Christ Illuminates the Darkest Nights In spite of all, there is good in the world, and this good is bound to win, thanks be to God, the God of Jesus Christ, who was born, died, and rose again. At times, of course, it is hard to understand this profound reality, because evil is noisier than goodness. An atrocious murder, widespread violence, grave forms of injustice hit the headlines, whereas acts of love and service, the daily effort sustained with fidelity and patience, are often left in the dark; they pass unnoticed. For this reason, too, we cannot stop at reading the news if we wish to understand the world and life; we must be able to pause in silence, in meditation, in calm, prolonged reflection; we must know how to stop and think. In this way, our mind can find healing from the inevitable wounds of daily life; it can penetrate the events that occur in our life and in the world and can attain that wisdom which makes it possible to see things with new eyes. It is above all in the recollection of the conscience that God speaks to us, so that we can learn to evaluate truthfully our own actions and also the evil present within us and around us. In this way, we are able to start out afresh on a journey of conversion that makes us wiser and better people, more capable of generating solidarity and communion and of overcoming evil with good. Christians are people of hope, even and above all when they face the darkness that often exists in the world and has nothing to do with God’s plan but is the result of the erroneous choices of human beings, for Christians know that the power of faith can move mountains (cf. Mt 17:20). The Lord can illuminate even the thickest darkness. Homily at the First Vespers for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, December 31, 2012. From the book 'God Is Ever New - Meditations on Life, Love and Freedom.'
Also, bear in mind, we are advised to not let the left hand know what the right hand is doing. We are not to invite "look at me, what i am doing". Not only is that prideful but such a person has received their reward. Where do we draw the line, providing hope to a dark world & one so focused on the religion of the environment & leftist politics, vs keeping our good works anonymous?
Those in the Vatican will do as they see fit. In my religious studies, I learned so much through the encyclicals of John Paul II and Benedict XVI. In the last 12 years, it seems every time I gave a , it was offset by a couple of Quietly living out the Corporal and Spiritual works of Mercy now better keeps me on track.
One time I counted up the good works done in my Parish back home , they just went on and on. Schools. Old people homes. Day Centre. Youth club. Credit Union. Food Collection for the needy. St Vincent De Paul for the poor. A Housing Association. The list goes on and on. Multiply this by all the Parishes in Ireland and the World. It is incredible and so quiet.
The Journey of Faith Opens to Life "Saying “I believe in God” means founding my life on him, letting his Word guide it every day, in practical decisions, without fear of losing some part of myself. . . . Faith makes us pilgrims on earth, integrated into the world and into history, but bound for the Heavenly Homeland. Believing in God thus makes us harbingers of values that often do not coincide with the fashion and opinion of the moment. It requires us to adopt criteria and assume forms of conduct that are not part of the common mindset. Christians must not be afraid to go “against the current” in order to live their faith, resisting the temptation to “conform”. In many of our societies, God has become the “great absent One”, and many idols have supplanted him, multiform idols, especially possession and the autonomous “I”. And even the major and positive breakthroughs of science and technology have instilled in people an illusion of omnipotence and self-sufficiency and an increasing egotism that has created many imbalances in interpersonal relations and social behavior. Nevertheless, the thirst for God (cf. Ps 63:1–2) has not been quenched, and the Gospel message continues to resonate in the words and deeds of numerous men and women of faith. Abraham, the father of believers, continues to be a father of many children who agree to walk in his footsteps and set out in obedience to the divine call, trusting in the benevolent presence of the Lord and receiving his blessing in order to become themselves a blessing for all. It is the blessed world of faith to which we are all called, in order to walk fearlessly, following the Lord Jesus Christ. And at times it is a difficult journey that also undergoes trial and death but that opens to life in a radical transformation of reality that only the eyes of faith can perceive and enjoy to the full. Affirming “I believe in God” impels us, therefore, to set out, to come out of ourselves, exactly as Abraham did, to bring to the daily situation in which we live the certainty that comes to us from faith: namely, the certainty of God’s presence in history today too; a presence that brings life and salvation and opens us to a future with him for a fullness of life that will know no end. " General Audience, January 23, 2013 (From the book God Is Ever New)
