Evil is as old as time. As Christians, we understand that when God himself came to earth, humans killed him. If humans could kill God in the person of Jesus, they can kill the image of God that comes in all humans.
And the answer to evil is not to destroy ourselves, as Judas killed himself. Our answer is to see God in the person of Jesus as Thomas did: “My Lord and My God.”
Only when we can see the image of God in every person can we begin truly to build a world of peace. Faith enables us to see what we cannot see with human eyes alone. Human eyes can see the surface but God’s eyes can look into the depths of our heart.
That’s why we don’t just watch bread and wine being turned into the Body and Blood of Christ, but we receive the Body and Blood, and allow God to turn us into his presence.
This past Easter, I saw a film clip of Russian President Vladimir Putin receiving holy Communion from a Russian Orthodox priest. My hope then was that Putin would allow himself to become what he received. But, sadly, I don’t think that has yet happened.
As I write this, Putin is threatening to escalate his war in Ukraine. I pray he does not.
“War is hell” is an old expression, but, regrettably, very true. Throughout the years, the United States has come to the aid of many countries to liberate them from Nazis and Communists.
During World War II there was an expression from the battlefields: “Praise the Lord, but pass the ammunition.” It took prayer and power to defeat the Nazis. It will take prayer and power to resist Putin.
St. Paul spoke of being “strong, loving and wise.” You and I need the strength to resist evil, but we also need to be loving and wise to build up the good. May God grant us his strength, his love and his wisdom.
We know that even St. Peter could deny Jesus in his fear. But later in life, Peter would give his life proclaiming the name of Jesus. As the old saying goes: “There is no sinner without a future, and no saint without a past.”
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