Lorraine Murray is the author of “Death in the Choir” and “Death of a Liturgist,” mysteries about the shocking shenanigans transpiring at a small parish in Decatur, Ga. — and a biography of Catholic author Flannery O’Connor, “The Abbess of Andalusia” (St. Benedict Press). Her email is lorrainevmurray@yahoo.com.
The news is simmering with harrowing events. Storms trampling down homes, jobs fizzling out and suicide bombers crashing into churches throughout the world.
Pick up the papers and you’ll see a parade of people committing crimes, swindling spouses, neglecting children.
No wonder fears stalk us. We carry bottles of hand sanitizer to ward off germs, guns to chase away thieves and pills to calm our shattered nerves.
It takes courage to watch the evening news. There we see pundits predicting economic devastation and clips of screaming children in the midst of terrorist attacks. We learn about the latest gruesome virus that is sure to sweep the globe and wipe out millions.
If you listen carefully, you may hear someone laughing uproariously in the background. It is, of course, the Devil, the fellow who was called the “prince of this world” in the Gospels.
He’s the one who slipped into Judas’ heart right before that heart-rending betrayal. The same fellow who had slithered into the Garden of Eden to tempt that famous couple to turn their backs on God.
He is still on the prowl today, luring us into a pit of misery with thoughts of gloom and doom. Every time we think, “Oh, no, things are getting worse,” he scores another point.
Or if we say, “It’s hopeless. The future is bleak, so we should just give up,” he gets a touchdown.
How can we keep the Devil from stealing our joy — and scoring more points?
Christians can remember what Christ talked about the night before the Crucifixion. He knew he would suffer the agony of dying with nails pinned through his flesh. He would be abandoned by friends and mocked by the crowds.
And yet he mentioned joy multiple times, which is something no one can steal from us. Later, St. Paul underscored this message when he wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always.”
Oddly enough, this rejoicing can exist in the midst of the worst trials, whether it’s a car wreck, the sudden death of a loved one, a storm that peels the roof off your house or a devastating report from the doctor.
In the midst of political turmoil, economic strife or personal heartbreak, a steadfast Christian can still experience peace.
This is not to say we should be blithering idiots who deny the existence of terrible tragedies and severe suffering — but, rather, people who believe Christ meant it when he said, “My kingdom is not of this world.”
If we can keep his unworldly joy in our hearts, there is no virus, no storm, no fiscal catastrophe and no political shenanigans that can knock the wind out of us.
We may actually lose our worldly goods in a storm. We may get fired from our jobs. We may be betrayed by a friend.
Still, if we keep our sights set on Christ, we can banish darkness from our hearts. We can triumph over the Devil and score the winning point.
After all, he may be the prince of this world, but he will never be the king.
