What a Crazy World

It's Holy Week-you know, the most important week in the whole year and all-but most of our attention (when I say 'our' I mean the average Catholic who is living in a world somewhat connected to social media and/or the rest of the world in some way) has been directed somewhere else.

Everywhere I look I see arguments, debates, hatred, anger, and frustration-not to mention a whole bunch of confusion.

I've kept my moth shut, not because I don't have an opinion, but because, especially in this holy week, I figure there are more important things to think about. And, I think, there are better ways to spend my time this week than simply debating on social media.

Now, don't get me wrong-discussions on social media can probably be very good, but most of the time it seems they aren't helping anyone.

What the world needs from each of us is not simply another witty way to state something-as funny and awesome as we might be-but the world needs hearts converted to the Lord.

The world needs us to spend time every single day in prayer, most specifically face-to-face with the Lord in the Eucharist.

The world needs us to educate ourselves-not simply through memes or short blurbs on social media, but through actual reading of the Word of God and of those who have explained it, and most importantly through an encounter with the Person of Truth, Jesus Christ.

The world needs us to truly encounter people-not simply angrily spew our copied-and-pasted arguments, but to sit down face-to-face and listen, have dialogue, and maybe in the process encounter a person not just an idea.

The world needs us to love our neighbor, not just spew information at our twitter followers.

The world needs saints-for this is what is going to change things-hearts on fire for the world, letting His Truth be known in love and compassion, not simply in words.

What we need most is not simply a knowledge of facts, but an encounter with Truth, to let this Truth who is a person to be what purifies and clothes us.

Pope Benedict XVI once said: "The truth is the bath that purifies them; the truth is the robe and the anointing they need." This truth, this anointing, are only possible through a personal relationship with Truth Himself-allowing us to be saints, living in relationship with the Father here and now.

May each of our experiences of Holy Week not be filled with anger but with a purifying encounter with Love Himself, Love poured out on the cross for each one of us.