Daily Meditation: "Say The Words"
Thursday, September 3, 2020
SCRIPTURE
The Anarchist’s coming is all Satan’s work. All his power and signs and miracles are fake, evil sleight of hand that plays to the gallery of those who hate the truth that could save them. - 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10
REFLECTION
Sometimes, we as human beings think that if we don’t name something, if we don’t acknowledge it, it isn’t there. We somehow make it “real” by saying what is already there. We don’t like using words like “cancer,” “divorce,” “death.” Yet, they all exist. Just because we don’t name them doesn’t mean they aren’t there and aren’t real. Somehow, though, speaking the words makes it “real.”
Evil is like that. We don’t invoke the name of Satan all that often at FCCWP, but that doesn’t make the Evil around us or within us any less real. We see it alive and at work every day when we turn on the news. We see the Evil of injustice, violence, hatred, and apathy in the fabric of our daily living. There are those out in the streets non-violently calling the Evil by name, and then there are those who are perverting such moments to promote further, violent Evil for their own ends.
This is, sadly, nothing new. People throughout history have used moments of great change to promote further Evil and violence. Today, though, the overflowing amount of disinformation assaulting millions on social media is a new kind of Evil pervading our society. Our own ability to authentically discern fact from fiction and be of one mind and heart about what is fundamentally Right and Wrong is being torn asunder, it is heartbreaking to watch, and it makes the challenge of teaching children Right from Wrong all the more complicated.
Yet we must rise to this challenge. We must continue to call Evil by its name when we see it, and we must root it out and rid our world of it at every turn. Evil visited Jesus in different forms at different times, and he overcame it by calling it by name, casting it out, and turning to Love. Evil is real, yes, but equally real is that the Light is in the world and the darkness of Evil does not overcome it.
Why? Because we keep calling it out by name and daring to love it out of existence. As excruciating, as exhausting, as heartbreaking as it may be, we must always continue to do so.
PRAYER
God of Love, make us instruments of your peace, granting us the courage to call out Evil by name in our midst and being the Light that drives the Darkness away.
Amen.
Peace,
Shawn