Oct
12
Keeping Our House Clean
October 12, 2007 |
We’ve done it . . . we kicked that bad habit or that addiction . . . we’ve cast off that sin that has weighed us down. We are new men.
But how do we keep it that way?
Today’s gospel from Luke 10 gives us a warning . . .
“When an unclean spirit goes out of someone,
it roams through arid regions searching for rest
but, finding none, it says,
‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’
But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order.
Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits
more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there,
and the last condition of that man is worse than the first.”
We must find a way to keep clean of that sin, that addiction or that bad habit. But, how do we do it?
Luke 10 also has other warnings . . .
“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste
and house will fall against house.”
“Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”
And therein lies the answer . . . we keep clean by relying on the support of our family, our community, our Church, our nation, and our faith. We keep clean by being with Christ and gathering with him. We keep clean by not going it alone and not being a part of division and acrimony. We keep together and put our trust in God.
Our individualism is what makes us uniquely human and is the way we express the natural rights and special gifts that God has endowed in each of us. But, there is a difference between individualism and isolation. Too often, we try to go it alone in line with the individualistic spirit that is in each of us. But, if we are isolated or divided, we cannot stand against the internal and external forces aligned against us . . . we cannot stand against the sin, addictions, anxieties and pressures that weigh us down. We must reach out and stand together with our family, our community, our Church, and our nation.
Where do we start? First, we can find a Catholic men’s group in our parish and/or attend a Catholic Men’s Conference. We can also start by staying in touch with some of the web sites in the “Catholic Men Links” area of this page.
By being connected, we can ensure that our inner and external houses are kept clean and that we walk with Christ.
Painting: “Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog” - Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1846)
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Have a Blessed Christmas
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Patron Saint of 2009
St. Ignatius of Loyola, Ora Pro Nobis
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Marian Painting of 2009
Madonna of the Streets, Roberto Ferruzzi (1897)
