The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast) - Anger Is the New Love: Politics Today

Episode Date: August 18, 2017

Are you distressed by today's political landscape? Jeff gives a scriptural perspective on the anger that is brewing across political spectrums. He reminds us that as Christians, we are not ultimately political creatures but children of a God who promises to redeem our fallen humanity.

You're listening to The Jeff Kaven Show. Episode 29, Anger is the New Love Politics Today. Hey, I'm Jeff Kavins. How do you simplify your life? How do you study the Bible? All the way from motorcycle trips to raising kids, we're going to talk about the faith and life in general.

It's the Jeff Kaven Show. Welcome to the show, my friend. I imagine that title, caught you, caught your attention. Anger is the new love. And if you are like me, you're watching the news in the evening and day after day, you feel like we are being inundated with amazing drama, amazing controversy like we have never, ever seen before. And people are watching the news and then taking to the streets. And we see all kinds of violence. We see people run over by cars. As we did this last week, we see people rioting in the streets and now toppling Confederate

statues. History seems to be erased in kind of a similar way to what ISIS was doing over in Mesopotamia, over in Iraq, and destroying history. And I'm not here to argue that. I'm not here to relive the Civil War, but something is going on in our culture today. And I think there's a certain fatigue that is setting in in our culture, and people are getting tired of it. And it is expressed in anger. There is an anger in the street. There's an anger between family members, even husbands and wives, television networks, celebrities and sports stars, and the average person. We are a right now that is angry and we are a country that is is is taking to the streets like like it reminds me actually of the of the 1960s in the 1970s in a way well I want to talk about this and I want to bring

some some focus some perspective on what is happening in our culture right now and I'm going to use a little bit from the Bishop Synod the Bishop Synod they met October 8th 2012 13th 3rd General Assembly, some amazing comments by Cardinal Whirl about a tsunami that is a tsunami of secular influence that is swept across the cultural landscape. The roots of that. And I want to look at a scripture that Jesus taught that speaks about, dare I say, a Christian revolution, a Christian movement that is rooted not in anger, but in love, not in anger. Not in anger. but in love. First, let's take a look at the old mailbag here. We've got a wonderful email from a lady in Florida. She said, just listen to your podcast on isolating spiritual disciplines. By the way,

that was show 24. And she said, I so needed to hear it. I realized I went from being Mary to Martha when I became a mama. That's the Triple M's there. Mary to Martha becoming a mama. Of course, there are like 40 things I'd like to isolate, but thankfully you stopped my craziness as I was thinking how to do 40 things at once when you gave your little tip about asking Jesus what he thinks I should start on first. She says, thank you. And you're welcome. And her comments, I think, are indicative of many of our lives and that we know that we need to make progress in our life. And there's too many things to start on. So we've got to start isolating spiritual disciplines, whether it be tender, whether it be faithfulness, whether it be patience, whatever it might be.

You can listen to that show, Episode 24, where we talk about it. If you did just once, one a month, in a year, you would have tackled 12 different disciplines in your life, and you probably would be a better off and a more mature Christian. So I appreciate that. And as always, you can email me with your comments or questions or ideas for shows at The Jeffcaven show at ascensionpress.com. Well, to our topic today, anger is the new love politics today. Politics today. I want to start off by saying that I think that there is, as we watch the news and we see what's happening in the streets, I think there is a Christian perspective.

And I think that some of what is happening in the world today is due to a lack of it. It's due to a lack of a foundation. We have left our father's house. We have left love. We have turned to anger and have expressed ourselves in anger. And some of this, I think, might be due. This isn't the heart of what I want to share with you, but off the top of my head,

I think that some of this is due to a generation of people who have lost the ability to dialogue and lost the ability to talk with them. one another. We have a iGen generation that is in their smartphones, sitting in their bedrooms, very difficult to communicate with one another. There's a frustration there. And when we are not able to express what we want, we're not able to express love, oftentimes anger is the result. And that anger spills over into physical anger and violence. And we We think that that is how we are going to get things done.

But James tells us that anger doesn't accomplish the righteousness of God. It just simply doesn't, and it never will. There is a way of love, and there's a way of justice, and there's a way of mercy and compassion and patience that ultimately wins out. And I think we've left that. And when I say we, I mean, a good portion of even Christianity in the United States, while we might believe these things we're not exercising them

in the public square we're just simply watching the news as entertainment at times and I don't mean that to be a cutting remark on you or anybody listening but I think it's really really true. Now I want to draw your

attention to an important speech that was given October 8th 2012 it was the address for the 13th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops and specifically cardinal whirl has some amazing comments here it was said quote i quote now this current situation and i think you could probably say that about anything today this current situation is rooted in the upheavals of the 1970s and 80s and i would just tack on to that the 1960s as well

decades in which there was manifest poor catechesis or miscatechesis at so many levels of education. We faced the hermeneutic of discontinuity that permeated so much of the milieu of centers of higher education and was also reflected in poor liturgical practice. It goes on and says entire generations have become disassociated from the support systems that facilitated the transmission of faith. Now, during a press conference at the Holy See, C press office, Cardinal Whirl expanded, and I'm getting this by the way from ZNet, Znet, and

expanded on his address at the Synod where he attributed the current crisis of faith to a tsunami of secular influence that has swept across the cultural landscape. I'll say that again. He said that he believed that he attributed the current crisis of faith to a tsunami of secular influence that has swept across the cultural landscape and speaking on his experience as Archbishop of Washington, the Cardinal stated that traditional elements such as family, marriage, and natural moral law and order have been greatly diminished due to the influence of secularism. And then he went on and said, I used in my presentation the image of the tsunami. It's as if a tsunami of secularism has washed across the Western world. And as it

becomes more and more evident, it was clear that it took with it all of those structures that are relevant in Western culture, of our Christian understanding of life. So he said, the respect and understanding of marriage, the respect and understanding of family, the respect and understanding that there is such a thing as natural moral order, the understanding that there is an objective right and wrong, all of this has been weakened by this amazing tsunami that finds its original movements in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. And it was in the 60s in the 70s that we saw tremendous shifts that at first it wasn't perceivable. And that's what a tsunami does.

It's like an earthquake. It's a volcano. It's a great disturbance in the ocean. Nobody knows it's happening until a great tidal wave hits the shore. shore and it leaves a mess behind. And that's what Cardinal Whirl is saying. And I think saying so accurately is that we now are experiencing this tsunami, which began in the 60s, in the 70s and the 80s in a great shift that took place. And this, I think, my friends, is one of the reasons that we see so much going on in the news right now. There is no foundation. Family doesn't

mean the same. The moral law doesn't mean the same. Natural law isn't even discussed. And if you listen to the arguments in the news around the president from what's called the so-called alt-left and the alt-right, you will not hear the discussion of natural law. You'll not hear the discussion of Christianity. You'll not hear the discussion of Jesus Christ, who we believe to be the truth. and the prince of peace and the king of kings and the lord of lords now i got to be honest with you and i think the church if uh if pope paul the sixth were here today he'd say guys guys got to be honest with you i told you all about this in the 60s i told you all about it in godium it spes the church in the modern world a document that i personally had to get my arms around when i did my graduate work

It was the document that I had to own, I had to know, I had to give my verbal finals on that and write on it. An amazing document that talks about how the church is going to survive this change that's taking place, or as cardinal world calls a tsunami. And it says back in Gaudiom-It-Spez, now this is back in the mid-60s. In Gaudiom-at-Spez, paragraph 4, today the human race is involved in a new stage of history. Profound and rapid changes are spreading by degrees around the world, triggered by the intelligence and creative energies of man, these changes recoil upon him,

upon his decisions and desires, both individual and collective, and upon his manner of thinking and acting with respect to things and to people. Hence, we can already speak of a true cultural and social transformation. Wow. one which has repercussions on man's religious life as well. He says, finally, painstakingly searches for a better world. Get this, without a corresponding spiritual advancement. My friends, when you look at the news tonight and you see the news and you see what's happening in the street,

you are seeing man painstakingly searching for a better world without a correspondence. bonding spiritual advancement. It's not going to happen. It isn't going to happen. Gaudi Mitspez says influenced by such a variety of complexities, many of our contemporaries are kept from accurately identifying permanent values in adjusting them properly to fresh discoveries. As a result, buffeted between hope and anxiety,

impressing one another with questions about the present course of events. They are burdened down with uneasiness. The same course of events leads men to look for answers. Indeed, it forces them to do so. And then in paragraph 8 of Gaudium at Spez, it says within the individual person, there develops rather frequently an imbalance between an intellect, which is modern in practical matters,

and a theoretical system of thought, which can neither master the sum total of its ideas, nor arrange them adequately into a synthesis. As you see the news tonight, again, I'll say this, you are looking at people who cannot arrange. They cannot master the sum total of ideas or arrange them into a synthesis. They lack that stability, that foundation,

that spiritual foundation. They lack that spiritual advancement. now in paragraph 12 or paragraph 10 it goes on and says the truth is that the imbalances under which modern man labors are linked with that more basic imbalance get this get this get this which is rooted in the heart of man for in man himself many elements wrestle with one another thus on the one hand as a creature he experiences his limitations in a multitude of ways On the other, he feels himself to be boundless in his desires and summoned to a higher life. Pulled by manifold attractions, he is constantly forced to choose among them and renounce some.

Indeed, as a weak and sinful being, he often does what he would not and fails to do what he would. Hence, he suffers from the internal divisions, and from these flow so many and such great discords in society. It's all right there in the 1960s. Pope Paul the 6th gave us, he gave us literally the roadmap to a tsunami that was going to take place. You've got to share this with your friends. You've got to share this with your friends. The paragraph goes on and says, no doubt many whose lives are infected with a practical materialism are blinded against any sharp insight into this kind of dramatic situation.

or else weighed down by unhappiness, they are prevented from giving the matter any thought, thinking they have found serenity in an interpretation of reality everywhere proposed these days, many look forward to a genuine and total emancipation of humanity wrought solely by human effort. They are convinced that the future rule of man over the earth will satisfy every desire of his.

heart but then if the document gets into what I think is the key it says she likewise holds this is the church she likewise holds that in her most benign lord and master can be found the key the focal point and the goal of man as well as of all human history the church also maintains that beneath all changes we're talking about revolution today aren't we're talking about angry is the new love anger is the new love we're talking about what's happening in the media beneath all changes we're talking about the civil war and the results we're talking about the statues beneath all changes we're talking about alt left versus alt right beneath all changes there are many realities which do not change and which have their ultimate foundation in

Christ who is the same yesterday and today yes and forever hence under the light of Christ, the image of the unseen God, the first born of every creature. The council wishes to speak to all men in order to shed light on the mystery of man and to cooperate in finding the solution to the outstanding problems of our time. Wow. You know, just that right there, what I gave you right there is pure gold in terms of understanding this tsunami that has hit us in our culture. We have not had corresponding spiritual advances with the secular advances. In the 60s, in the 70s, we had a sexual revolution.

We had a technical revolution, social media, weaponry, the family was under attack. Everything was changed in the 60s and 70s and began to manifest in the 80s, 90s, He's in the teens now in a way that has in some circles, it leaves people befuddled. What has happened? But Cardinal Wurall said this started many, many years ago. Now, I'm going to take a break. When we come back, I want to get into the scriptural part of this and take a look at what is our response. Is anger the new love?

Is it in our life? What's our response? And is there a Christian revolution, not in a political way, but in a kingdom way? I think there is. We'll be right back. It's hard to live out your Catholic faith on your own. In fact, the Bible reveals that we need a community of people to help us on our journey of faith. If you're interested in finding that community by joining or starting a small group study,

visit ascensionpress.com and sign up for a free Ascension account. With your account, you'll get all the tools you need to start walking with others towards Christ. Welcome back to the show. We have a great topic today talking about anger is the new love politics today. And if you have been watching the news like I have, there's a little bit of fatigue setting in. People are getting frustrated and it's manifesting in anger. Earlier, we did have a show on anger and that show was show number two. angry as hell, and you can listen to that. There's a lot of good stuff on anger there,

but let's go into this a little bit in what's happening today. You hear about the alt-left. You hear about the alt-right. No doubt these are going to become tags that we're going to have to use in one way or another. I don't think of myself on the left or the right. You know, as a Christian, as a Christian, we don't think of ourselves in political terms. I'm not a conservative Catholic. I'm not a liberal Catholic. I'm not a moderate. When we lose sight of the real relationship with God, which is faithful and unfaithful, because it's a covenant relationship, we oftentimes turn to political terms. Now, in a marriage, this wouldn't work. You young ladies that are listening, you're not looking for a moderate husband.

You're not looking for a conservative or a liberal husband. What are you looking for? You're looking for a faithful husband, right? And that's where we start off in this whole thing, is that I am not left or right. I am not conservative or liberal. I am a child of God. I'm in a covenant relationship with Jesus. I'm attempting to be faithful, faithful.

Now, James tells us why we have these wars and fightings among us. He's very specific about it. James 4, verses 1 and 2. He says, what causes wars? And what causes fighting's among you, tonight's news? Is it not your passions that are at war and your members? You desire and do not have so you kill. And you covet and cannot obtain so you fight and wage war.

You do not have because you do not ask. So what James is telling us here is that basically you fight because you don't get what you want. You don't get what you want. But what we really want, we have to ask ourselves, is it rooted in the kingdom? Is it rooted in the gospel? Is it rooted in life in Christ? Or is what we are really, really want,

rooted in selfishness in the flesh and self-centeredness? Okay. If what we really want is what Christ wants, we will not turn to the streets like this. There's no way that we could. There's no way we could. It would be incongruent with the gospel. I'm reminded about how our culture has really turned to a culture of narcissism.

And when you have narcissism, everybody wants what they want. Just like the old song, I'll tell you what you want, what you really, really want, what I want, what I want, what I really really want, you know, the spice girls. I never did sing that. So if I messed it up, you don't need to tell me. But it reminds me of the magazines on the Barnes & Noble magazine rack. And I noticed this a number of years ago that in the 1960s, the big magazine was Life magazine. And it wasn't even just human life. It was biological life, you know, all life.

And that was fascinating. And then in the 1970s, the big magazine that took over was People Magazine. You know, forget about the monkeys and all of the insects and everything else. It's people. And then in the 80s, it was us. And then in the 90s, self. and then after the turn of the century oh Oprah one person and so we went from life to Oprah with the you know the progression of the magazines and I do think that we have become more

self-centered in our culture more self-centered in our culture and and what we really need to focus on as Christians is the king and his kingdom and what his will is. Because you see, when we said yes to being missionary disciples of Jesus, we did not say yes to the left or to the right. We did not say yes to the moderates. We did not say yes to the Republicans,

the Democrats, the socialists, or the independence. When we said yes to Jesus, we said yes to his agenda and to his will. Now, this is really, really, really important. This idea of a revolution, which is obviously trying to take place in the news in a political way, right? Is the news media inciting anger? I think they are in some ways. I do. I'm not blaming them for everything that's going on, but I do think that they are. I think there's a plan. I think that there are people who are very angry and they'd like to see

this president fail obviously but here's what happens when the media incites anger and I'm not going to get into it you don't have to write me I'm not going to get into Fox and CNN and specifics or anything like that I feel that they are in many ways but what does it do well it does get people to do something

but here's what it does on the negative side it unites them just like war unites people who wouldn't normally be united. And this is not true unity. It's not true unity. It is unity over topics that oftentimes are based in narcissism and self-centeredness, not in the greater good. Their unity, yes, it's exhilarating, but fleeting because it is based in emptiness. The answer then is found in scripture. It is a revolution that was called for by our vicar of Christ. Pope Francis when he spoke of a revolution of tenderness. We need to turn back to that from which

we came and we need to perfect tenderness and perfect compassion and perfect love. You see, a revolution is a procedure, of course, like a circuit, back to a starting point. In fact, we need a revolution. The word revolution literally means to turn around. What do we turn around to? Well, the Christian turns around everything returns to the Father. Everything returns to the Father. Jesus said in John 1628, I came from the Father and have come into the world again. I am leaving the world and going to the Father. And Pope John Paul II was big on this. He said that all of life was a pilgrimage to the House of the Father. We came from God, we will return to God.

And so if there is a Christian revolution, the revolution is one of returning to what is not killing us, returning to the roots of our faith, returning to his will and his worldview. In fact, six hours, get this, six hours before his death. John Paul II said in Polish quote with a very weak voice and with mumbled words he said this quote let me go to the house of the father that is powerful even in his last moment he knew where to return to folks if we're going to have any kind of revolution it is a revolution of a return to our Father, a return to the words of Jesus and the actions of those who are missionary disciples. Now, let me share something with you that's very powerful here, and it's pertinent to this topic

because people wonder, should we as Christians be out in the streets? Should there be a voice? Should we have a revolution? Well, Jesus spoke of one. He actually spoke of one. I'm going to share it with you here. It's in Matthew chapter 11, verses 12 through 15. Now, he's going to say something. here about John the Baptist, and it's going to sound a little strange and a little violent, but then I'm going to give you what I believe and other scholars believe Jesus is referring to in the Old Testament. And then this might make more sense. In Matthew 11, 12, Jesus said, from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence. Get this. And men of violence take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until

John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. That's powerful, isn't it? Now, let me say something about it. Doesn't this sound a little violent? From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent men of violence take it by force? What does that mean? Men of violence take it by force. Scholars in Jerusalem, Christian scholars. Many who know the teaching methods of Jesus believe that this is a midrash. This is a teaching that amplifies an Old Testament teaching, and that would be Micah Chapter 2. In Micah chapter 2, it mentions Jacob, Judah, the remnant of Israel, okay?

and it mentions them as a people and that they are about to break out and do something big. This is the kingdom, okay? Listen to what Micah, chapter 2, verses 12 through 13 say, and I believe that what Jesus is saying about the kingdom suffering violence and violent, the men of violence taking it by force is speaking about this back in Micah. He says, I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob. I will gather the remnant of Israel. I will set them together like sheep in a fold,

like a flock in its pasture, a noisy multitude of men. He who opens the breach will go up before them. They will break through and pass the gate going out by it. Their king will pass on before them the Lord at their head. Now, that picture in Micah 2, verses 12 through 15, is a picture of a sheepfold back in Micah's day. Now, a sheepfold was typically made up of stones around most of the edges, and then the door was filled in with briar and with thorns and branches and so forth.

And the sheep were in the sheepfold, and they were being protected from lions and predators, and the shepherd would sit outside of the door. and the image here is that the sheep are in the sheepfold and they are noisy and there's a multitude of them and they're noisy and then he who opens the breach that's the breaker the one that's going to open up the door will break through and pass through out pass through the gate and the king will pass on before them the lord at their head so this is an image that i believe jesus is using in Matthew chapter 11 verses 12 through 15 where he's referring to john the baptist as the breaker

the one who's going to open the breach and the king jesus will lead the noisy multitude out and this kingdom of heaven suffers violence it is moving forward and men of violence take it by force we are part of it okay so in a way this is like a christian description of a violent revolution. That isn't a political revolution. It's not a physical revolution in terms of overtopping governments and hurting people. It's a revolution of returning to Jesus and moving forward as a kingdom. As missionary disciples, we do what he said to do in the streets, in politics, on television. We don't get off our game. We don't become distracted. with all of this, the more we sit and watch the news and become distracted, the less we're

going to be that noisy, that noisy kingdom, that noisy multitude of men and women who are advancing in the culture. My friend, I think the answer to what you're seeing on the news is let's become who we are. Let's become who we are. Now, Archbishop Whirl said in the new He said that the new evangelization is calling the faithful to appreciate the truth of the gospel and what that means to the world. He highlighted that there, get this, there is a new generation of young people who are looking for answers that are found in the gospel, answers that are found in Christ's message. My friend, send this show onto your friends, send it on to those who have teens, send it on to those who are wondering. Let me just wrap this up. I'm going to read that again.

That was so good. Can I do that? Cardinal Whirl highlighted that there's a new generation of young people. When you see the news tonight, think about that new young generation who are looking for answers that are found in the gospel, answers that are found in Christ's message. Now let me leave you with this, five practical tips of how to turn to God in moments when society is turning toward anger,

because anger is the new love. We're to walk in love, where to be united in love, but they are not, this generation, many of them are not founded in love, not founded on the teachings of Jesus and anger is their new way of uniting and anger is their message anger is the new love here's five things you can do number one i'll make it quick what is your instant response anger or love hold your tongue when you see the news begin to pray give god praise give them Thanksgiving so ask ask you to think about what is your instant response let's not cut down the president let's not cut down people let's let's

pray. Number two, look for the injustice that needs to turn around and ask God for laborers to address the injustice because godly anger, as you'll see in program number two, angry as hell of my shows, you'll see that anger does have a purpose and that anger exposes injustice and that anger is a flag for you to do something about the injustice. But we don't solve injustice with injustice. Number three, we got a big knot going on. A big knot, like a tangled knot going on. Adopt Our Lady Undoer of Knots. It is a wonderful novena.

We can't do this alone. I encourage you to pass this on to your friends. Begin a novena, Our Lady, Undoer of Knots. And get this social knot, which has roots in the spiritual realm. Get it untied. Number four, pray for godly men and women to be hired. in the media. Pray for that. Ask God to bring laborers into the media. Ask him to do it. Number five, pray that parishes will set up their efforts to form missionary disciples, people who will be

in the street, in the city square, doing the will of God, standing up for the truth with the foundation of love, and God is love. He is our foundation. Just a few thoughts, my friend. Just a few thoughts as I watch the news night after night. Let's close in prayer, shall we? In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Lord, I thank you today for my friends. Oh, Lord, do a mighty work in our midst. Lord, help us to not become distracted with the political terms and sides, but to keep our eyes and our heart focused on you, in your kingdom, and your will, and your

worldview. Lord, if we do not live this in the public square, if we do not teach it in our churches, in schools, and homes, the void will be filled by anarchy and those who are building a life on an empty foundation. Help us to see the true issues here, I pray, O Lord, and our dear mother, pray for us. Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God.

pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, amen. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen. Thank you, my friend. Go to iTunes, leave some feedback, share the show with others. That's how we grow. And look forward to seeing you next week.