10th Sunday after Pentecost 21.8.11 Reasons for hope
Take any large city and put 100,000 people into the main square. They could go on a rampage of destruction like the London riots, or they could go on a display of peace and goodwill, like in today’s World Youth Day finale in Madrid.
People are capable of both good and evil and we are not sure ourselves which way the general trend will go.
There is good in us but also bad: like two conflicting principles the two forces battle it out for supremacy. Sometimes one wins; sometimes the other.
The current WYD event will be interpreted differently by Catholics. Some will see it as a great sign of hope. Others will be more sceptical and say that once all the atmosphere has dissipated things will go back the way they were.
We cannot be naively optimistic in our assessment of human nature. We know there is a big difference between hugging a stranger in the euphoria of a big event and actually translating that sentiment into daily practice.
Yet whether or not people in general, or one person in particular, will improve – though it is an open question, it is not simply pot luck, a toss of the coin.
If we hit on the right formula we can make a spiritual improvement in our lives a certain result. We can guarantee we will become better people.
What is the formula? Union with God. People united with God are good and will do good things; no other way can we make sure progress.
We must be people who are humble enough to remember their origins (like today’s publican of the Gospel.)
He offered no fancy speeches, no bribes or inducements – he merely brought himself and cast himself down at the Lord’s feet.
It was genuine contrition, from the heart, and that is where its value comes from. Of all things that God asks of us it is this. If we cannot please Him in all things we can at least be genuinely sorry that we have not done so.
So, asking for mercy is the first prayer we need to make. Once we are forgiven we can then move on to other things.
If we remain humble we are always well placed to recover at any point if we have slipped and to reach greater heights if we have held firm.
God is not averse to using a bit of showmanship to get His point across. After all, consider some of the miracles He has worked in human history: such as with the Israelites in ancient times, the early Church in the time of the Apostles, and in the last century with appearances from Our Lady.WYD is just another spectacle, in one sense, but no less compelling for that.
But in the end no amount of signs and wonders can make a person humble unless the person himself consents.
This is where each of us (and we can only do this for ourselves) has to make the same prayer as the publican, if not in the same words, at least in the same sincerity.
This simple act will unlock great spiritual power.
So we can have hope for the human race and it is not just a toss of the coin. But it does depend on the individual response of millions of Christians, so it is a very sensitive business and could go in all directions at the same time.
At least we know what we have to do: Be contrite. That is the first thing and the building block for all else.
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