As the Lenten season comes upon us, I remember my days as a Roman Catholic. There were rules like no meat on Fridays and you are required to fast during that day. There would be discussions on what is truly meat and what constitutes fasting.

     Our reactions to tradition can take on two extremes. Evangelicals sometimes assume that following rituals or traditions are a way to gain God's acceptance, so therefore, rituals are worthless, or at worst, sinful practices because God has already set up faith in Christ as the way to gain "acceptance before God" (salvation). However, there is an error to this thinking. Rituals are not necessarily about gaining salvation. The religiously observant person does not necessarily think that he has a better shot at salvation because of what he does. He may be completely tolerant of other religious practices, or even people who are not spiritually inclined at all. Secularists may frown at tradition because of their bias against the supernatural and ancient wisdom.

    Most of us have accompanying rituals to commemorate transitions in life. We have funeral services when somebody dies. We have anniversary and birthday parties to commemmorate them. Fraternies have initiation rites to commemorate a student's entrance into the fraternity. Members may eat together during set times as a sign of their togetherness. Anniversaries and birthdays are cyclical, they populate time in the same way that the cycles of Lent and Advent populate the Christian calendar. There seems to be something inside of man that pays attention to the transitions of life. Ritual and tradition is a way to pay attention to those transitions. Praying for somebody when something bothers them or reading the bible everyday is also a form of ritual. The point is rituals and traditions are a part of life.  

     On the other hand, there are those who truly believe that what is most important to God is their obedience to traditions and they may look down on others that don't observe rituals and traditions as they do, especially those that are supposed to be a part of their community. This was Jesus' issue with the Pharisees of his day. The Pharisees, rightly so, were concerned about how to live as the people of God. God did command his people to live as a holy people, dedicated to him. However, many of the Pharisees did not understand that God ultimately looks at the heart. They made additional rules that were very hard to obey, and at worst, condoned sin. This was something they should have understood from the torah (circumcise your hearts) and the prophets (I will give you a new heart) and wisdom (seek me with all your heart). Some apparently took Jesus' rebuke to heart and they became his followers.

    Because of Jesus' diatribe against the Pharisees, many people make the error of thinking that our outward actions, or lack of actions, are not important. However, our actions or inactions are usually related to our hearts. Let's take the observance of the Sabbath as an example. A person who does not make an effort to get to know God, always works because he wants to be richer than everybody else, but says that he trusts in God, is either not understanding what he is saying or is flat out lying (God is irrelevant in his life). His actions are not in conjunction with what he is saying. A person who truly trusts God would not be so wrapped up in working all the time, and would pray more. The actions of worship and prayer are in conjunction with the heart that trusts God. Christians are called to holiness of heart. Holy hearts are dedicated to following Jesus, and holy hearts lead to holy actions, not driven by cultural expectations but by the Spirit of Jesus. 

      I heard that a court in a certain part of the country has said that some violators of the law could use going to church (I assume other places of worship too) as a way to serve their sentence. Some churches find this to be good because it gives them a chance to share the gospel with more people. Other Christians don't like this idea for different reasons (cheapening church, government involvement in church, etc.).

     My reaction is that we need to recognize what is happening here, the state is coopting the church in its agenda to build good citizens. This seems to be a good agenda, considering the church should be concerned about the peace and prosperity of the city, which is affected by whether we have good citizens or not. Citizens who are considerate are good for the country. However, is it really good for the church to be coopted by the state?

     The government is instituted by God, and sometimes pushes God's agendas (justice, providing security), but it is not an institution directed by God. Sinful men are part of government and they can push an agenda counter to God's agenda. What if the government starts telling churches, in the name of tolerance, to teach that certain lifestyles prohibited in scriptures are fine? Sometimes Christ is coopted by certain agendas like the political left's ideas concerning the environment, redistribution of wealth, etc. Sometimes Christ is coopted by the political right, which can be reactionary and not willing to listen to others' concerns, instead of thinking in terms of the peace and prosperity of the place God put them. Christ, who stands for the holy God, is made to stand for worldly agendas (environmentalism puts the rest of creation above humans, redistribution of wealth is oppressive, imposing morality without concern for people is oppressive also).

     When Jesus said he is the way, he is principally saying that he is the way to God. He does not point the way to God but he is asserting that by walking with him, human beings are led to God. What does it mean to walk with Jesus? Jesus' life ended in the cross, and his followers are called to follow him to the cross. Walking with Jesus involves looking at the self, and crucifying it. It is an internal journey, that sometimes manifest itself externally. At the end of that journey, the person finds the divine, where he finds the peace he has been longing for. 

     So what does this have to do with government or other ideologues using Christ for their agenda? Christ is looking for more than agreement with his teachings. He wants to direct our agendas- our hopes, dreams, etc. Jesus' agenda is not an agenda for social change but an agenda to redeem human hearts. For those who claim to be followers of Jesus, we must remember that his agenda is to change hearts. Therefore, we must not measure our or other's allegiance to Jesus by the causes they support, but by their humility- what I believe to be the manifestation of the heart being crucified.

     As I look at the political scene, there is a lack of humility, even among those who follow Jesus. This is manifested by the lack of open conversation between those who oppose each other politically. There are a lot of chips on shoulders, instead of humble acknowledgment of the wisdom and heart of those who oppose each other. I believe revival would be like a wind of humility penetrating personal relationships and the public square. Revival would happen when Christ's followers walk with him to the cross, leading the way in showing humility, putting the self aside for the sake of others. Hearts would then be reconciled and the earth will be filled with the knowledge of God as waters cover the seas.    

     As a chaplain, I sometimes meet people near the point of their death. At this point people assess their life journey. I hear statements such as; "I have lived a full life, I have no regrets, I am ready to go".

     Among the living strong, people also assess lives of other people. Talking about a friend who is old, still have a mistress, and enjoying himself, someone I know commented- that is life! The cycle of work and then enjoying the retirement years is the life many people hope for. When we see a person who is so disabled, some people comment- this is not the way to live!

     But what is life and how is life to be lived? Jesus made a statement, "I have come to give them life and life to the fullest". What is this thing called a full life? Jesus even says he is life, that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God. He even calls people to come to him to have life.

     Physical life is given by the breath of God. Food, drink, oxygen comes from the hand of God and are necessary to sustain life. Therefore when Jesus says he is life, it probably includes the idea of him being the source of life, a claim of deity. However, Jesus' discourse on life seem to indicate that there is more to life than the physical, and that the full life comes from him. It is not something to be attained by working hard or keeping healthy, but through connection with him.  

     In the movie Sixth Sense, the boy who sees ghosts made what I thought was a profound statement- "I see dead people, thinking they are alive but they are not." Could it be that as we look around, that we are looking at people who are not really alive? I don't mean it literally of course. Could we count the people who just go through the motions of life the living dead? Could we count those who focus on endlessly amusing themselves the living dead? Their bodies are alive but their spirits may be dead, not connected to a greater purpose. From the outside, people may be longing to be in their shoes. But in the inside, their souls may be rotting in despair, descending into the mire of selfishness and greed. This is what I believe to be the dying spirit, a spirit that has lost its connection to any sense of purpose. It may have connections (other humans?) that make it look alive for awhile. For example, a parent whose life is wrapped around her child.  However, because anything in creation is not eternal, those connections will not last. The child will eventually leave the parent.

    Jesus said I am the vine and you are the branches. Branches not connected to the vine may look alive but is in the process of dying. Our bodies are all in the process of dying. Branches connected to the vine are connected to the life of the vine. It produces fruit, which signifies the spiritual growth of the individual. That spiritually flourishing individual brings righteousness to the world around him, making the world a better place. The being itself of the branches serves the grand purpose of God's reaching out to humanity. That is life to the fullest, serving God's purpose in creation. Since the vine is eternal, evidenced by the resurrection of Jesus, the branches are also eternal.

    In my morbid moments, I think of my death. Would I be able to say I have lived a full life? I cannot imagine pointing at the things I will leave behind. I can imagine thinking of my connection, my faith, in the one who is life itself. I could imagine thinking of how he has given my life meaning, lifting up my spirit, by his grace, as I walked in this world he has placed me. I would not imagine a life that could have been fuller. It is full, even in dark moments, because of my relationship with Jesus.      

     "You can't handle the truth!" This was a famous line in a movie called "A Few Good Men" The story is about two Marines who was accused of murdering a fellow Marine. Their defense was that the order to conduct a "Code Red"- a form of informal discipline, came from their commanding officer Col. Jeseph. The Marines' defense was that they were ordered to conduct "disciplinary action" on their fellow Marine that caused the death of their fellow marine, a death they did not mean to happen.

     I have been puzzled about this thing called "truth". Why did Colonel Jeseph, after being pushed to admit that he ordered a "Code Red", retorted with that statement. Was it a defense that he thought will absolve him of any responsibility in a young Marine's death? The term "truth" can be seen in the small picture as the specific actions of the two Marines and his specific action- ordering a "Code Red". "Truth" can also be seen in the big picture. Truth is seen as the complete reality, from Colonel Jeseph's perspectiive, which would make it a justification of his action. Colonel Jeseph's perspective, in a nutshell, was that the Marine's death was for the greater good, the security of the nation, its need for strong soldiers to protect. The elimination of the Marine was the elimination of a weak link who may endanger the security of the nation. His conception of "truth" was rejected by the judge who placed him under arrest for murder. The judge went with another "truth", that the deliberate, or at least culpable, taking of human life is absolutely wrong.

    This reflection on "truth" made me think about what Jesus meant when he said "I am the truth." I think what Jesus was saying is that his perspective on anything- on life, on the human heart, on eternity. reflects the reality of how things really are. It is a bold statement. We human beings see only little truths- evidences and data that needs to be interpreted. Human coneptions of the big truth- the interpretations of the phenomenon (evidence and data) is limited. He may be able to find evidences that a certain someone committed a murder, but the ultimate judgment of that murderer is in God's hand. King David, despite the obviously wrong act of muder that he repented of, was declared by God to be a man after his own heart. That is God's perspective, the big picture that can only be seen by the all-knowing one, what matters in the end. Jesus claims the place of having the final perspective on all matters. He is the truth means he is the ultimate interpreter of reality.

    I work with abused and neglected kids and have been amazed at how they usually still want to go back home. This also sheds light on why it is hard for children to report perpetrators. There is ambivalence in children, the feeling of wanting to be with someone but at the same time having anger or fear of that someone. I used to thnk that ambivalence is all bad. However, I have come to realize that to be ambivalent requires that a person considers a certain relationship a part of his life. The ambivalent person does not have the notion that a relationship can just be abandoned. 

     This observation of children gives me a glimpse of why Jesus admires childlike faith and says it is the faith that is acceptable in his kingdom. The child embraces his parents, even though society may look at their parents as bad. The child does not abandon his connections. He is the epitome of a maintainer of relationships. Childlike faith reflects God's faithfulness to his people, those who have faith in him. God promises to always be with those who trust in him, and does not put any conditions. He does not say I will be with you unless you... In the same way, the child, even when hurt by his caregivers, still wants to be with them.

     When I look at my child, how she longs to just be with me, I get a glimpse of God's unmerited grace, the grace that is not earned by our good works. When my daughter cuddles with me, I find mysef being grateful to the God who loved me from before the foundations of the world, despite all the sins that he knew I committed and will commit.

     I heard some people say they have stopped becoming a Christian. How can that be? I believe it is due to an attitude that is antithetical to childlike faith. It is a faith borne from an individualistic mindset that sees the purpose of the "things" around an individual as existing for the benefit of that individual. When a "thing" ceases to be useful or convenient, that "thing', including God and other people, could be discarded.

     On the other hand, Childlike faith sees God as part of the life of a person, not a transient object. The relationship with God is seen as an abiding relationship. It is not seen as something to be discarded when things get hard, just like we can't discard our parents when they grow old. To do so is seen as a shameful act, and should bring about guilt. That is true faith, the faith that even in times of confusion says, who can we follow, you have the words of eternal life. 

     I was watching videos of UPS and FedEx delivey persons doing their job rudely- making an obscene gesture, throwing packages around. It made me think of what could they been thinking. I could imagine that this attitude may be a result of not liking their jobs. One reason that some people don't like their work is they feel it is beneath them.

     It is part of the human will to despise certain kinds of activities that are not sinful, needed for the proper functioning of sociey, but they feel it is beneath them. I think about the frustrated doctor who came from a foreign country but does not have the convenience of getting board certified in America. He settles into becoming a nurse or even worse, he may become stuck cleaning toilets. I think about the college graduate who takes a job taking care of children who yells at her, becomes violent with her, and then having to clean up after them. To top it off, she does not feel she is being paid what she deserves. I think about the person who feels his talents are being wasted and resents that younger people are directing him in doing his job. I think about the bed-ridden old man who had to depend on others to clean him up. A little more sinister is the scholar who feels that having fun with children or talking about sports with other men is a waste of his time. Or the rich person who feels that he is too good to hang out on the other side of the tracks.  

     This reality made me think about the significance of the son of God comng into the earth. Here is the wisest, oldest, and most talented being in the universe becoming a baby. He became dependent on his mother for everything he needs, not being able to do anythng for himself, submitting to having to be cleaned up. He lived in a town that does not have a great reputation. He was a carpenter and probably have to deal with rude and unreasonable clients. He had to be taught and disciplined by teachers, definitely less wise than he is, being in a position of having to learn. He felt the ultimate demotion, the maker of the universe, building houses or even chairs. He hung out at parties, enjoying the company of others, including sinners, and apparently they felt comfortable around him. And others are shocked that he apparently looked comfortable around them, and he made no excuses for it.

    Remember that Jesus grew in stature and favor with men, just as the great men of the Old Testament. How does a person find favor? People probably saw someone who does not thumb his nose at them, willing to be with them- listening and responding to where they are. They must have felt valuable in front of him. People probably saw a person doing his duries without complaining, treating everybody fairly and being easy to trust. The prostitute who washed his hair with perfume saw the personification of the man who is worthy of worship.

    As we think of Christmas, the story of God becoming man, let's remember the depths in which the king of the universe stooped down, going to the point of ultimate humiliation called death, where glorious man becomes part of the ground that is trampled. He did not think of those depthts as something beneath him. If the king of the universe stooped down really low, who are we, despiite our degrees or our riches or our talents, to say that anything is beneath us? By coming to earth- experiencing disappointment, frustration, fear, humiliation, the son of God sanctified the depths of human experience. Human experience, with its joys and sorrows, is not something to be shunned, but becomes the context in which the son of God reveals himself.

     As we were sitting, my daughter asks me "Do you love me always?" I said "yes". She then asked me, "what if I do something really bad and I go to jail". I said "Yes, because you will always be my daughter" and I also indicated that I will be angry at the moment, and sad that you will have to suffer the consequences of your action.

    My interactions with my daughter and my kids at work brings me into moments of reflection on the nature of God as love, but at the same time very serious about sin. What would it mean for me to love my daughter through her bad decisions and through bad times. I guess it would mean not disowning her and starting to tell her and others that she is not my daughter. I may be angry at her but I may not revoke a relationship which really cannot be revoked anyway. To be a father who reflects the image of God, I must be a maintainer of my relationship with her. I believe that this is good advice in all our relationships (with children, spouses, friends, etc.), that we hold it sacred, not doing anything to break it, and doing all we can to maintain our relationships.

    Thinking about God, what does it mean that he is a maintainer of relationships? I think about the passage that says "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" This would not be comforting if it just means God is keeping us company. It means that God is using his power to work things together for good for those who love him and are his people, as he walks with his people through their sufferings.  

    There are debates within Christianity over whether a person can be saved (cleansed from sin and going to heaven) and then turn away and become unsaved (not cleansed from sin and going to hell). People philosophize about this matter but the down to earth question is "Will God maintain relationship no matter what?" Scriptures seem to indicate that he does not revoke his relationships, and proves it by reconciling his disobedient people to himself, forgiving them and dying for them. 

     This truth that God is a maintainer of relationships lifts up the idea that God is love. It is not true to the revelation of God to present him as a wrathful being who is ready to destroy humanity. However, there are passages that show God as needing to be propitiated or revealing his wrath. How can these two ideas of God being love and being wrathful be reconciled? 

     I think we can start by rethinking the object of God's love. The object of God's love is not the person as an individual to the exclusion of everything else. He also loves his creation, other peoples, human societies, the order he ordained for creation. Therefore, when he confronts in judgment, he is responding out of his love for what sin has destroyed. He is responding out of his desire to heal the individual from his fallen will, and to heal the world from the systems that enslave it. God is a restorer of his creation, not just individuals.

     As I thought about the scenario my daughter is presenting, what could be possible responses from me. I could hide her from the consequences of her actions, which would show that my love for my daughter trumps everything else. That action will show that my love is disordered, it is idolatry. God's interest, which is peace and justice in community, is being ignored. I would not be acting as a person made in the image of God. To act as a person made in God's image, I should also love the community that my daughter damaged by her actions. This means that I should let justice take its course, because justice brings some peace. I should also call her to repent of her sinful will that destroys community around her, and that destroys her as she becomes alienated to community. A person who cares only about his close interests is falling away from the image of God. A person who is growing in valuing all of humanity/creation is getting closer to the image of God. He is being deified.       

    The cell phone must be one of the greatest inventions of all time. It helps me avoid getting lost on the way to a friend's house. It helps me call for help in case I need it. I can even text, thereby able to communicate well without having to search for words to say at the spur of the moment. it is one of those inventions that is hard to live without. Technology makes our lives easier and God does want us to harness the powers of nature for the benefit of humanity. He wants us to make advances that will help us live more comfortably.

    However, if we are not in touch with our hearts, technology can leave a damaging impact on our souls. In the movie "Click", the main character found a remote control that could stop moments in his life that is unpleasant (e.g. arguments with his wife). The result was that this man missed important things in life- his kids growing up, his father dying, being known, etc.  Could it be that in our desire to get things done faster and faster, that we are missing out on times of introspection when we can listen to our hearts and sort out what we are truly to do with the moments of our life? Could it be that in our desire for speed, we are missing out on developing wisdom for navigating through life, the same wisdom that will help the future generations navigate their lives, wisdom that is a product of experiencing life fully? 

     Talking about experiencing life fully. Dating on-line helps singles pick out mates that they match up well with. Personality tests could help us pick out careers that are a "good fit" for us. Most sinister of all, discoveries in genetics may enable us to weed out "undesirables", characteristics that does not conform to our image of perfection. Although using these technologies can help us avoid future suffering, aren't we trying to skip the process of soul-building? A perfectly matched couple won't have to deal with the pain of deep conflict, where the couple must struggle with loving each other in the midst of nagging differences. Although painful, the process of building a deep sense of faithfulness to our promises makes us more and more like God, who is faithful to his promises. Genetic engineering is sinister in that it gives sinful humans the ability to weed out what they think is "inferior". The soul does not have to develop that Godlike grace that caused Jesus to die for the "unacceptable".     

     We think that having revelations about ourself that will lead us to the perfect career will make us happy people. However, God shapes the person through life, opening and closing doors, leading him through the emotional ups and downs in all areas of life, including our vocations. We try to avoid disappointment and regret, instead of living by faith in God who will lead us through disappointements and regrets into the full life that he can provide.

     What we think of as technology is sometimes subtle. Our fascination for magic is related to our desire to avoid the pain of want, a desire that darkens our souls, making us bitter and covetous, using people for our own purposes instead of valuing them. The use of the power of words and the imagination to get what we desire, prevalent in the mind sciences and the word-faith movement, is a form of technology akin to magic. Leaning on it will lead to disappointment as it fails to deliver peace for our souls, just like the other technologies in our lives. Instead of trusting God as a father who cares for our needs and wants the full life for us, we want what we want. We stubbornly insist on our image of the full life, instead of learning contentment and walking humbly with God. In walking with Jesus, we find real peace.

     Technology helps us be in better control of our lives. God created us to build technology, but he did not want technology to damage our souls- making us disconnected, unfaithful, ungracious, discontented people. Enjoy technology but more importantly, watch your souls, that it is moving towards its goal of becoming more and more like God- engaged, faithful, gracious, compassionate. Christ came ultimately to save our souls because that is the most precious thing. He cleansed the soul marred with sin and made it glorious. He united himself to that damaged soul, putting it to death in his body, and raised that soul to a new life, as he rose from the dead. He leads that soul into becoming more and more the precious jewel it was meant to be.    

     John Macarthur recently wrote a book that puts in the forefront the Christian's identity as slave. He observes that this truth is rarely preached in American pulpits. Why is this so? Here are my thoughts.

     When we hear the word slavery, our minds hearken back to the tragic slave trade that Europe and America engaged in for a long time, a practice that have demeaned groups of people, making them property instead of human beings who has inherent dignity as creatures made in the image of God. Slavery still exists in our world today, sometimes in the form of sexual slavery, where girls and women are sold as objects to satisfy the lusts of men. We rightly see slavery today as a social ill that needs to be corrected. 

     Another reason I believe that there is an aversion to the word "slave" is our respect for individual rights. Although it is good to respect individual rights, I believe it has taken a ridiculous and dangerous turn. The forces of political correctness seek to silence voices that criticize their favored people's lifestyles and beliefs. Tolerance has become so much of a value that if some people get their way, we will have a world where every lifestyle or belief will be acceptable, and criticism will never be tolerated.

    The validation of the individual to the point of violating common sense is seen in some judge's decision to include international law in their judgments. They don't see the absurdity in this. A husband can legally say that it is fine to beat his wife because in his country's law, it is fine for a husband to beat his wife for some reasons. This reminds me of Star Trek where the explorers are told not to interfere with the practices of the creatures they will encounter. That makes some sense because they are outsiders coming into another environment. However, community standards have to be maintained to produce a peaceful and predictable environment. The outsider has to live within those standards. If we seek to have a society were women are valued as much as men, we cannot tolerate men beating their wives, sisters, or daughters, even though it is tolerated in their society. If we do, then we might as well have no standards, then we create a chaotic and unpredictable community, a community not fit for human beings.

     The slave surrenders his hopes and dreams and lifestyle, and everything to his master. It is tragic when humans are forced to surrender himself completely to another. However, in reality, we are all slaves to something or someone. We make decisions based on what is important to us at the moment. In a way, slaves are not really slaves to their masters. They may be prevented from escaping by the master's threat of death. The slave thinks of his life as the most important thing, therefore, he will not leave his master.

     What does this whole discussion have to do with being a slave of Christ? If the Christian is a slave, then he is owned by Christ- his hopes, his dreams, his lifestyle, his mind, his body, etc. This goes beyond being considerate or cooperative (mutual submission), where a person is free to maintain disagreement while walking or living life with the other. This kind of surrender cannot be done by human effort. We can look obedient to Christ (not cheating on a spouse) but our heart may not be conformed to Christ (being unforgiving towards a spouse). All of us (hearts, minds, bodies) have a tendency to rebel against God's standards. We may fool the world but God knows what is inside of us.

    Christian faith requires the Christian to be conformed to the mind and heart of Christ. Only God the Holy Spirit can transform everything in the Christian to be conformed to Christ. He works in the Christian to overcome the sinful tendencies within him. The Christian prays, "Lord, I don't have the same mind and heart as you do, please transform my mind and heart so it will be conformed to your mind and heart."           

     A few days ago, I heard a prominent Christian woman leader on the radio talk about this generation (within 40 years) being the time when Jesus comes. This is because of the frequent natural disasters that is happening upon the earth, and the geo-political events (widespread recession, falls of rulers, etc). Many people rejoice at this thought, because the Lord will come and take us away from this hard world. I understand the feeling of joy and I have a few thoughts on this.

     First, this destroys the idea of the imminence of Christ's coming. He can come at any time and if we obsess about reading the signs, we may be caught unprepared, not putting effort into making sure the Lord will see us doing his work when he comes again. The world probably has always been inundated with natural calamities and political turmoil, but in this time when our technology easily allows us to become acquainted with what is happening around the world, it seems like calamities are becoming more rampant.

     Regardless of our escathological position (how we believe the end times will pan out), we should not forget the background to Jesus' proclamation about the end times. Jesus proclaimed that the temple will be destroyed. What is the significance of the temple? It was the pride and heart of the Jewish nation. It was their source of hope and the symbol of their identity as God's chosen people. Therefore, its destruction is a symbol of God's bringing down the source of their hope. This was because they have rejected their salvation, Jesus who is the true temple whom they must come to find forgiveness and restoration.  

     Just like all the sufferings in the world (like the destruction of the twin towers on 9/11), the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem is God's sign that if we don't repent and turn to God, who has revealed himself in Jesus, judgment will also befall us. Whoever we are and despite our apparent righteousness or religiosity, we are not immune from this great judgment, when God will destroy all our hopes and dreams, unless we come to the true temple Jesus, where salvation can be found. This does not mean that those who trust in Jesus will not suffer, but that after the suffering they will experience there is resurrection, when hopes and dreams will find its fulfillment.

      As for Christians, we must not put our hopes in political power, our righteousness, or our orthodoxy, to keep us safe from evil. We must renew our hearts, getting rid of all idolatry, and putting our hopes and dreams in the hands of Christ alone.