Many years ago, I read
a book by M. Scott Peck called The People
of the Lie. (The same author first
became famous when he wrote a book that started with the line “Life is
Difficult.” That book was named The Road Less Traveled.) In The
People of the Lie, Dr. Peck expresses a hard truth: there are some people
that are so caught up in their own lies that they must be considered
“evil.” There is no way to get them to
change their ways. They treat others as
objects and feed on the pain of others.
They are narcissistic and never see beyond their own skin. The only thing that can be done in relation
to them is to limit their influence by creating a fence around them.
I mention this “hard
truth” because it may well be that we have reached something like this in what
is going on around us with regard to scandals.
Who exactly “the people of the lie” in these realities are is not always
easy to determine. The fact is, when
such persons are operating, they often spin such webs that good people are
taken in by them. In order to avoid
being taken in, each one of us must re-center and rediscover the fundamental
truths that govern human relationships.
Some of these are “hard truths,” but we cannot step back from facing
them.
If your Faith rests on
anyone other than Jesus Christ and His Church, you must reach down into your
own heart more deeply to listen to the Voice of the Shepherd. He will speak to your heart. Evil exists, but Jesus has already conquered
all evil. The devil and its demons are
certainly at work, but their voice is also clearly discernible. Anything that would lead you away from Jesus,
the Church, the Sacred Scriptures and the Sacraments is false. Now is not the time to draw away from God,
but to draw closer to Him than ever before.
There is darkness in
the world. But the Light of Christ has
come into the world and it shines upon us.
We will discover that as we let go of our own selfishness and false
images, as we allow the other gods that we have been tempted to serve to lose
their hold on us, we will see more clearly.
The Holy Spirit is available to us.
We are the People God
has chosen to be His own. Poor in
spirit, we will discover new riches.
Please stay close to God and to one another. I am sorry for the burden that has been
placed upon you by those who live the lie.
Thank you for your witness. Let
us continue to walk together in Truth and Love.
“Humbly
welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls.”
(James 1:21)
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