Thank you Seth for this insightfully observed essay. So many battle lines are being drawn over too many issues to count. We fly a flag over our side of the battle to galvanize the troops. Our flags are saying "the thing" without saying "the thing" so that plausible deniability about "the thing" always remains available.
This is bad enough. But, to add fuel to the fire, we bring Jesus into the mix claiming He is on our side of the battle line. If He is on our side we necessarily imply that the other side of the battlefield is populated by "you know who".
How do you explain Mercy to someone not steeped in religion (most people) if the image of Mercy is interpreted as a message of hate?
Thanks Seth. I find your Substack fascinating because your world is so very different from mine. Yet our response is the same: 'observe and observe and observe' in order to try to understand.
"It is well-known that the month of June is dedicated particularly to the Divine Heart, to the Sacred Heart of Jesus." - St John Paul II
Flying a flag with the Sacred Heart in June is a witness to the mercy of God during a month where mercy is not considered to be needed. As Catholics we believe that those who are proud and obstinate in their sins are on the path that leads to destruction, and the mercy they need to turn from that wide path can only be found in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Whatever Mrs. Alito's views, whatever a Pride-flag-waving person's views, the truth of salvation in Jesus Christ must be proclaimed in a society that is terribly lost.
Thank you Seth for this insightfully observed essay. So many battle lines are being drawn over too many issues to count. We fly a flag over our side of the battle to galvanize the troops. Our flags are saying "the thing" without saying "the thing" so that plausible deniability about "the thing" always remains available.
This is bad enough. But, to add fuel to the fire, we bring Jesus into the mix claiming He is on our side of the battle line. If He is on our side we necessarily imply that the other side of the battlefield is populated by "you know who".
How do you explain Mercy to someone not steeped in religion (most people) if the image of Mercy is interpreted as a message of hate?
Thanks Seth. I find your Substack fascinating because your world is so very different from mine. Yet our response is the same: 'observe and observe and observe' in order to try to understand.
"It is well-known that the month of June is dedicated particularly to the Divine Heart, to the Sacred Heart of Jesus." - St John Paul II
Flying a flag with the Sacred Heart in June is a witness to the mercy of God during a month where mercy is not considered to be needed. As Catholics we believe that those who are proud and obstinate in their sins are on the path that leads to destruction, and the mercy they need to turn from that wide path can only be found in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Whatever Mrs. Alito's views, whatever a Pride-flag-waving person's views, the truth of salvation in Jesus Christ must be proclaimed in a society that is terribly lost.