The one who brought death into the world is the one who lies to us each day. A good lie is told with the cover of truth. The truth being told covers the implications of the lie. For example, “I want to quit my job to spend more time with my family.” The truth is this person does want to spend more time with his family but the lie is he wants to quit because he doesn’t like his boss or whatever. The truth covers the lie.
A lie also sounds like truth. Two people can say the same thing but one is saying a lie and the other is saying the truth. They both said the same thing such as “the baby is mine.”
A lie can also be a falsehood that someone believes is true. For instance, the lie the devil presented to Eve. “You surely won’t die if you eat this fruit.” She believed it to be true. She was deceived. So someone can believe a lie and then present it as truth to another who is one step removed from the source as when Eve said to Adam “Eat this, you won’t die.” What about people who are two or three times removed from a lie such as protestants who believe the lies of Luther? Can they be found culpable of holding these things true that are false? A real power of the lie is just this, after time the lie is believed and those who present an alternate are destroyed.
Because lying is so easy who can know how to find the truth? Lying is powerful. The whole world has been altered because of them. Didn’t Joseph’s brothers lie to their father Jacob? “but dad, he was kidnapped” they said.
And do we sometimes want to believe the lie because it makes things easier for us? Yes, of course.
There are cases where liars were exposed and yet it seemed as nothing had changed. What about Elijah who exposed Baal worshipers as false? Was he not afraid the next day and in fear for his life because of Jezebel’s threat?
Who lies and for what reason? We lie because it gives us power. Power is the goal as I started with “But let our strength be our norm of righteousness because weakness is useless.” Or another translation is this “But let our strength be the law of justice: for that which is feeble, is found to be nothing worth” (Douay-Rheims). The law of justice, meaning our courts, our police, our politicians, our laws, let them be representative of our strength. Not of what is right or true but let it be our way. It is useless to be weak but strength is the goal because with strength we can do what we want to do. And what if someone doesn’t go along with the lie? What happens to them?
They are marked and destroyed.
“Let us therefore lie in wait for the just, because he is not for our turn, and he is contrary to our doings, and upbraideth us with transgressions of the law, and divulgeth against us the sins of our way of life. He boasteth that he hath the knowledge of God, and calleth himself the son of God. He is become a censurer of our thoughts. He is grievous unto us, even to behold: for his life is not like other men's, and his ways are very different” (Wis 2:12-15, translation: Douay-Rheims).
What about the next generation of liars who not only perpetuate the lie but call the truth tellers liars? Then, it really starts to be fun, doesn’t it. I’ve noticed lately people are saying quite a bit “and this guy is now presenting us some sort of alternate reality” in reference to things of mostly a political nature. We can’t even agree on the facts of a case well to be clear we could agree on them but those who want power lie in order to keep that power so we become confused. We without power have no means to counter the lie but we are passive in what information is allowed to penetrate our minds. There are lies and then lies about the lie and the lies about those who want to tell the truth. It’s all very confusing isn’t it? That is another power of the lie. They cause us great distress because we have to accept the narrative and if we do not then we are labeled as X, Y and Z. Conspiracy Theorists. Radicals. Terrorists even. Nut jobs. Right wing loons. Right wing nut jobs. Whatever the case may be. There are lib tards, left wing radicals, communists, snowflakes, anarchists, etc on the other side. All sides have another they point to as the one who is the liar. Because of this many people just want to believe the narrative presented so they aren’t labeled as trouble makers. We can see this today in many ways. Do we need to go into them?
But what about delusion? Is delusion the same as a lie? Delusion means to not be able to see reality when it is presented to you. So, one may be delusional who thinks the birds are talking to them while no one else hears the birds conversation. The delusion is the result of the lie being told over and over and over again. It is beat into you so that you cannot tell the truth from the lie and when you believe a lie then you are the delusional one. So, is it in the interest of the powerful to keep you delusional or to tell you the truth if the verse “but let our strength become justice”? Of course, it is in their interest to keep you delusional. And if you were to ask anyone if they were delusional how many people would answer “yes”? Out of a million there would be zero yes responses. Do you disagree? No, I don’t either. I believe that to be true.
So, either, no one is delusional or those who are delusional cannot see their delusion. Of course, that is the case isn’t it? Those who are delusional cannot see their own delusion.
So, how does one start to see his delusion? We can look to examples such as Saul or the two men on the road to Emmaus. Saul was on a road too wasn’t he, the road to Damascus. I never noticed that both were on a road before. Connection? The good Samaritan was on a road. The Ethiopian Eunuch who asked Phillip to read the gospel was on a road too. Well, there’s your answer: go on the road. Done. The Israelites wandered the desert for forty years before reaching the promised land. And we are on a pilgrimage ourselves. I think the answer isn’t in going on the road but the answer is we need God first in our lives. It’s funny that the answer to most problems is to put God first in your life. It is not an exciting answer though.
“We are esteemed by him as triflers, and he abstaineth from our ways as from filthiness, and he preferreth the latter end of the just, and glorieth that he hath God for his father. Let us see then if his words be true, and let us prove what shall happen to him, and we shall know what his end shall be. For if he be the true son of God, he will defend him, and will deliver him from the hands of his enemies. Let us examine him by outrages and tortures, that we may know his meekness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a most shameful death: for there shall be respect had unto him by his words.
These things they thought, and were deceived: for their own malice blinded them. And they knew not the secrets of God, nor hoped for the wages of justice, nor esteemed the honour of holy souls. For God created man incorruptible, and to the image of his own likeness he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death came into the world: And they follow him that are of his side” (Wis 2:16-25).
I am using the Douay-Rheims version because I can cut and paste it from drbo.org where bible.com doesn’t have the book of wisdom because the protestants don’t think that is a good book so I can’t cut and paste it. They don’t think Wisdom belongs. Why? Because Martin Luther said so. Even within the context of me writing this there are lies or errors or delusions that have to be contended with. Or I just maybe don’t know how to find the book of Wisdom on bible.com. I don’t know. It’s like the time I went into a “christian book store” and asked where the catholic section was and they didn’t have one or if they did it was very small. So, 1500 plus years of commentary, saints and history and it isn’t represented in a Christian Book Store? I wrote the company an email and asked them about this and found out they went out of business not too long after this. I guess excluding a billion people isn’t good for business. Is it because of delusion? Maybe. I do like how the more modern and hip protestants are recognizing that the Catholic church is not something that can be ignored too much longer but can it be co-opted? Well, they will give it a try by seeing if they can turn converts into orthodox instead of roman. Anything but roman. But they must adjust as the truth comes at them, mustn’t they?
I mentioned Elijah earlier. I like how he operated, a real man. He said “let’s cut to the chase, shall we?” Jesus is like a sword, a dividing force. He is dividing because it is hard if not impossible to ignore Him forever. For a time, certainly but not forever. He must be dealt with because He is the King. Or in modern parlance, the GOAT, the greatest of all time. So, how do you deal with your delusion? You must have God in your life. Then, you must understand who Jesus is and what He did and why He left us and what He left us with. That is a lot to understand. But let me boil it down quickly. Did He leave us a bible? No. Did He leave us a church? Yes. Does that mean the bible is not important? No. Does it mean the church is everything? No. But it is in the church we receive the sacraments and through the sacraments grace. And through grace, truth. That is how you fight against the delusion. This delusion may look like a political one but it is instead a religious one, a spiritual one. Eucharist provides truth. Confirmation provides truth. Confession provides truth. Baptism provides truth. Yes, of course, and other things too. These are your things. They are your right. They are your birth right. You are meant to have them.
Have them.