The Belly of the Beast

A cryptic reference at the end of today’s first reading (1 Peter 5:5b-14) hints that Saint Peter is writing this letter from Rome – the center of that era’s evil empire.

As the Acts of the Apostles testifies, Saint Paul also carried on the work of the Lord in that infamous city.

That was a very dangerous place to be and it was there that both Apostles would be slain, but it was there that the Lord wanted them to work.

If we think about it, many of us are living and working in the center of today’s evil empire: in the very gut of a globalized culture of materialism, hedonism, and selfishness.

It is a very dangerous place to be. Even if we are not openly attacked for our faith, the temptation to go along with the way of the world can be very strong and seductive.

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying,
Come out of her, my people,
that ye be not partakers of her sins,
and that ye receive not of her plagues.
(Rev. 18:4)

Some hear the call of the Lord to cut themselves off from the world physically, going off into monasteries or the life of a hermit while supporting the rest of us in prayer.

Most of us, however, are called to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the midst of the world, while striving through the grace of God to keep ourselves unsullied by it.

It is a dangerous place to be, but it is here that the Lord calls us to do his work.

So we must be faithful to doing to Lord’s work, even in the midst of an unfriendly world, even in the face of insidious temptations. We must be very diligent in seeking the Lord’s help in remaining faithful. It is too easy to slip, to become distracted, to be lulled, to rationalize, or to just go along with others.

We must keep ourselves focused on our task and also immersed in the Lord, through prayer and the Sacraments as well as by reading Scripture and other books that keep us strong for our work in the faith.

It is critically important for us to perform regular spiritual safety or reality checks, most especially in a daily examination of conscience but also periodically taking a look at our lives as they reflect the truth of Christ (or not) and then seeking the Lord’s grace in Penance so that we may come ever closer to the perfection to which he calls us. Miserere mei, Domine.

Not all of us are called to live all our lives in isolation from the world; many times we must live and labor in the very heart of this world’s darkness. Yet no matter where we may be, we must be faithful and powerful in the light, the truth, and the love of Jesus Christ.