Some Simple Basic Truth to Help Us Through The Coming Pre-Holiday Week

This week comes before the July 4th national holiday next Sunday. We'll observe Independence Day. The days before the 4th of July typically find the stock market energized heading higher. Indeed, it headed higher last week; so maybe it will observe the 4th of July according to its "tradition" - or maybe not. 

Looking back at history can help us better understand the present, even help us plan for the future. But it's not a way to bet big on what might happen. History doesn't always repeat exactly. Do while most years stocks have risen before the 4th of July, they may not this year. Don't make any foolish big bets.

From that simple basic truth, we turn to another. 

If watching the stock market (and other markets) takes up your time - as it does ours - it ought not dominate your time. There's a lot more going on around us that deserves attention. Entering this pre-holiday week, I thought this might serve as a worthy candidate for those moments when our work may grant us a respite from the usual daily grind. Indeed, today should provide such respite, it being Sunday. 

So whether your work typically spills into Sunday, or you instead forget the job and run to the beach, consider a moment or two for this simple basic truth from Psalm 118:32: "I have run the way of thy commandments, when thou didst enlarge my heart.” It's particularly appropriate with Pride Week having just passed.

I'm not sure I entirely get the point of the "Pride" of Pride Week. My best guess is that some people who consider themselves one of the LGBT alphabet feel the need for some bolstering of their spirits from others. I guess we can all use some bolstering from time to time, but there's not week I'm aware of set aside for me to claim the spotlight in this. 

For example, I've not yet seen a proposal for a "Catholic-male-who-has-a-family-andp-works-for-a-living" week. We who "self-identify" as such could use some bolstering. Many of us struggle day in and day out to provide for our families, and some of us have had a tough time of doing that over the last year of economic dysfunction. Indeed, recent years have found our wages remain relatively stagnant in the face of soaring costs for such major items like housing and education. And now we're looking at rising prices for gas, groceries, and a lot of other common items we need to get through the day. 

Add to this an outright assault on our Christian morality coming at us from media, the education establishment that aggressively pushes our kids to condone, even embrace, thoughts, words, and actions that only a few decades ago were considered inappropriate subjects to even mention to children. (We'll leave it at that.)

So how does this connect with our words from Psalm 118, "I have run the way of thy commandments, when thou didst enlarge my heart.”? It goes like this:

All of us are called to obey the Ten Commandments, along with the so-called Natural Law (a derivative of said Ten Commandments). However we appear to others, think of ourselves, feel at any given moment; whatever urges drive us to think, say, or do this or that, we need to compare our thoughts, words and behavior to that "gold standard" of the Ten Commandments. Psalm 118, then, tells us what to expect if we do: God will enlarge our hearts.

For many, this contradicts the presupposition that God's Commandments throw a wet blanket on their freedom. But rather than restrict us, they expand us. We grow as we observe the Commandments. Eventually, as our faithfulness to God's Commandments takes center stage in our lives, we grow closer to God in this life, and eventually spend an eternity in Heaven, in a state of unadulterated happiness, such as we have likely never experienced here on earth.

If you can wrap your mind around that (and it's simply what we Catholics have been - or should have been - taught all our lives), then you can wrap your mind around "I have run the way of thy commandments, when thou didst enlarge my heart” as well. You see, the heart symbolizes love. Love springs from our will (not our feelings). Enlarging our heart strengthens our will to love. And only when we love can we consider ourselves true Christians.

The old saying, "You will know them by their love" doesn't refer to how Christians feel; rather it refers to how we act. And with a heart enlarged by the grace of God, in response to our observing His Commandments, we will truly, fully, without reserve, love others. That includes all others.

The Commandments are often seen these days as impediments to a free and happy life. They are not. They free us to live as we were meant to live by freeing us to love as we were meant to love.

Despite the wordiness above, it's really a simple basic truth. I hope it helps us grow closer to God during the upcoming Holiday Week. Whatever else we do in our work or personal lives, nothing can hold a candle to growing closer to God.