Overcoming Evil With Good

originally TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 06, 2007

Overcoming Evil With Good

Driving home after 9am Mass this morning, I did something I never do -I turned on the radio. Dr. Dobson was airing a talk given by Chuck Colson at a Christian Conference about transforming culture. It was mighty powerful. The gist of what he was preaching was, "Overcome evil with good -and live the Truth." Sometimes when I see all the evil and problems around me in the world I feel drowned and helpless to do anything. This was an important message for me to hear -so simple and yet strong. And so I wanted to share with you all this morning two of the powerful stories that he used to illustrate his point.

The first one had to do with soldiers in Iraq. He spoke about how some famous reporter went over to Iraq and went to the hospital barracks to interview soldiers about the war. He was stunned when an insurgent was brought in wounded, and the army doctors were working furiously to save him. He had lost so much blood that he was on the verge of death, and the hospital had no more to give him. The doctors went out and asked the GIs if they would donate blood to save the insurgent's life. Fifty soldiers showed up and 33 pints of blood was able to be collected. When the reporter asked one of the soldiers how he felt about his blood being given to an insurgent, the soldier replied something like, "I don't care who it is given to -all that is important is that we save human lives." That had to have been a Christian soldier.

The second story is even more powerful. It took place in Poland during the Communist rule in that country. Everyday tens of thousands of Poles listened to Father Popieluszko preach from St. Stanislas' Church. He would have huge outdoor Masses that were broadcasted on Polish Radio, as well as from Munich on 'Radio Free Europe.' In 1984 the Communists kidnapped Fr. Popieluszko, tortured him by gouging out his eyes and ripping off his finger and toe nails and then killed him and threw him in a river. At the news of his death, tens of thousands of people gathered in the squares. Were they finally going to revolt? No. If you listened closely you could hear their voices shouting in unison, chanting, "We forgive you." Just 30 days later, his murderers were arrested and imprisoned. And a short time after that Communism crumbled in Poland. His cause for beatification was opened in Rome in 1997. (Click on the headline for the original BBC story.)

Lesson for today: "Overcome evil with good."

As St. Paul says:

"Let love be sincere;

hate what is evil, hold on to what is good;

love one another with mutual affection;

anticipate one another in showing honor.

Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

Rejoice in hope,

endure in affliction,

persevere in prayer.

Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly."

-Romans 12:5-16

Every human life encounters sufferings, problems and evil. What separates the 'boys from the men' is how we handle these encounters. We should always do it as Christians, with Jesus and as Jesus would handle them.