February 18, 2017

Chapter Four

Truth and Freedom

God created man a rational being, conferring on him the dignity of a person who can initiate and control his own actions. "God willed that man should be 'left in the hand of his own counsel,' so that he might of his own accord seek his Creator and freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to him." Man is rational and therefore like God; he is created with free will and is master over his acts.

- Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1730

Man is created yearning for the fullness of freedom in God while still mired in concupiscent love. Spiritual freedom comes when we willingly conform to the truth of who we are – to love with the love of Christ – but sin impedes our efforts to make this choice. Because of his fallen nature, man becomes frustrated in discovering that he can­ not always live according to the absolute truth of God's will. Hence, he comes face-to-face with the realization that he is vulnerable – that apart from God he is finite and imperfect-and he equates this vulnerability with weakness. In turning toward and aligning himself with subjective truth, which he perceives as a strength, man fails to recognize that his freedom is, in a very real way, betraying his openness to the True and Greater Good.

Consider this example. As you enter a room, you notice a violin lying on a table. One of the strings has been removed from the violin and is laid on the table next to the violin. Our culture would tell us that the string on the table is free: it is no longer subject to the "rules and regulations" of the violin and can now do whatever it wants. In other words, the string is no longer bound by the constraints of the violin (the fingerboard, bridge, and tuning pegs) and can now "be itself". But what is the string now free to do? Absolutely nothing! By separating itself from the body of the violin, the string has now become useless.

From the Church's perspective, the violin string is not truly free because its full potential is not being actualized; by not freely choosing to be part of the whole, by allowing itself to be freed from that which makes it truly unique – from that which is true, good, and beautiful-the string can never fully be what it was created to be. The Church teaches that by freely submitting ourselves to God's law, to God's loving care, protection, and divine providence, and by making a complete gift of ourselves to the Giver of all gifts, we truly can be godly men. It is only when the string is tethered to the body of the violin, when it is tuned to the unique and proper pitch that it was designed for, and when it is played in harmony with the other strings, that the full potential of not only the string but the entire instrument can be truly realized and fully appreciated.

Jesus dwells in man through His Spirit, where He simultaneously accuses and consoles. The Holy Spirit reveals man's sinful nature to him and brings him face-to-face with his sins so that he does not continue living a lie. The Spirit then shows mercy and opens man to the life of Christ. Man's response to the Spirit is to love, and it is through love that man follows and lives in Christ. In imitation of Christ, man must bear his Cross; he must pour himself out and sacrifice himself in love, which is the culmination of freedom

Satan's pleasure principle – where he takes pleasure out of its proper context of orientation toward the Ultimate End and elevates it as an end in itself-is what makes sin so dangerous: we become addicted to the pleasure. What complicates matters even more is that we live in a society that promotes and encourages participation in activities that dehumanize us. The basic tenet of dehumanization states that some men are not made in the image and likeness of God and, therefore, have no inherent value and dignity. Contemporary culture uses the principle of dehumanization to rationalize and justify sinful actions I based in subjective, relativistic truth. For example, when two angry men are preparing to fight, they often get ready for the encounter by using dehumanizing language toward each other. The purpose of this verbal exchange is to strip the other person of his humanity so that you will not see him as a person. At the point when you have sufficiently dehumanized the person in your mind, that is, when you have mentally stripped him of his dignity as a person and no longer see him as you see yourself, you are convinced and feel justified in committing an act of violence against him.

When I served as the director of a university public-safety department, one of my responsibilities was to speak to incoming freshmen about safety and security on campus. I reminded them that they were now adults and would be treated as such. I told them that, as adults, they will be held accountable for their decisions and responsible for their actions. I explained that the institutional policies and procedures to which they are now subject were designed to help create and maintain safe living and learning environments for all members of the community. From the freshmen’s perspective, it may have seemed that these rules inhibited their freedom, but, in fact, just the opposite is true: the rules protect them and guide them into making good decisions so that they can be truly free and fully themselves.

As Catholic men, we sometimes approach solidarity with God’s laws and commands with a freshman-like mentality where the truths of our faith, protected and defended by the teaching authority of the Church, seem restrictive, confining, or narrow. We are so caught up in the desires and aspirations of this world that we do not fully appreciate the fact that, as children of God, we participate “in the; light and power of the divine Spirit".

As we seek the path God has destined for our lives, we must take a step back and seriously question our efforts to grow deeply in our faith. We must ask difficult questions and pursue meaningful answers. The prevailing culture of death, with its witch's brew of moral relativism, sexual immorality, and subjective truth, will attempt to influence and shape our consciences with lies disguised as freedom, to be sure. If, however, we are open to truth, we will come to a deep and abiding faith in God, but not before our faith has been tested, for there is no Resurrection without Crucifixion – there is no Easter Sunday without Good Friday.

Saint Paul lays the foundation for getting us back on track: "[A]s for you, man of God… aim at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold, of the eternal life to which you were called". Our spirituality as men must flow from the Sacred Heart of Jesus and His call to live the Gospel with both fervor and humility. We must willingly and lovingly lay down our lives in service to our brides, whether they be our wives, the Church, or the culture, in imitation of the saints and in witness to the awesome power and testimony of Christ crucified.

Becoming a holy and virtuous man of God always involves a receptive listening to both the Word of God and to the Church. This includes fervent and constant prayer because it is only through prayer that we can come to know God better, and in knowing Him better we love Him better, and in loving Him better we find our true happiness in Him. We must make an effort daily to place ourselves in the presence of the Lord through prayer so that our spirituality is firmly rooted in Christ crucified and our Catholic faith. The more men act under the influence, assistance, and grace of the Holy Spirit in seeking to know and to do God's holy will through a life of prayer, the more we grow in holiness and the closer we come to sainthood.

The Eucharist exists to make us the Body of Christ, to make us the sacramental representation of Jesus Christ on earth. Our being changed into Christ is what the Eucharist is all about, and "because, of this, the unity of the Church has a greater depth than any human union could ever hope to achieve…. The Eucharist is the intimacy of the union of each person with the Lord." Thus, it is in eating and drinking the Body and Blood of Christ that we truly become what we receive; and in receiving the Eucharistic Christ, we receive the grace that gives us the courage to say with Saint Paul, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me."

Many men are beginning to realize that what society presents as "truth" ultimately leaves them with a feeling of emptiness and longing. With the Holy Spirit's help, they are returning to the Catholic faith. Their experience within the culture has helped them to realize that faith is not “warm and fuzzy" like a child’s favorite blanket.

Faith is neither an enduring family tradition nor a fond memory that makes us feel good during Christmas and Easter. Our faith is something that is lived out every single day of our lives, where Christ the Servant becomes the heart and the center of who we are as men. This is where our true freedom and identity lies: in a spirituality that allows us to be self-gift and that leads us into the heart of the Trinity.

Truth will come when we persistently ask God for it. When we pray, we must knock, seek, and ask. We should converse with God just as we would with an intimate friend. We must not be afraid to share openly with the Father of Mercy our sorrows and joys, our hopes and fears, our aspirations and dreams, for His love and His truth will never fail. When truth does come, let us proclaim with great joy: "I love the Lord for He has heard the cry of my appeal; for He turned His ear to me in the day when I called Him." This is the peace that true freedom brings.

Excerpted from BEHOLD the MAN: A Catholic Vision of Male Spirituality

By Deacon Harold Burke-Severs

Questions:

1. In what ways do I resist aligning my will with Gods will?

2. What are some "truths" that our culture supports that are in conflict with or challenge me in my faith?

3. What have found helps me to deepen my faith and understanding of who God calls me to be?