Easter 4 - Monday - Three Sources of Evil?

Text: Colossians 3:18-4:18 (see below)

I subscribe to a daily meditation by Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest who heads up The Center for Action and Contemplation in New Mexico. He is a brilliant theologian and wonderful writer. On Saturday last, Rohr sent out the following post under the title “The Spiral of Violence.”

What struck me about his piece was a connection I saw with the Baptismal rite in my own tradition. In the Episcopal liturgy, the candidate for baptism (if they are old enough to answer for themselves) or the parents and god-parents must renounce three forms of evil – cosmic, worldly, and personal. I have always been fascinated by those three renunciations and the following affirmations about Jesus. Triggered by Rohr’s post, I plan to spend the week writing about what exactly the Church teaches on the subject of evil and our response as Christians. I hope you will join me again. Here is Richard Rohr’s quote:

“Traditional Catholic moral teaching says there are three sources of evil—the world, the flesh and the devil. Dom Helder Camara, who was the holy and wise archbishop of Recife, Brazil, taught this in terms of “a spiral of violence” spiraling from the bottom up. “The world” (systemic evil) is at the root a lie, in the middle is “the flesh” (personal evil), and at the top is “the devil” (evil disguised as “good power” to enforce the first two).

“Up to now in human history most people’s moral thinking has been overwhelmingly oriented around the personal evils of “the flesh.” There was not too much knowledge of the social foundations of evil behavior until very recently.

“The Biblical Prophets of Judaism were the unique and inspired group who exposed all three sources of evil and it’s also why they have been largely ignored, as was Jesus, the greatest of the Jewish Prophets. They didn’t concentrate on the flesh, but on “the world” and what we will describe this week as “the devil,” which very often passes as good and necessary “evil.” You see what we are up against, and why evil continues to control so much of the human show.” (The Spiral of Violence)

More on Wednesday…. until then

Love One Another – Brian

Checking His Stock

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

From his brimstone bed at break of day

A walking the Devil is gone,

To visit his snug little farm the earth,

And see how his stock goes on.

Source: The Devil's Thoughts

Colossians 3:18-4:18

Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is your acceptable duty in the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, or they may lose heart. Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong has been done, and there is no partiality. Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, for you know that you also have a Master in heaven. Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. At the same time pray for us as well that God will open to us a door for the word, that we may declare the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison, so that I may reveal it clearly, as I should. Conduct yourselves wisely towards outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.