Franciscan Fractal
Contemplating Today’s Culture through the Eyes of St. Francis & the Life of Christ
“Evil Doers”
Do not fret yourself because of evildoers;
do not be jealous of those who do wrong.
For they shall soon wither like the grass,
and like the green grass fade away.
Put your trust in the Lord and do good.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.
In a little while the wicked shall be no more.
Psalm 37:1-3,7,11
There is a lot of talk about “retribution” lately. It’s supposedly an acceptable practice for getting the United States back on track. The world is certainly fractured in many ways, with sin infiltrating virtually every part of our lives. I therefore looked to Scripture to find out how God uses “retribution” as part of an agenda to seek revenge on the world for participating in sin. If God wanted to punish sin, there must be some type of “retribution” or “revenge theology” dictated by God on those who are not part of God’s agenda.
From my human perspective, I thought of how God could eliminate people from unfaithful churches . . . less people would presumably mean less sin. That was tried at the time of Noah and the great flood. The end result was not very successful. I looked to how God could have trimmed work forces to reclaim unnecessary expenditures, and, again, I was not very successful. The same can be said for reducing time spent on caring for the sick, feeding the poor, and tending to the orphans and widows. It seems to me that the way of Christianity is not very cost effective in terms of finances and time. If I get frustrated about these costs, I then turn and focus on someone else to take out my frustration. I think it must be the evil doers who are at fault, and I desire revenge. Yet, I can’t find God doing that. God is love!
Today’s world is full of injustices happening – one after another. Evil doers are everywhere. When I feel powerless to change things and my inability to get rid of the evildoers, I wonder why God doesn’t simply intervene. I then look embarrassingly at my hands and feet, and remember the words of St. Theresa of Avila, “Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”
It is the Psalm that brings me back to my senses when I read the words, “Do not fret yourself because of evildoers . . . for they shall soon wither like the grass.” The only way that I can fight and win the battles against injustice is to hand everything over to the only One who is just and righteous. I then need to follow the command to “trust in the Lord and do good.”
When my mind races and attempts to figure out how trusting in the Lord is going to look, I read the next line of the Psalm, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” That is something at which I am not very good. I want answers and I want them now. And, I want justice NOW. However, that is not how God works. In my impetuousness, I have given God the middle name of SLOW. Yet, that is only my misguided perception. What is to be done when I want resolution and I see none? For me, it’s back to prayer – Centering Prayer. Be still! Simply BE!
After praying, I find myself able to more fully absorb the next line of the Psalm, “In a little while the wicked shall be no more.” I remember that it is God’s way that creates justice and brings about lasting peace, not mine. It bears repeating that it is God’s way that creates justice and brings about peace. We should avoid putting our own human constructs on how “the wicked shall be no more.” It may not necessarily be the vengeful retribution our human hearts would seek – let go, let God. God is love!
For me, I will do what I am able with my hands, time, mind, heart, soul, and finances to create a more just world as I wait for the Master Architect to complete what a just world looks like as the evildoers “wither away like the grass.”
Prayers and Blessings,
Fr. John
