As you can surely see, I’ve gotten really upset by Prof. Myers’ actions. As I see it, he has done something very wicked toward my Lord and toward my fellow Catholics. Actions of a kind he has not (to my knowledge) shown toward any other religion, despite his add-on desecrations of a Koran and an atheist book. Actions that translate in my mind to “Catholic-hating coward.” I stand by that assessment of his actions. I don’t really know what else to think.
But I stand by forgiving the man even more than I do my own opinions of his actions. Maybe I could do better than to vent my upset about the whole sordid affair, but, well… I’m not a saint yet. I do intend to make that upset an occasion of grace for myself, and hopefully for Myers. If I weren’t so upset, I would hardly have anything to forgive him for, would I? As it is, I am more than willing to forgive him, just as my Lord is willing to forgive him… or me. Having received mercy myself, how can I not give it to others?
Alas, it probably won’t come as easily to me as it does to my Lord. Forgiving is a process. A process that changes the forgiver and makes the forgiver a better person. I am open to that self-change and that self-improvement. I have no idea whether it will change or even affect Myers. I should hope it would, but that’s out of my hands. That’s between God and Myers’ free will. I know for certain that it will change me. Given that I need all the help I can get… it can only be a good thing.
Of course, I cannot possibly express this as well as Shakespeare did in The Merchant of Venice:
PORTIA: The quality of mercy is not strain’d,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;…
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy.
…Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us…
11 comments
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27 July 2008 at 9:44 AM
Will Duquette
His choice of objects to desecrate show how much he doesn’t get it. To him, apparently, a book by another academic, the Koran, and the Blessed Sacrament are all more or less at the same level. But the Koran isn’t Islam’s Blessed Sacrament; it’s Islam’s Bible. And of course, Dawkins’ book isn’t even in the running.
Have you noticed that Catholicism insists of hierarchies of values that most folks seem to want to collapse?
27 July 2008 at 11:59 AM
Practicing Catholic
Will: Yes, I certainly have noticed that. Sadly, I’ve noticed it among some people within the Church too.
What he did to the books are really non-desecrations. He appears to have used an English translation of the Koran, which is not considered valid by Muslims; only a Koran in the original Arabic is considered a true Koran. And yes, Dawkins’ book is nothing but a paradox and a joke, because anybody who held that book sacred would be acting against the very belief system they hold–that nothing is sacred.
I can’t believe I actually tried to give Myers the benefit of the doubt. At first, I thought he was just being smart and trying to make a point–in writing. That was bad enough. I didn’t think he would actually take a Host and desecrate it. Nor add the insult of equating it with pages from some inconsequential books.
27 July 2008 at 2:18 PM
warren
A brilliant Shakespeare quote. Thanks. I’ll be savouring that one for a while.
27 July 2008 at 8:44 PM
Lexington
It is not merely the Shakespearean quote which compells me to type my own thoughts here, though it is a beautiful choice.
I believe God’s judgement has its basis on intent. That is; what would the act make manifest in a person’s heart? Yet mercy boasts so broad a reach, it confounds even the most learned.
Regardless of how more severe the injury to Our Lord has been, this man also intended to breed hostility towards the already persecuted Islamic community as a whole, at least that is my belief. From my understanding, any defilement of their god’s name is in and of itself an act of desecration.
I could not bear to read his account of harming Our Lord, but I did look though other entries. I agree with Will; he IS clueless. As he goes on to review a recent film, his actions convey an oblivious callousness to me. I wonder how askew his hierachical sense of values is; he does not defame everything, it seems. He clearly holds dear his own beliefs, just not that of others. His ridicule of the protests does not exemplify a man at peace with himself.
Is this where our mercy is to be found, I wonder? Is it in that through seeking an extermination of “conventional wisdom,” he has shut himself off from whatever true merit it contains?
While I fail to understand how God ultimately judges Myers’ actions as much as I fail to fully comprehend the august gift of The Eucharist, I know Our Lord is grieving for him. My concern now is for whoever he might lead astray with his erroneous logic.
Thank you, Practicing Catholic, for your constancy in these spiritual battles.
27 July 2008 at 8:56 PM
Practicing Catholic
Warren: That quotation is one of my all-time favorite passages Shakespeare wrote. It has always stuck with me, ever since I was a child looking at my mother’s copy of The Merchant of Venice. I’m glad you enjoyed it as well!
27 July 2008 at 9:12 PM
Practicing Catholic
Lexington: Thanks as always for your thoughtful comments.
Truly, only God can know what is going on with Myers. I wonder what could have bred such unthinking hostility in a man.
His stance on Islam actually seems a bit ambivalent to me… I read that he soundly condemned the publication of those Mohammad cartoons. And he said that including Islam in this recent desecration was the Catholic League’s idea. I don’t always agree with how the Catholic League goes about things, but the intent of their message was that Myers should show equal respect to Catholicism as to other religions, not that he should show equal disrespect to Islam. Apparently, that was unacceptable to Myers; it was more important to him to trash Catholicism.
But of course, I dunno. I doubt I will ever know, at least in this lifetime.
I’m just praying and offering things up for him. Although I may not exactly show it, I grieve for him too.
27 July 2008 at 10:05 PM
Lexington
I have to agree that I question the Catholic League’s choice of how to defend The Church against persecution. It seems as though the only line of defense Bill Donohue proffers to a worthy complaint is to state that reaction would not be as tepid had it occurred to a Muslim, or been committed against Mohammed, etc. Surely there are other reasons against our persecution.
Most of the devout Catholics I know take issue with this brand of thinking, as well. And every time I have heard a Muslim defend himself or herself against prejudice, his or her arguments are always well-formed. However, destroying part an English version of The Koran is clearly not what was meant when that retort was brought up yet again.
God Bless you.
30 July 2008 at 3:13 PM
Maggie
Great post. The worst thing we can do to Meyers right now is to forgive him. People like that thrive on the anger of others.
30 July 2008 at 3:25 PM
Practicing Catholic
Maggie: It does seem that way. Who knows whether Myers will ever accept our forgiveness, and God’s, and if he will change in the least? I am encouraged by what I heard a wonderful young priest say one time: “Never write anybody off.”
Even if our forgiveness and other acts of charity seem to be in vain, God will not let them go to waste.
2 August 2008 at 10:44 AM
Steve D.
Yesterday I began my month long prayer vigil for Prof. Meyers like so many others. While sitting before the Blessed Sacrament, I prayed for mercy and forgiveness for him. But, a thought came to me that we all may have performed the same act of desecration, although not as dramatically and publically.
When we go to Holy Communion with anger in our hearts and judgement of other christian brothers and sisters in our minds; don’t we also thrust a rusty nail into the Body of Christ?
This thought brought tears to my eyes as I remembered all of the times that I had received the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ unworthily.
My prayer intentions this month have changed to include mercy and forgiveness for my “rusty nails” along with Prof. Meyer’s.
God’s blessings to all.
2 August 2008 at 11:00 AM
Practicing Catholic
Steve: Thanks for your comments.
Yes, absolutely, we have all probably received Communion unworthily at one time or another. Certainly receiving Communion while in a state of mortal sin is a sacrilege, probably the gravest of all sins.
But more often, we may guilty of receiving Communion with indifference or lukewarmness. I know there have been times when I’ve pretty much just gone through the motions and received Communion very mechanically, without examining myself, without even considering whether I was worthy or not.
Thank God for Confession! While we shouldn’t dwell on previous, already-confessed sins, it is very important to do our best to make reparation. I think I will join you in doing penances for my own “rusty nails”–great idea!