Mark 3 +
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Freud was not a believer, but he was right when he spoke of a
“thin veneer of civilization” that covers up an often savage society.
We forget the darkness of our nature that lurks just beneath the surface.
Every once in a while—more so now—we read about a family that has adopted a wild animal that suddenly turns on them.
Or the numerous examples of wild cats invading peoples’ yards.
Or naive campers who think they can make friends with a black bear.
The comfort of the city has replaced the pioneering culture that knew the dangers and the boundaries of the jungle.
People today have become accustomed to living without seeking an answer to the most important question of their lives: why and for what should we live? What is serious about this is that when people lose touch with their inner being and mystery, life degenerates into banality and meaninglessness.
People then go by impressions, living on the surface of things and events, getting no further than the appearance of life. This trivialization of life is, probably, the most significant root of unbelief for many people.
When human beings live without paying heed to their deepest yearnings, they lose respect for life, people and things. But, above all, they become incapable of listening to the mystery that lies at the heart of existence.
People today resist exploring profound realities. They aren’t prepared to take care of their inner selves. They begin to feel dissatisfied. They sense that they need something that everyday life does not bring them. In that dissatisfaction lies the beginning of their salvation.
The great theologian, Paul Tillich, said that only the Spirit can help us discover «the path to what is profound in us». On the contrary, to sin against that Holy Spirit would be to «endure our sin forever».
The Spirit can awaken in us the desire to struggle for something nobler and better than the banality of daily life. It can give us the courage needed to begin an inner life in us.
The Spirit can make a different joy flourish in our hearts; it can enliven our aging life; it can kindle within us a love even for those toward whom we feel the least interest.
The Spirit is «a power that acts in us that is not ours». It is God himself who inspires and transforms our lives. No one can say that the Spirit does not dwell in him. It is important not to extinguish it, but to rekindle its fire and to keep it burning to purify and renew our lives. We must, perhaps, begin by invoking God with the Psalmist: «Do not turn away your Holy Spirit from me».