Homily

We had a great discussion at Wednesday's Bible study about human passions and how the Fathers teach us that we should never act based on our passions, but only or the basis of our rational minds. It wasn't always an easy discussion because it can be difficult for people to see that passions are not the same as emotions, although it's fair to say that emotions generally act as passions. What are passions? In the Eastern Christian way of explanation we can say that passions are our internal desires, drives, and appetites, anything that pushes us or pulls us to act in certain ways. A passion is something that pushes or pulls us to think or act this way or that way. Some people think that, using this definition, there have to be good passions and bad passions. So they would say that hating another person is caused by a bad passion, but loving God with a passion is a good thing, a good passion.

The Fathers would answer that we should love God because we freely choose to do so and because it is obviously the right and proper response, as our rational minds tell us. There may also be feelings or emotions connected to that love of God but we should not love God because of that. If the love of God depends on our passions, then what happens if our passions change, or what happens if our feelings and desires to love God cool down. How many more of you would stay at home today rather than coming to Liturgy if it all depended on your feelings and your attitude?

A few days ago, I read a story about a local man who was arrested eleven times for burglary since last October. Eleven times! Now this man has a passion! That's about two arrests for burglary every month. So you have to imagine he's broken into more homes than just the eleven times he was caught. Is his passion for theft, or for not working at a regular job, or for drug money—we don't know. But something is clearly driving him, and the fact that he gets out of jail the next day, every time, probably doesn't help. Not to mention he's very bad at stealing, despite his passion.

This all ties in with a short presentation I heard Fr. Robert Barron give a few days ago. One of the striking features of modern society is its reliance on the feelings and emotions of people as a guide to life, as an instruction for good living, rather than relying on a moral code that is based on religious faith or God's law. Most people used to believe that there were certain rules, commandments for good living that were not only reasonable but also had the authority of God behind them. It was true that people disobeyed them, that all were sinners, but people did not question the existence or the validity of these moral laws.

Not so today, as we see gradually one moral law after another being struck down in the court of popular opinion first, and then in the courts of law after that. To answer the objection that morality comes from God, people are often told it's a horrible thing to inflict your religious views upon other people so keep your faith private, where it belongs. But should we not answer that we have as much of a right to be heard as anyone else, and why should we agree that only those who have no faith are allowed to share their opinions?

In the second stage, after we are told that morality based on faith must remain private, we are given the ground rules for the conversation: "We don't need logical, reasonable or rational discussion about these issues. What we need to consider are peoples' feelings (but not your feelings)." And then we're off to the races. I ask you to consider, in light of 2,000 years of solid Christian oral and even legal tradition, how many of the major moral changes in law and popular opinion were won by rational and well-thought out arguments, and how many were overturned on the basis of (1) emotional arguments, (2) on the basis of constant nagging and repetitious complaining, (3) on the basis of polls that slowly but surely show a change of opinion, (4) on the basis of name calling, accusations of hatred and bigotry and intolerance. This has been going on for a long time now.

So let's compare these methods of persuasion to methods used by young children with parents: (1) emotional arguments—the crying, the wailing and kicking and screaming, "I want it, I want it, I want it!" (2) Nagging and repetition: "Why can't I, why can't I, but I want it, why can't I?" (3) Polls show most people are in favor: "Everybody else gets to do it, everybody else has it, how come they can but I can't?" (4) Name calling and hatred: "I hate you, I don't love you anymore; you hate me, you don't care about me, I wish you weren't my mom." These are the same type of tactics used by adults today, in only slightly more sophisticated fashion, to try and overturn moral laws. Honest discussion, reasonable debate, logical presentation—these are considered unnecessary and irrelevant.

Just as a case in point we have seen recently several congressmen saying they have changed their minds about what marriage involves because they have a child who is same-sex attracted. So, was your previously held idea of marriage based largely on the fact that you believed all your children were heterosexual, and now you know differently? Is that all it took? What if one of your children decides one partner is not enough. Will you then change your views on monogamy in marriage?

And here's the other emotional tug—these lawmakers all say they have a new definition of marriage because they love their children. Excellent! Love your children with all your heart, but never tell them that immoral behavior is morally good, because that is a lie. You didn't let them play with matches when they were young, why should you approve of their playing with fire when they are older?

When we let our passions guide us we will always, eventually end up in trouble. When we allow our passions to drive us, we may think we're on the road to heaven, but we'll probably end up in Dexter.

The law of Christ is ultimately about love: the love of Christ for us, so that we may live fully human lives, the love we should have for Christ our Lord, and the love we should bear towards one another and our neighbor. We can't depend on our passions to help us find that love, share that love, or live in that love. We have to choose it, and choose it over and over again, so that more and more it shapes our very souls. We can find a whole lot of people who can give us many emotionally charged descriptions of what love is all about. But for us there can only be one true source of both law and love, and if that is not in Christ, we live and labor in vain. May it never be so!