Posted on 02/05/2016 8:06:10 AM PST by Salvation
Man who found exit
There is a phrase in the Scriptures that, while speaking of mystery, is itself a bit mysterious and is debated among scholars: the "mystery of iniquity." St. Paul mentions it in Second Thessalonians and ties it to an equally mysterious "man of iniquity" who will appear before the Second Coming of Jesus. Many modern translations (accurately) render it as the "mystery of lawlessness" but that has less of a ring to it.
The Latin root of the English word "iniquity" is iniquitas (in (not) + aequus (equal)), meaning unjust or harmful. But the Greek μυστήÏιον τῆς ἀνομίας (mysterion tes anomias) is probably best rendered as "mystery of lawlessness."
Language issues aside, Paul almost seems to be writing in a kind of secret code:
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us--whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter--asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming (2 Thess 2:1-8).
Although St. Paul tells the Thessalonians that they know what is holding back the lawless one, we moderns struggle to know. Some scholars say that Paul is referring to the Roman government (which I doubt). Others say that it is the power of grace and God's decision to "restrain" the evil one and thereby limit his power a bit for the time being. Of course if Satan is limited now, what horrifying things will be set loose when he is no longer restrained! Can it get any worse? Apparently it can!
But there it is in the seventh verse; even before the lawless one is set loose there already exists the "mystery of iniquity," the mystery of lawlessness. That phrase comes down through the centuries to us, provoking us to ponder its rich meaning.
Yet the danger is that we can focus too much on the "man of iniquity," who is not yet fully here, and fail to ponder the present reality, which is already operative. As St. Paul says, For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Yes, the danger is that we focus on the future, which is murky, and ignore the present, which is already here and operative.
Hence I propose that we ponder the "mystery of iniquity," which is already here. I'd like to explore how it affects us, both personally and collectively. In doing so, we cannot ignore the operative word "mystery." We must ponder with humility, realizing that we are confronting a mystery, some of which is revealed but much of which is hidden. Therefore I do not propose to "explain" this phrase to you, but rather to ponder its mystery and confront its questions so as to draw us to reverence and a deeper sense of our need for salvation.
Let's look at the mystery of iniquity in five parts, wherein we ponder the mysterious reality of lawlessness that seems so operative among us, individually and collectively.
Some argue that, on account of Original Sin, our will has been weakened and thus we easily give way to temptation. While this offers some further insight into what we do, it does not ultimately solve the mystery. For at the end of the day, there is still the deeply mysterious truth that we consistently choose to do that which we know is wrong and harmful.
Some argue that we are actually choosing what we perceive to be good. But here, too, despite our darkened intellects and our tendency to lie to ourselves, deep down we really know better. We know that choosing evil leads to harm in the long run, and our conscience tells us, "This is wrong. It's a lie. Don't do it." And knowing this, we still do it.
Are we weak? Yes, but that is not the complete answer. Deep down we know this and thus we stare once again into the face of the "mystery of iniquity."
Yes, among the angels, too, there was a great rebellion. Scripture more than hints at the fact that a third of the Angels fell from Heaven in a war of rebellion, before the creation of man (cf Rev 12:4).
Thus, ascribing iniquity and lawlessness to human weakness is not and cannot be a complete answer.
It is exceedingly hard and mysterious to ponder how Angels, with a nature and intellect far more glorious than ours, would knowingly reject what is good, true, and beautiful. Here is the deep "mystery of iniquity" having nothing to do with the flesh, or with sensuality, or with human limits. It is raw, intellectual, willful rebellion against the good by intellects and creatures far superior to us. The mystery only deepens.
Some will answer that God also saw the magnificent love and beauty that would be ushered in by those who accepted Him and the glorious vision of His truth. Perhaps God, who is love, saw love as so magnificent that even its rejection buy some could not overrule its glory in those who accepted it. Seeking beloved children rather than robots or animals was so precious to God that he risked losing some, even many, in order to gain some.
Others speculate that, at least in this fallen world, contrast is necessary to highlight the glory of truth. For what is light if there is no darkness to contrast with it? What is justice if there is no injustice to contrast with it? What is the glory of our yes if there is not a no that can also be uttered?
Even these reasonable speculations cannot fully address the mystery of why so many men and angels reject what is good, true, and beautiful; why so many prefer to reign in Hell rather than to serve in heaven; why so many obstinately refuse to trust in God and obey even simple commands that they know are ultimately good for them. The glory of our freedom and our intellect are abused. Our greatest strengths are also our greatest struggles. Liberty becomes license; lasciviousness and intellect become insubordination and intransigence. Corruptio optime pessima! (The corruption of the best is the worst!)
Mysteriously, the stubbornness and hardness of heart of the damned reached a point of no return. How does a soul end up in this state? It is mysterious but surely it happens gradually. Sin is added upon sin and the hardness of heart grows. The demands of God's justice seem to be increasingly more obnoxious. The hardened soul starts to sneer at God's law as intolerant, backwards, and simplistic. Of course God's law is none of these things, but as the darkness grows within a heart, the light seems more and more obnoxious and hateful. Soon enough, concepts such as forgiveness, love of enemies, generosity, and chastity seem wildly "unrealistic," even ludicrous.
When does a soul reach the point of no return? Is it at death or sometime before? It is hard to say. But here we reach the deepest part of the mystery of iniquity: the permanently unrepentant heart. It is very dark and very, very mysterious.
Yes, at the end of the day, we are left looking squarely at a mystery. It is the deep, almost unfathomable mystery of our very own iniquity, our lawlessness, our irrational refusal to be under any law or restraint.
Like all mysteries, perhaps it is not meant to be solved. Rather, it is meant to be accepted and to cause us to turn to God, who alone understands. The mystery of iniquity is so profound and so terrifying that it should send us running to God as fast as we can exclaiming, "Lord save me from myself: my obtuseness, my hardened heart, my rebelliousness, my iniquity. Save me from the lawlessness in me! I cannot understand it, let alone save myself from it! Only you, Lord, can save me from my greatest threat, my greatest enemy: my very self."
Yes, the great mystery of iniquity! St. Paul says only this: the mystery of iniquity is already at work. But he does not say why or even how. He only says that God can restrain it.
Yes, only God can restrain and explain.
More tortuous than anything is the human heart, beyond remedy; who can understand it? I, alone, the LORD, explore the mind and test the heart (Jer 17:9-10).
Here is a song from my youth that celebrates rebellion, iniquity, and lawlessness. The refrain admits that we are "fooling no one but ourselves." But we do it anyway. It's foolish and mysterious!
Monsignor Pope Ping!
Thank you for the ping! As always, what Monsignor Pope said yesterday is profoundly relevant to the situation we find ourselves in right now.
An additional point jumped out at me, too. Things can *always* be worse, no matter how much we might be suffering at any given time. Taking stock of the Blessings we *do* have- & they are many, feeling grateful for those, & that *today*, now, we are Blessed is a relief from our troubles & keeps us going.
We can get so caught up in misery or despair that we forget & that can weaken us.
As a Protestant I must confess that I have great admiration for the wisdom and insight in Monsignor Pope’s homilies. May God bless his ministry!
"Had Enough" (The Who, YouTube Link)
"Had Enough"
I've had enough of bein' nice
I've had enough of right and wrong
I've had enough of tryin' to love my brother
I've had enough of bein' good
And doin' everything like i'm told I should
If you need a lover, you'd better find another
Life is for the living
Takers never giving
Suspicion takes the place of trust
My love is turning into lust
If you get on the wrong side of me you better run for cover
I've had enough of bein' trodden on
My passive days are gonna be long gone
If you slap one cheek, well, I ain't gonna turn the other
Life is for the living
Takers never giving
Fooling no one but ourselves
Good is dying
Here comes the end
Here comes the end of the world
I'm gettin' sick of this universe
Ain't gonna get better; it's gonna get worse
And the world's gonna sink with the weight of the human race
Hate and fear in every face
I'm gettin' ready and I've packed my case
If you find somewhere better, can you save my place?
Fooling no one but ourselves
Love is dying
Here comes the end
Here comes the end
Here comes the end of the world
Wow, that's something I hadn't thought of. This point has to make us think some more about the Fall of Adam and Eve. For instance, theologians who say their choice can be attributed to fear, although having some support (cf. Hebrews 2:15), have to recognize that the angels fell without any consideration of mortal fear.
A deeper and deeper mystery, as Msgr. Pope says.
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