Claretian Teaching Ministry

John H. Hampsch, cmf

Here’s a head-scratcher for you.

Imagine the earth as a smooth, non-mountainous ball, girded by a metal band at the equator. Now imagine enlarging that 25,000-mile band by, let us say, for example, an extra 50 feet, thus loosening it all around. Guess how much space would be left between that band and the earth at any given point. Could you slip your finger under it, or crawl under it or stand or walk under it? The answer? You could walk under it, since the enlarged band would then be about eight feet above the surface—get this—at every point around the globe.

But wait. If the band tightly encircled not the earth, but the moon, or a basketball or a cantaloupe, that band, when expanded by the same amount, 50 feet, would have exactly the same eight-foot separation as with the earth.

The same phenomenon can be considered from another point of view. Thus, amazingly, adding only 50 feet of fencing around any size circular field, even many miles wide, would add room for an 8-foot-wide path all the way around it. Mathematically, the circumference is irrelevant to the radial increase.

Parallel to this remarkable “Euclidean mathematical constant,” there’s an even more remarkable “spiritual constant.” It’s seen in the constancy of God’s loving mercy—in its availability to every sinner (that’s all of us!), regardless of each person’s individual “circumference of sin”—that is, their accumulated guilt.

There are many types of sinners, with many types of “sin circumference.” They range from terrorists, like Saul before he became St. Paul, to immoral profligates, like St. Augustine, to saintly souls like Mother Teresa, whose peccadilloes probably never exceeded that of momentary impatience.

Whether your “sin circumference” is great or small, God’s awesome mercy is equally and constantly available to you. Both the dissolute prodigal son and his faithful but resentful brother experienced their Father’s love (Luke 15:31). Nothing is more constant than God’s love focused on each of us sinners on this sin-pocked planet. And nothing is more constant than his forgiveness and mercy for absolutely every sinner who turns to him in humble repentance. “Whoever confesses and renounces sin finds mercy,” says Proverbs 28:13.

The divine constancy of the Lord’s merciful love can make any person break through the encircling bonds of sin and expand their love of God until it melts into sincere repentance. David’s love of God did that: “Have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name” (Ps. 119:132). The unbinding and expanding by repentance is nothing more or less than a heartfelt regret at having offended the gentle Savior who, while hating sin itself, loves, beyond all measure, every sinner, great or small. His limitless, universal, extravagant and unwavering love for each of us adds new dimensions to the word “constant,” for “his compassions never fail. They are new every morning” (Lam. 3:22-23).

With that assurance, it’s inane to neglect the loving invitation of God’s word in Hebrews 4:16: “Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy, and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  ++

John H. Hampsch, cmf

One of the most disconcerting types of suffering is that which results from being targeted by another person as the object of an evil curse, (similar to a hex, which is a witchcraft-induced evil spell). A curse or hex may take any of countless manifestations; and, in many cases, the victim may never know who the culprit is who imprecated the curse or hex.

A curse may be cultural (Gypsy, Indian, Italian, etc.); it may be of occultic or Satanic origin, or simply an act of perverse retaliation as a kind of vendetta—simply an enmity-engendered hatred from another person. Invoking curses is a frequent practice among those involved in any of the many evil forms of occultism, such as Santeria, Voodoo, Obeah, etc. Anyone who invokes a curse is certainly (knowingly or otherwise) under demonic influence. By invoking a curse such a person commits the most heinous sin against the virtue of charity that is possible; it delights Satan, but calls down the vengeance of God upon the one responsible. The most serious type of curse is one that turns a good Christian into an irreligious or anti-religious person. The most difficult type of curse to break is one invoked by a family member or by a living or deceased ancestor.

The following may be regarded as effective Catholic norms for responding, if you are unfortunate enough to be targeted by a curse or hex:

1) Your success in drawing down God’s power against a curse will be in proportion to the level of your faith. In the words of Jesus, “According to your faith it will be done” (Matt. 9:29). It helps to elicit a faith-filled prayer of deliverance from a priest, a mature Christian or a prayer group. Like healing or any prayer-induced miracle, curse-lifting is not a frequent occurrence. Why? Because most people pridefully overestimate their own faith; they are satisfied with their low level of faith that is enough to induce them to pray frantically for relief, but not enough to humbly beg for a deeper degree of faith that would trigger that sought-for relief. Praying for a cure is less important than praying for enough faith to induce that cure. The latter must come first, as Jesus taught when correcting his apostles’ failed attempt at exorcism (Mark 9:19 and 23).

2)  Make frequent and fervent use of the Sacraments—especially by very humble and contrite confessions, and by receiving Communion with exquisite devotion and love. The Enemy’s power, even when operating through malicious human agents, is vastly reduced when these Sacraments are received, not routinely, but humbly and devoutly.

3) Never reverse a curse by calling down harm on the person or persons responsible for this flood of evil. (See 1 Peter 3:9 and Rom. 12:17-21).

4) Stand meditatively and expectantly beneath the cross of Jesus to be covered symbolically by his Precious Blood as a shield to deflect the onslaughts of evil in the afflicting curse. By that “atoning blood” (Rom. 3:24) shed on the cross, the forces of evil are disarmed and conquered, as Paul says (Col. 2:15).

5) Do the four things that Jesus asks us to do in relating to our enemies, like those who invoke curses on us; these are outlined in Luke 6:27-28. The four things are: Love your enemy, do good to your enemy, pray for your enemy and call down God’s special blessings on your enemy (see also 1 Pet. 3:9). Love of enemies is a challenge, but loving in this context does not mean liking. It means benevolential love, or “agape” love, as St. Thomas Aquinas says. This love consists in desiring good for one’s enemies. Yearn for their salvation, not their damnation; desire that they repent and become holy. In this endeavor, St. Augustine’s maxim is pertinent: Hate the sin but love the sinner, as God does.

Every Christian must sincerely desire that bad persons become good, like the great terrorist, Saul, who, when converted became St. Paul, a champion of Christianity; or, like the thief, Dismas, when dying next to Jesus, was canonized by him: “This day you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). In the words of Jude 22, “Snatch others from the fire and save them…show mercy.” James 5:20 speaks of the amazing benefits of converting a sinner from his life of sin. If you turn from sin the one cursing you, that enemy will befriend you for all eternity.

6)  Until the time arrives for you to be released from the curse, strive to conform to even hidden moves of Providence, with faith-reliance on Jesus as demon-evictor (Mark 16:17). Offer up your sufferings that result from the curse or curses. Like all suffering, disappointment, adversity, etc., this unique type of suffering should be united–even joyfully–with Jesus’ redemptive suffering (1 Pet. 4:13). Don’t waste suffering that could otherwise lead to your sanctification and consequent reward. Carrying this cross courageously infuriates the Devil and his demons lurking behind this evil. Sustaining the affliction will grace-fill your soul, help other souls, and reward you for all eternity (see Heb. 6: 10-11).

7)  For curse-breaking, invoke the angels and saints, your guardian angel and patron saint, Archangel Michael, and the especially the sinless Virgin Mary who is prophesied to crush the head of the sinful serpent (Gen. 3:15).

Of course, you should seek relief from the effects of a curse, as you would for sickness or any hurtful situation. But meanwhile, as you await your release, use your curse-caused suffering; though it is admittedly hurtful, it may well be the very sacrifice used by God to obtain salvation for your persecutors,  as well as your own sanctification and your unimaginable heavenly reward.

The bottom line is this: after our lifelong struggle against evil, the last chapter of the Bible tells how it will all end. With Christ, we are the winners!

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John H. Hampsch, cmf

“When all is said and done, more is said than done.”

Among the 10,000 one-liners in Henry Youngman’s Encyclopedia of One-Liners, (Ballymore Books, NY, 1989) that particular one-liner applies most appropriately to divine revelation. Even in the most succinct examples of divine revelation, like the Ten Commandments, certainly “more is said than done.” If anyone actually fulfilled all of God’s expressed mandates, accepted his many invitations, heeded his countless promises, reveled in his proclaimed glory, melted in his awesome love, or surrendered to his offered embrace of mercy and compassion, such a person would merit instant canonization.

The holy word of God, in a most poignant way, shows not just what the Lord wants us to do, but also tells us also how we can become more receptive to it. For instance, in Chapter 19 of the First Book of Kings, we find the premiere prophet Elijah learning a basic lesson in how to discern the voice of God. That pericope clearly and emphatically demonstrates how he speaks to us and guides us even personally in any specific calling or even our life-vocation. He does this, not by ostentatious means (as he showed Elijah by his divine silence in the violent wind, the earthquake and the fire). On the contrary, as he taught that great prophet, the Lord speaks very softly, by “a gentle whisper.” At times, this can be a mere “soul-whisper”—one intended to be perceived and exquisitely discerned only in quiet prayer.

Elijah had come to Mt. Horeb by his own decision, not by God’s direction, as he had done in previous journeys. By God’s “whispering voice” (in this occasion, it was a personalized word of God called a “rhema”), Elijah was told to return to the Desert of Damascus, where he was to encounter Elisha, whom he was to anoint to become his protégé and pre-eminent successor-prophet (verse 21). Because he acted without first consulting and listening to the Almighty, Elijah had to face the arduous task of retracing his steps.

The lesson here is that we should listen for the word of God, which most often, but not always, is uttered in “divine whispers.” “His sheep follow him because they know his voice (John 10:4). God’s “voice” may communicate very subtly through a compelling insight of a biblical passage, by a simple spiritual inspiration, by a nudging of one’s own well-formed conscience, by an ecclesiastical norm, by a holy tradition, or even by an inspiring example of another person. To dispose ourselves to receive from the Lord any revelation, whether subtle or trenchantly forceful, with the generous intention of implementing it in our life, we must cultivate an ever-present mental posture patterned after that stated in Psalm 85, verse 8: “I will listen to what God the Lord will say.” In its context, the psalmist’s assertion suggests an ongoing mentality of eager waiting to learn what God wants of us in response.

Once we have definitely established that mentality, we’ll be overwhelmed with the conviction that, in the Creator-creature dialog as it relates to us personally, God in his revelation has said much, while we have done little in response. The epithet in that setting is seen as more than a clever bromide; it is viewed as a humbling heaven-uttered indictment: Truly, “when all is said and done, more is said (by God) than done (by us).”

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John H. Hampsch, CMF

“What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

That oft-quoted Shakespearean truism may ring true for most names of persons or objects in most cultures in recent centuries. But in the Middle East in ancient times, a person’s name was more than a mere label to distinguish one person from another. A name served to describe a person’s qualities, characteristics, values, or goals. Hence, in biblical times, names were often changed to denote a change or upgrading of vocation or status (something like the names of popes, monks, nuns, etc. today). Hence, Abram morphed to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Jacob to Israel, Simon to Peter, Saul to Paul, etc.

Thus, in a biblical mindset, a personal name conveyed something significant by which the individual could be better known. Thus, the various names referring to God revealed something about him of profound significance. For instance, the name Elohim—a plural form in Hebrew—suggests a pre-Christian hint of the Trinitarian nature of God, like the name Adonai, which stresses God as man’s master, authority, and provider. El Shaddai (Almighty God) emphasizes his power; El Elyon (the Most High God) portrays his strength, sovereignty and supremacy, El Olam (the Everlasting God) implied that he is unchangeable and inexhaustible. Yahweh, in its vowel-less Hebrew form, YHWH, bespeaks its own reverence in being unutterable; it suggests that the very entity of God is self-existent. It is a name rephrased through the Bible in multiple compounds in various contexts.

Once we grasp this often-unappreciated truth that names provide knowledge about the one named, the words of Jesus’ prayer of John 17:3 become profoundly nuanced and spiritually meaningful for us, prompting us in some mysterious way to know God: “This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

That insight should inspire us to a devotional use of the name of God in its generic form, as well as in some of its more specific forms found in the sacred Scriptures. God, as revealed by his names in the Old Covenant is shown to become even more meaningful to us in the New Covenant, where he is staged in his incarnate form as the God-man, Jesus Christ, with a litany of names like Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus, Our Savior, Redeemer, Master, etc. God’s sacred revelation of himself is projected in the New Covenant even more beautifully than in the Old, for it is in the New Testament that our awesome Deity is unveiled as even more self-revealing—and more love- revealing!

In five places in John’s gospel, Jesus, as the Incarnate God, tells us to “ask in his name.” The devout exploration of the various names of our Divine Creature-Creator can enable our entire life to become God-centered. Such a meditation should become an integral part of our daily life, for it is an all-pervasive and life-framing mandate of God’s holy word. You’ll find it emblazoned in the sublime words of Paul to the Colossians (3:17): “Everything you do or say should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus as you give thanks through him to God the Father.”

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John H. Hampsch, C.M.F.

Think for a moment of one of your loved ones who has passed away some time ago, and recall the grief you experienced at the funeral. Give yourself a “numerical” score for your grief at that time, on a scale of 1 to 100. Now think about the death of a victim of terrorism that you read about in yesterday’s newspaper, and give yourself a “grief score” for that tragic event. How do your two scores compare? Why is there such a divergence in the grief experienced in the first as compared to the grief (if any) from reading the news event? The answer, of course is the degree of love and the type of love for the deceased—in one case, deep and intense, and in the other, distant and almost casual. The greater the love, the greater the loss experienced when the beloved is taken away. Whether it is the loss of a pet or the loss of a diamond ring, the pain of the loss or of deprivation is always proportionate to the affection toward the person or attachment to the object. Jesus wept at the death of his good friend Lazarus (“Behold how he loved him!”), even though he was dead for only four days before his miraculous resurrection.

Now take another test—a test in terms of time-lapse rather than closeness of relationship. How intense is your “grief score” today—perhaps years after the loss of a dear one—compared to your grief at the funeral? There may be surging “waves” of heartache periodically, but overall, you have probably learned that “time heals all wounds” (for some bereaved persons this healing is faster than for others). This is God’s gentle bereavement “anesthetic.” “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matt. 5:4).

The bereaved soul who “walks with the Lord” in the courage and trust infused by the renowned 23^rd psalm, walks with him through the valley of the shadow of death; there’s no evil in a shadow—no venom in serpent’s shadow and no cutting edge in the shadow of a sword. The Good Shepherd who “has borne our grief and carried our sorrows” (Is. 53:4), leads both the dead—and also the mourning survivors—through the valley of the shadow of death. A valley is a fruitful plain; death is spiritually fruitful for the sheep dying in the arms of the Good Shepherd, as well as for the afflicted and lonely sheep bereft of their presence. The living who linger behind are called to trust in his promise,  proclaimed in his holy word: “The Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended” (Is. 60:19-20).

Moreover, death is a “walk” through this valley—a gentle, pleasant walk. Noble Christians take delight in their pleasurable walk into the next world, stepping forward willingly as they take leave of this world, linking arms with the Master in the beautiful healing walk called death. And they walk “through” this valley, never getting lost in it; they trust their great Shepherd to get them safely to the mountain of glories beyond the valley. Trust for any loved one, living or dead, is simply the act of committing them totally to the Lord, knowing that “people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shone” (Is. 9:2). While fostering a tranquil but prayerful concern for their posthumous spiritual needs, our mourning for our beloved dead should be without any worrisome anxiety.

Do our beloved dead leave us, or do we leave them? They must somehow feel that we leave them if we don’t paradoxically “rejoice with them as we weep for them.” If we truly love someone, we are happy to know that they’re happy, even though we are sad in being deprived of their immediate loving presence. But that’s where trust in God reaches its peak. For those whose trust falters under the grief of bereavement, Paul has a comforting word: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope [trust]” (1 Thess. 4:13).

While condolences from our friends can be very helpful, ultimately we must look only to God to sustain us and dissolve our anguish. “This is my comfort in my distress, that your promise gives me life” (Ps. 119:50).

Both before and during your time of bereavement it would be most beneficial to meditate on the following norms for bereavement presented in God’s holy word in the book of Sirach, 38:16-23:

My child, let your tears fall for the dead, and as one in great pain begin the lament. Lay out the body with due ceremony, and do not neglect the burial.

Let your weeping be bitter and your wailing fervent; make your mourning worthy of the departed, for one day, or two, to avoid criticism; then be comforted for your grief.

For grief may result in harm, and a sorrowful heart saps one’s strength.

In calamity sorrow continues, and the life of the poor weighs down the heart.

Do not give your heart to grief; drive it away, and remember your own end.

Do not forget, there is no coming back; you do the dead no good, and you injure yourself.

Remember his fate, for yours is like it; yesterday it was his, and today it is yours.

When the dead is at rest, let his remembrance rest too, and be comforted when his spirit has departed.

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Venerable Matt Talbot

Here are prayers for those addicted to alcohol, drugs, pornography, food, or any other type of addiction.

The feastday of Ven. Matt Talbot is June 19^th.

Short prayer: (say for nine days)

May Matt Talbot’s triumph over addiction, brings hope to our community and strength to our hearts, may he intercede for ___(name)___who struggles with his/her addiction, through Christ Our Lord, Amen

Longer Prayer: (say for nine days) Prayer for the Addicted.

God of mercy, we bless you in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who ministered to all who come to Him. Give Your strength to (name of the person or persons who have addictions) Your servant(s), bound by the chains of addiction. Enfold him/her in Your love and restore him/her to the freedom of God’s children. Lord, look with compassion on all those who have lost their health and freedom. Restore to them the assurance of Your unfailing mercy, and strengthen them in the work of recovery. To those who care for them, grant patient understanding and a love that perseveres. We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen

For his beatification:

“Lord, in your servant, Matt Talbot you have given us a wonderful example of triumph over addiction, of devotion to duty, and of lifelong reverence of the Holy Sacrament. May his life of prayer and penance give us courage to take up our crosses and follow in the footsteps of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Father, if it be your will that your beloved servant should be glorified by your Church, make known by your heavenly favours the power he enjoys in your sight. We ask this through the same Jesus Christ Our Lord, Amen

To read more on the life of Matt Talbot:

http://venerablematttalbotresourcecenter.blogspot.com/

CONSECRATION PRAYER TO OUR LADY

OF THE EUCHARIST AFTER COMMUNION

Mary is called Our Lady of the Eucharist, because

without her, there would be no physical Body of Jesus

to be present in the Eucharist. (See John 6:51)

Most kind Mother, we consecrate to you our bodies, which have just been honored and sanctified by the presence of your Divine Son, our souls which have conversed with him, and our hearts which have loved him.

O dearest Mother, may the words which we have spoken be made acceptable to him through your intercession. Tell him the things which we should have said but were unable to express. Love him and beseech him for us, your poor children.

Receive and keep us in your heart. Warn us, protect us and guide us during this day, that we may faithfully serve your Divine Son, and please him in all our thoughts, desires, and actions.

Amen.

The strangest anomaly in the burning issue of abortion is the presence of pro-choice advocates who claim to be bible believers. For these, Jesus’ words to the Sadducees apply: “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures” (Mt. 22:29).

Before surgical abortion was technically possible, unborn babies were killed only when the mother was slain also, as recorded in Amos 1: 13; Ammon’s genocidal act God punished by a tumult of nature and deprivation of national leadership.

God’s personal regard for the embryo from the moment of conception is seen in Psalm 139:13: “You created my inmost being (soul); you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” The word “me” indicates personhood, not just an organism; hence, while miscarriage or stillbirth involve human death, abortion as direct killing of an innocent person is murder.

“Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Ps. 139: 16). Thus, aborting a child aborts the ordained plans of God for that child.

“I am wonderfully made,” exults the psalmist (Verse 14). Biogenetics affirms that all genetic elements that mark a future adult are already present from conception; this bolster the biblical assertion that personhood is present before birth. Ecclesiastes 11: 5 reminds us, “You do not know how the body is formed in the mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things,” including the unborn child. Killing a human that reflects God’s image is not like killing a cockroach. Human life is made by God and reflects his image’ (Gen. 1:26-27); for that very reason, says God’s word, its destruction is deserving of punishment (Gen. 9:6). This threat is immediately counterpoised with a pro-life mandate: “Be fruitful and multiply.”

The biblical doctrine of inherited original sin (Rom. 5: 12) would be meaningless if the unborn were not human from the time of conception: “I was sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (Ps. 51:5). Each human has a personal identity in the mind of God before being formed in the womb (Jer. 1:5; Is.49:1; Gal. 1:15), a forming which in itself is a divine act (Job 31: 15). Consequently, anyone taking a human life at any stage of development interrupts a divine action, and will have to reckon with God; “From each human I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man” (Gen. 9:5). Such an interdiction of homicide should give pro-choicers pause.

Imagine the Supreme Court ascertaining at what point “the Word was made flesh” in Mary’s womb! Or, to speak the unspeakable, if Mary had an abortion, at what point in gestation would that act have meant the death of Christ? After one month? One day? One minute? To rephrase the question, when did Jesus’ Incarnation take place, if not the moment of conception? If it was at that moment, then his personhood was present from conception. If personhood- from-conception was true of Christ, it’s true of everyone. That alone would prove that abortion is murder.

John the Baptist before birth (Luke 1:41) manifested the fulfillment of the angel’s prophecy to Zechariah (verse 15), that he (John) would be “filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.” This occurred in the six month of gestation (verse36). The Holy Spirit doesn’t fill “a blob of tissue,” but a human being. Hence, if John had been aborted, it would have been murder.

In biblical times incest reaped the death penalty (Lev. 20:11,12,14,17), but not for the child conceived in incest, thus protecting innocent life, regardless of the evil act that engendered the child. Thus the rape/incest exception of some pro-choicers is not biblical. A woman victimized by rape or incest has no right to victimize the resultant offspring, since two wrongs don’t make a right. Adoption to a child-hungry couple is the common sense solution in most such cases.

In biblical times, the closest thing to direct abortion was infanticide, as when the Pharaoh forced Hebrew midwives to kill all male Hebrew children at birth (Ex. 1: 16). God punished this baby-killing by sending “defiling floods” on the land (Wis. 11:7). But prenatal killing is no less serious than postnatal. Thus, a fetus that manages to live after a failed abortion attempt is legally a human; the doctor by law must try to preserve the same life he had tried to kill only moments before. The “nonperson” mysteriously becomes a “person” legally when outside the womb, even though greatly premature. How do pro-abortion advocates explain this absurdity? Obviously, abortion is infanticide — murder, forbidden by the natural law and God’s commandment (Ex 20:13; Deut. 5:17; Mt. 5:21), and the worst form of child abuse possible.

The pro-abortion advocates’ insistence that” a woman has a right to her own body” is contrary to Scripture, since Paul says we do not own our own bodies (l Cor: 6: 19); we are merely stewards of these temples of the Holy Spirit, and must not abuse or destroy them (e.g. by suicide, health neglect, etc.), or the bodies of others, including children, born or unborn, who are a “heritage from the Lord” (Ps. 127:3). Moreover, if a woman did have a “right to her own body,” would not the unborn child also have such a “right to its own body”? The woman’s choice regarding her so-called “right” is seldom a life-or-death alternative for her, but it is always a life-or-death alternative for the child. The child has a real “right to life”, but the “right to life” for the women is rarely at issue, only her so-called “right” to her convenience.

In biblical terms, the bottom line is God’s word to Moses (Deut. 30: 19): “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” In offering a choice, God is “pro-choice,” but he tells us to make our choice pro-life or suffer the dreadful consequences.

Rev. John H. Hampsch, C.M.F.

CLARETIAN TEACHING MINISTRY

20610 MANHATTAN PL#120

TORRANCE, CA 90501-1863

310-782-6408  FAX 310-782-8892

WWW.CLARETIANTAPEMINISTRY.ORG

A critical man, newly arrived in heaven, was shown a scene by his angel—a mud-stuck wagon with a horse hitched to front and rear, pulling the wagon in opposite directions. The man laughed at the futility of the scene, wondering how angels could be so stupid as to approve such an attempted solution to the problem. Then he noticed that the horses both had wings, and began to fly upwards, lifting the wagon out of the clinging mud. The man then leaned that, unlike us mortals, heaven finds every problem solvable.

Jesus in Luke 7:31-35 shows how Christians should expect criticism–“damned if they do, and damned if they don’t.” He likened the Pharisees to “children of this world (“children in the marketplace”), unable to see solutions to conflicting situations: Despising John the Baptist as a rigid ascetic, and Jesus as a profligate socializer, they saw only “a wagon being immobilized by two opposite impotent forces.” Jesus’ reminds us that we Christians should expect irrational rejection by  worldlings, for we are called by God to be, as he says, “children of wisdom”—not unthinking “children of the world.”

True “Children of Wisdom” have four characteristics: 1) Conscious of their ignorance (in need of God’s teaching); 2) Conscious of their guilt (in need of God’s mercy);3) Conscious of error (in need of correction); and 4) Conscious of their weakness (in need of God’s strength). Thus:

1) Ignorance—e.g., Why does God cause the innocent to suffer?

2) Guilt—e.g., Can you recall all your sins? (“righteous fall 7 times a day”).

3) Error—e.g., Does purgatory purify, or atone for sin? (Christ did that for us).

4) Weakness—e.g., Are you strong enough to beat temptation? “He who thinks himself strong to stand should take heed lest he fall.” (1 Cor. 10:12).

Wisdom seeks guidance and direction from God, and in response is given God’s own Wisdom to become “children of Wisdom.” That is, they learn to “think with the thoughts of God” (Thomas Aquinas). (Consider 1 Cor. 2: 10-16):

“These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual. Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny. “For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But have the mind of Christ.

John H. Hampsch, CMF

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Anyone who puts a curse on another is certainly not Christian, but more like a pagan–that’s the word Jesus uses for a person who does what you did (see Matt. 5:47). It is most certainly not reflective of the Spirit of Jesus, who commanded us in Luke 6:37:, “Do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Many Old Testament passages say the same thing (Deuteronomy, Leviticus, etc.)  Even St. Michael the Archangel refused to curse Satan, but simply said, “May the Lord rebuke you!” (Jude 1: 9).

Read carefully the four things that Jesus commands us to do with our enemies: “Love your enemies (i.e. by benvolential love–wanting good for them, such as their repentance and their salvation–but not necessarily liking them); pray for them; do good to them (not just refrain from doing evil toward them), and call down God’ special blessings–not curses–on them.” (Luke 6:27-36).

Compare this with 1 Peter 3:9: “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing,(the opposite of a curse!), because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.” Jesus says in Matthew 5:43, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Hate your enemy’ but I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” Part of that love is mercy toward others–even evil persons like Obama bin Laden. Pray for sinners to repent even in the last second of their life. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matt. 5:7).

Romans 12:17 says (quoting Deuteronomy 32:35), “Do not repay anyone evil for evil….live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, but leave room forGod’s wrath, for it is written, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay’”–(it’s not your right to avenge).

Verse 21 of that passage from Romans says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” That’s the way God’s mercy works, hoping that the sinner repents. “Be merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). Jesus didn’t curse the repentant thief on the cross for his life of crime; instead he said, “This day you shall be with me in paradise.” Christ died to save him, not curse him, but, through love, induced him to use his free will to repent.

The same is true of the worst terrorist of biblical times, Saul (who after his conversion was called Paul). St. Paul tortured and murdered and imprisoned hundreds of Christians before his conversion on the road to Damascus. He had even supervised and supported the killing (martyrdom) of the first martyr, St. Stephen. Yet Paul wrote 13 books of the Bible and became one of the greatest saints in heaven. We should likewise pray that all bad persons become good–not that they be cursed.

A curse is an act of vindictiveness–trying to “get even”–which is not a Christian but a pagan mentality. Of course there is a place for punishment of evil in society; criminals are to be restrained and imprisoned for remedial reasons designed to change their criminal behavior, and for restitution to society and also of course for public safety and to maintain law and order in society. Incarceration is designed also induce regret, repentance and hopefully also rehabilitation. But it would be a sin on the part of the victim of a crime, or the judge or jury to seek punishment of the criminal while desiring “to get even with him.” Remedial justice is proper, but vindictive justice is always a sin. That’s the mentality of resentment and pettiness and especially vindictiveness that underlies the pagan mentality of anyone who imprecates by invoking a curse on another.

Remember, a curse is, at least implicitly, a request for a demonic force (devil or demon) to serve you by implementing your hurtful—and therefore malicious—intent against another human being or the offspring of that person. That’s why it is one of the most serious sins a person can commit; it undermines the greatest of the virtues, that of charity (1 Cor. 13:13).

John H. Hampsch, cmf