The architects of a new world order often speak of a global
village. Hillary Clinton tells us that it takes a village to raise a child. Are
they speaking of the same village?
If there is a benevolent global village then
where is it and why is so much of humanity exiled from it? If the world is so
"connected" — as we are continually being told by high-tech gurus and
new-age visionaries — then why do so many people feel cut off from meaningful
relationships?
In Africa we find countless orphans whose
parents died from AIDS, other diseases or war. They wander the parched
landscape, yet never find this village that is apparently so global.
If it takes a village to raise a child, where is
it when the world's unloved children so desperately need it? They cry out for
love yet receive none. They cry out from hunger yet go to bed unfed. They
shiver throughout the nights for want of a blanket but remain uncovered and in
a huddle waiting for death from starvation and neglect resulting mostly from
lack of love.
They need the love of a real family, not the empty
promises of a mythical village.
The cruel reality is that the secular vision of
a global village does not exist — except in the minds of comfortable, well-fed
people, when they happen to feel benevolent or sentimental.
GLOBAL VILLAGE MYTH
The global village is a myth. It is a myth
because the brotherhood of man is impossible without the Fatherhood of God.
Human benevolence that depends on feelings is a cheap, unreliable
benevolence.
Feelings are unstable: They change based upon
our mood or who
we've been talking to, the amount of sleep we've had or even
something as minor as indigestion. People can become uncharitable (or vicious)
over another driver who cuts them off in traffic or is driving too slow.
Our Lord told us that evil comes out of the
human heart (Matthew 15.19; Mark 7.21). The same mouth that is capable of
blessing others is also capable of cursing them. St. Paul said, "the
sinful mind is hostile to God, It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do
it" (Romans 8.7).
In the previous chapter of Romans, he said,
"For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh. The
willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not. For I do not do the good I
want, but I do the evil I do not want." Even in a spiritual giant like St.
Paul, his carnal nature reigned without the presence of Christ to set him free
from his sinful nature. It's true for all humanity.
We readily accept a small measure of goodness
in our dispositions but loathe to admit the badness. If you say to me, "You are such a kind,
gracious and loving man," I will be inclined to feign humility and thank
you in agreement. If, however, you accuse me of being harsh,
callous or peevish, I'm apt to respond by blaming my bad behaviour on my
disability, pain or a host of other excuses.
I probably will not take responsibility by
saying, "You're right. I'm a nasty man. It's my deplorable nature."
But if I were to be honest, that's exactly what I should say.
The Lord told Jeremiah that the human heart is
desperately wicked. (I don't know about your heart, but mine certainly is.)
Only through Christ am I capable of any lasting good.
Everyone needs a touch of God's love to cool and
tame wicked thoughts of evil tendencies in their hearts - and subsequent
actions (or inactions). Only through God's grace can human hearts change. Once
this happens and we begin to live for Christ rather than ourselves, great
things can happen.
COMPASSION
BLOSSOMS
As our love for Christ deepens and matures, we
will naturally begin to ache with compassion for other people, because Christ
dwells in us and his heart aches with compassion for a lost and hurting world.
This realization intensifies our desire to reflect Christ's love to those
around us.
No longer must we rely on our own unstable and
unreliable
benevolences based on feelings to serve other people. The Holy
Spirit will convict us and keep a flame of compassion and commitment burning to
continually serve our Lord.
The global village may not exist but I know the
human family does and God is its Father. Let us go into the world to serve both.
Mark
No comments:
Post a Comment