Oct 13 Fri
The spirit which God wants for us consists of
‘holy intransigence’ for error,
together with ‘holy tolerance’ for people.
St. Josemaría: "Some men have also sown cockle, as in the Gospel parable, and propagated false teachings which poison minds and cause rebellion, sometimes even violent rebellion, against Christ and his holy Church."
"Faced with all this, how should a child of God react? Should we ask our Lord, like the sons of thunder, to send fire on earth to consume sinners? Or perhaps lament continually, like a bird of ill omen or a doomsayer?"
"You well know that this is not our spirit because it is not our Lord's: ‘the Son of Man has come to save men's lives, not to destroy them’. I like to translate this verse freely by saying we must drown evil in an abundance of good. Our first obligation is to spread doctrine, while loving all souls."
"You also know my rule of thumb to practice this spirit: holy intransigence for error and holy tolerance for people, who may be mistaken. You need, however, to teach many people to practice this doctrine, because it's not difficult to find those who confuse intransigence with bullheadedness, and tolerance with abdicating rights or compromising the truth."
"We, Christians, do not hold the legacy of Christ's truth as our personal property to dispose of it at whim; rather, it is safeguarded by the Church. It belongs to God, and his Church keeps it, and we have no right to cede, cut back or give way in what is not ours."
We cannot yield in anything that pertains to the deposit of faith entrusted by Christ to the Church, for the simple reason that "it's the truth, and the truth does not admit of compromise. But together with holy intransigence, the spirit of the Work of God asks of you a constant tolerance, which is also holy. Being faithful to the truth, accurate in doctrine, defending the faith, does not mean having a sad attitude, nor should it be accompanied by a desire to destroy those who are mistaken."
"Perhaps some do act in this way, but it can't be our way. We can never be like that poor deranged fellow who, applying Scripture his own way, ‘blessed’ his enemies by calling down upon them fire and brimstone and stormy winds."
"We don't want anyone to be destroyed. Holy intransigence isn't a rude and surly intolerance. Nor is it ‘holy’ unless it is accompanied by holy tolerance."
Let us ask Our Lady to help us sow abundant understanding for people, along with loyalty to God.
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