It is a well-known fact that America wins quick, decisive battles but loses a long, dragged-out war. Our military is very capable and well-trained to handle tough situations, but it is often public opinion and politics that complicate a longer conflict or war. While fighting and winning a hard battle can be challenging, it is doable because human will and power can push through a lot of immediate, short-term obstacles to neutralize or overcome the enemies. Nonetheless, we have learned from repeated history that our commanders, leaders, and troops get disheartened when they are trying to fight the war from afar but losing the war at home by being scapegoated, attacked, questioned, doubted, or simply becoming spectacles that get pulled into the public opinion realm. Those who have been deployed before know that it is already hard to be away from one’s family and support system, physically and mentally tiring working long hours and in challenging conditions, and especially trying to do the things that are needed day in and day out to get the mission objectives completed. It does take a lot, so having to deal with other people’s two-cent thoughts on anything and everything does affect morale, well-being, and needed focus for the long fight! Our adversaries know this fact well, which is why they oftentimes invest a lot of money to influence opinions and feed the vocal voices to dissuade, discourage, and divide us against one another. Furthermore, it does not help since social media feeds into this instantaneous and noisy chamber because everyone is trying to outdo others and to ensure they have their say on anything and everything.
Sadly, our news media feeds on this frenzy because of the loss of journalistic integrity and the desire to sell quick, cheap, and sensationalistic news! If you do not believe me, we keep seeing “breaking news” every time we turn on a popular news channel. These so-called breaking news stories are often snatched from social media feeds and fed to the general population as long as there are enough “bites” and trending enough to get people’s attention. These so-called news stations are simply yapping most of the time because we can mute them for a while and still do not miss a thing, because they keep on repeating things with the same old BREAKING NEWS headlines. As a matter of fact, I have to tell many people to stop watching the news because the breaking news robs them of peace and begins to break them apart.
It is, indeed, sad to see what journalism has turned into! Truth is cheapened as long as it sounds “true” enough, and integrity is no longer practiced. Everything is simply ignored for the sake of views, advertisements, and influences! I believe we have already lost as a nation and as people because we forget that information can easily be manipulated, agenda driven, slyly crafted, and falsely presented in the day and age of instant information access. As a matter of fact, we quickly go to war on the internet, in politics, and within our society with one another from information warfare instead of actual military warfare itself!
It is very scary to see the result of what information manipulation can do and how many people quickly buy into whatever is being fed to them instead of learning to step back, discern, reflect, and respond as real adults with respect, dialogue, and common sense.
Furthermore, it is sad to see so many inconsiderate, self-centered, shallow, empty, and sad keyboard warriors who do more harm because they simply want to say what they want to say for the sake of making themselves feel good! Even before going into the real subject of this reflection, I wonder what will happen if we all learn to step back and invite God into our own discernment and learn to respond?!?
Not everything warrants a reaction. Not everything needs an opinion or comment. However, everything deserves a time of prayer and discernment so we can find real ways to respond and offer it up to God or unite it with Him when needed.
I am not here trying to get into politics or dissuade public opinions like many others are already doing day in and day out. I often tell people that they do not have enough money to get me to share what I really think! Furthermore, as a priest and military chaplain, I do not have the time to sit there to comment, pontificate, or waste time to make myself feel good or put down others. There are so many people who are hurting out there who just need us to be decent human beings to care, be present, and love them instead of being busybodies and noisy yappers of useless nothingness. Furthermore, I refrain from sharing because I want to protect the well-being of our troops and their families. They do not need more unneeded discouragements, anxieties, and dramas because they are already sacrificing enough to protect our nation and her allies, as well as having our freedom to have our voices and opinions heard in the public forums.
I want to take what seems to be so natural and human and elevate it to the spiritual level so you and I can see how the Devil and his minions are discouraging us from listening and responding to God! As a matter of fact, we can see in our own lives that it is easy for us to overcome short-term spiritual attacks and obstacles, but we lose heart and become unfocused in the long run. Unfortunately, our enemies know that too, so they have all the time in the world to wait for us when we get weak, discouraged, tired, being tested, and are being fed on those negativities. They manipulate, agitate, and magnify our desolation so we lose heart, want to give up, and give into hopeless and despair. They are very good at twisting things to create a false narrative, perception, understanding, feeling, or emotion, so we feel despondent and get stuck in that self-created hellish reality. Why, you asked?!? Just like they use shallow pleasure, satisfaction, addiction, and dependency for those who are going from sin to sin, they can also use desolation, despair, and negativity to keep us enslaved in our own miserable existence because they do not want us to be free or see the truth in God.
So, we must ask ourselves on both the basic human and deeper spiritual levels if we are truly free and at peace in the truth or not? Is God truly with us and we are in Him, or are we easily letting other people, things, or noises agitate, occupy, manipulate, enslave, and control us? We are looking for Him and resting in Him, or are we constantly moving from one thing to the next, looking for problems, or worrying about our own little fragile egos and their desire to be in control? Indeed, we can see the truth and respond with love if we can all humbly step back and see the bigger picture, turn off all the noisy distractions, and focus on Him.
We live in a very wonderful, grace-filled, and blessed but also fallen, imperfect, and broken world. There is a fine interplay of His grace strengthening us along the journey, as well as evil ones who try to discourage, deter, and fill our minds with lies and falsehoods. Sometimes, these struggles are created by us because we have forgotten to take care of our humanity and be attentive to our natural well-being. Our prayer life will not be conducive and productive if we ignore and do not pay attention to our physical, emotional, and psychological blessings. Not being attentive to our own humanity can create avoidable discouragements because we forget to care for our hearts with the attached emotions, feelings, and psychological baggage.
Therefore, we must learn to be patient with ourselves and others. It is hard, but we must learn to bear our faults with humility and confidence in God, which will help us to be more merciful and forgiving of others when we see theirs. In all circumstances, we are reminded to bear the spirit of interior renunciation and gentleness toward ourselves and others. I know it is very hard to accept this reality, especially when we are struggling and questioning what is going around us, but true freedom consists of allowing ourselves to accept that we are providentially permitted to be here, in all these circumstances, with these people, through these tasks and matters, to seek God and allow Him to come to us and allow ourselves to love and serve Him in the present moment.
Life is a long journey with both human and spiritual warfare factors that need to be taken into account. It will take a lot of patience, humility, perseverance, and trust in Him. We will begin again A LOT of times! Life is full of stops, obstacles, and struggles that will hold us back, deter or distract us away from His love, but we must choose to begin again — over and over again — when we recognize our failure and brokenness. Instead of giving into false manifestation of pride, often expressed through our unwillingness to confess our sins, blame other people, or be held back by discouragement and despair, we should instead be humble, genuine, and receive His loving grace through the life of prayer and worship, especially in frequenting the Sacrament of Reconciliation and going to Mass, so that the sacramental graces received there will provide us the necessary strength to stand up and begin again. Just as in life, we will have many failures and moments when things fall apart, but we must not give up or give in to despair. Instead, we should choose to repent, try our best to amend our lives, trust in Him, and humbly choose to begin over again. Let us not give up but learn to stand up, reevaluate, reprioritize, and be reinvigorated to fight the good war with Him!