Brothers and sisters in Christ—
Everyday,
we receive a lot of warnings. These
warnings come to us from many sources.
For example, all the yellow signs along our roads and streets warn us
about dangerous conditions. We know that
if we are not attentive to these warnings, we will fall into misfortune. Some warnings are for our benefit, but others
are for the benefit of other people. For
example, I was in the restroom of a restaurant recently, and I saw there a
warning placed above the sink. The sign
said: “Employees must wash their hands before returning to work.” In this
example, we see that obedience to warnings, which benefit the whole community
is a very good thing. In a similar way,
we warn our children about dangerous circumstances in our homes and in life in
general. A lot of laws are warnings,
because they place limitations on behaviour for the safety of the whole
community.
We
receive warnings even in the depths of our own minds. The human being, out of all creatures, is
able to be the witness and observer of his mind. We are able to observe our minds, and to see
the thoughts that are there, in order to decide concerning what is dangerous,
and what is useful. We warn ourselves
about dangerous things, in order to drive them out. Who is this witness and observer? If it is
the mind, then how does it observe itself as if in a mirror, but without a
mirror? No, this is the soul, which observes the depths of the mind. This is the image of God, which the mind is
not able to know by thought, because, just as God is, so is His image. He is incomprehensible to human thought, and
therefore His image is also incomprehensible.
In the operation of the mind, we see the shadow, so to speak, of the
soul. Here our deepest being is
partially revealed. This is a very great
consolation to us—that we are not only body and mind, but that we are that,
which possesses and rules body and mind.
If our body and our mind are constrained by disease, the soul, our
deepest being, is still free. This image
of God is constantly in us, guiding and warning us.
We
also receive warnings from God. This
Gospel reading is all about warnings from God, and the response that St. Joseph
the Betrothed gave to these warnings.
Actually, the Gospel of St. Matthew also tells us that the magi received
a special warning from God, and they were obedient to this warning. Holy Scripture tells us that the magi were
sincere seekers of the true God, and the Gospel describes St. Joseph as “a
righteous man.” Both were prepared by good will to hear the warnings of
God. The image of God is in all of us,
but that image can be covered by a mind and body that are darkened by the
corruption of worldly things. We must be
“righteous people,” obedient to God’s commandments, in order to have good will and
hear God’s inspirations. The Lord God
wants to guide us to spiritual health and salvation, but we must purify our
minds, in order to hear His voice. We
are free creatures. We can choose good
or evil, but God desires to guide us to seek good and to avoid evil. We must have pure minds and hearts to hear
His warnings, just like St. Joseph. The
journey to purity of heart begins with prayer, and not only vocal prayer, but
profound meditation. Let us become
friends of God through prayer, so that we can hear the warnings of God, which
guide us on the path of life.
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