[Father Paul]
I would like to begin with two articles I saw recently in the newspaper. One was a very interesting article about a sting operation on a group that was stealing from Shoppers Drug Mart. I know I spoke about that before, about how people were taking advantage of the self-checkout and just not checking stuff out. This was an order of magnitude different. People were walking into stores like Shoppers Drug Mart, Best Buy, Canadian Tire, and Walmart, gathering up some of the most expensive items, and proceeding to the self-checkout with several thousand dollars worth of stuff, collecting the receipt, and then walking out the door. When the alarm went off, they just waved the receipt and walked out. The problem was, rather than paying for it, they were inserting their card and then canceling the transaction. The kiosk would give a printout of the canceled transaction, and that’s what they would wave on the way out. As it turns out, this has been happening for several years all over Ontario, to the tune of something like 8 million dollars worth of stuff. Obviously, more people were involved; it wasn’t just one person going around collecting 8 million dollars worth of stuff. What was happening was that “runners” were being recruited, often people who were in financial hardship or otherwise vulnerable, and they would bring the stolen items to one person who had a warehouse in Brampton. From there, the items would be sold on Amazon and other places. Although Amazon was getting wise to it, they still had several million dollars worth of their stuff in their Canadian warehouses.
Anyway, they finally caught the guy and some of their “runners.” the runners were given a very light sentence given the circumstances. However, the ringleader, I’m sure, will receive a much harsher sentence for organizing everything.
In our Catholic tradition, this is called “sin,” a concept we don’t use that often anymore, but it is what it is. My observation is this: The Catholic religion, our religion, teaches that this is wrong and should not be happening. Our whole society shares this teaching - stealing is still illegal. Somehow, some people think that they are above the law, and when they are caught, they will have to make recompense somehow.
Wouldn’t the world be better if just followed the 10 commandments? This is not just relevant for one particular religion or group of people, it matters for the whole world. One of the advantages of spreading the word of Christ around the world is the reduction of crime. It’s so obvious. The problem is, “getting caught” as a deterrent just isn’t strong enough. Recognizing that a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, experiencing His love and His mercy, is a better way to live, that’s a far better motivation for avoiding crime.
But after 2000 years of history, somehow our world just doesn’t understand that. We’re still so quick to reject the teachings of Jesus; we think that those teachings are somehow irrelevant. They’re not. We’re not above the law and we’re not above the teachings of Jesus.
Consider a second example, more briefly. In one of the advice columns, a man had written in complaining that his wife had become cold and distant to him, particularly physically, and he wanted to know if he should have an affair. I would have liked the columnist just to say “no, that’s a violation of one of the 10 commandments.” Instead, she said, “sure, there are safe websites you can go to.” Of course, she went a little further and said, “but maybe you should talk to her.” An afterthought? What’s our world coming to. My advice, don’t have an affair, and if you do, correct it as soon as you can. Try to live a life of principle, it’s a better, and probably safer way to live.
Once again, we see an example of our culture ignoring some of the most basic moral teachings of our faith. I know, I get it, “the culture,” is not under any obligation to practice Christianity or offer Christian advice. But wait, isn’t the practice of Christianity and Christianity is actually a good thing?
I would like to suggest that what we are celebrating today as the feast of the Epiphany is not just the wise men from the East visiting Jesus and offering him gifts, but the relevance of Jesus and his teachings to the world today. They are pointing us to Jesus and showing us who He is: the presence of the Divine in our world.
I think three things bring us closer to true enlightenment and the pinnacle of the mountain.
Encounter Jesus like the wise men who went in search of Him. Open your hearts to him, let him find you.
Surrender to Jesus—offer him gifts, not only of Gold, Frankincense, and myrrh, but of your most precious gift, which is your heart and your soul.
Follow Jesus. Do His will, and change your life.
I hesitate to do this because I don’t like repeating myself, but it does come back to those 4 prayers that will change your life, not only your life, but they will change the world:
Heavenly Father, make me better. Change my attitude, my approach, my mind, and my reactions.
Heavenly Father, if I'm chasing the wrong things, redirect me.
Dear God, please bring me closer to what is meant for me.
Heavenly Father, please make my days useful, my nights restful, my efforts fruitful, and my home peaceful.
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