Universalism: "Why bother praying, or going to Church, or paying any attention to God at all? Everyone's going to heaven anyway, right?"

My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian witnesses and writers in reflecting on life, encounters, and various situations, in a desire to enhance our understanding of what it means to be a missionary disciple of Jesus Christ at the service of the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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PLEASE NOTE: I've added below a summary quote from the author. 

The Last Judgement, 1865-1866, wood engraving by Gustave Dore

Are all soulsgoing to heaven? Is hell empty... does hell even exist?

Let's be honest here... you have either heard this or you have thought it, at one time or another, right? "Why bother praying, or going to Church, or paying any attention to God at all? Everyone's going to heaven anyway, right?" True confession: I have leaned strongly in that direction at one time or another, and more than once; especially in adolescence. 

These days, I'm having to face it: for decades I found myself surrounded by this very way of thinking. It became clear that we had, as a society, gone through a gate of some kind, or passed a boundary; when I noticed at funerals how just about everyone was thinking their beloved departed was now in a better place, now in heaven with their parents, siblings, and grandparents, and friends, and, yes, with God. These assumptions are actually presumptions: in effect, such beliefs pass judgement on God and often appear in poetic form on bookmark memory cards printed by funeral directors on the back of a photo of the dearly departed. 

Is hell eternal torment or eternal annihilation? 

Then, on vacation, a few bricks hit my glass wall. First, last year, when I came across the book "Hell A Final Word: The Surprising Truths I Found in the Bible" by Edward William Fudge (2012). Among other questions, he searched the Bible and Protestant
Bible commentators to find a consensus on whether after death and judgement unrepentant sinners are annihilated and "destroyed forever", or whether they are punished and "tormented forever". The author had a view, but he honestly admitted that opinions on the issue are apparently divided among interpretations of the Sacred Scriptures in the Reformed perspective.

What has God said to us about it?

This summer, another book came to my attention, "The Hell There Is: An Exploration of an Often-Rejected Doctrine of the Church" written by Msgr. Charles Pope, published in 2025. Here, this author addresses the world outlook called "universalism", whereby people believe that God is too good to send anyone to hell; such that they believe hell is empty except perhaps for Hitler and a few other megalomanicacal mass murderers. 

Pope successfully and eloquently explains that this view denies Jesus' clear and repeated warnings about hell and eternal damnation, and the ways in which people who either rebel blatantly against God, or else, are so attached to favourite sins that they in effect turn away from God. Believing such things about God is in effect creating a god different than our Creator; as He has made Himself known through the Sacred Scriptures. Such views are in effect idolatry. 

He further explains that God only created hell when Lucifer and his rebel angels turned away from God. They being "pure spirits" and not enfleshed as we are, but rather immortal beings; their choice to turn away from God was immediately final and irrevocable. Since they wanted nothing to do with God and his plan for creation and humanity, and because God still loved them as his creatures; God created a "space" for them where - for all eternity - their wish would be honoured and they could be "far away from God". This is hell.

Unlike the immortal angels, we can change and repent while alive on Earth 

We human beings, Pope further explains, are enfleshed. While we are an immortal soul, we are also mortal in the flesh. This means that our choices in time are not yet final or irrevocable; we continue to have both the freedom and opportunity to repent. Still, it is risky to wait, because with time and practice, our sinful ways become more entrenched and repentance becomes more difficult; even unlikely. 

In principle, we can choose daily to turn away from anything that would turn us away from God and his heaven and put us in the direction of hell. It is at the death of our mortal body, once our soul loses this "tool" or "arena" for repentance, that our "dying wish" or choice either for God or for our favourite sins will be finalized and become irrevocable. It is like a clay pot taken from the potter's wheel and put in the kiln; where it is baked at high temperature and can no longer be corrected or changed. Unlike Earth, though, in hell there is no hint of enjoyment, however imperfect it was here.

In between hell and heaven, some may linger in "Purgatory" 

Should we be repentant but still attached to sins, or bad habits, or addictions, and struggle with letting them go; if our clear desire is to obey and love God, in his mercy, God will provide us the opportunity to be "purged" or purified of all that cannot be admitted into God's Presence in heaven. That opportunity is called "Purgatory". We will suffer by not yet being able to be with God, but it will be with the hope of being with Him once we have been purged of our mortal attachments. 

On the other hand, those who remain selfish, self-obsessed, incapable and unwilling to care for or love others or make room for God's will... Jesus made it clear in a number of parables that these will have such horror of God that they will voluntarily go to join Satan and his demons in hell... as far away from God as they can get. Hell, then, is final and without any hope. However, it could be presumptive on our part to put too much reliance on Purgatory, which may become an excuse to remain "comfy" in our sinful attachments and put off making the effort to repent and seek to become "more perfect" as Jesus commands us to do. The author makes the point that lingering too long in sin may make it unlikely for a soul to ever repent, which sets its course on hell rather than heaven. 

Now, after all these years, I finally understand why so many people no longer go to worship God in church on Sunday, no longer pray, no longer care about spiritual things, and have no use or patience with others who are different or have nothing to offer them. Since they don't believe the reality of hell, and are oblivious to their risk of ending up in that hell misery with demons for eternity; they don't see their need to be saved. They don't see their need for God's mercy and forgiveness; nor their need to change and repent. They neither want to change nor to be told what to do. God will grant their final wish.

God, our loving Father, is willing and ready, even eager to extend his mercy to them and forgive them, restore his friendship with them. The tragedy is that they don't care, don't want, don't ask. God will leave them here, perhaps undistinguishable, among human society as weeds remained among the wheat in Jesus' parable until the harvest. Then, God's angels will come and root them out and cast them into the eternal lake of fire with the devil and his demons for all eternity. They didn't want God on Earth; God will not impose Himself on them in eternity, but because He still loves them, He will honour their final wish and choice.

Please feel free to pass this on to family, friends, neighbours, co-workers, fellow students... to all and to anyone... so that the Holy Spirit might use these words to wake up those who are asleep on the assembly line leading to a perilous drop into the abyss of hell.

Lord, have mercy on us and on all of humanity. 

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In chapter 9, the author recalls "Hell Exists Because God Respects Human Freedom"; "Not All Want What God Offers"; "God Is Not Angry"; "Are We Free and Knowledgeable Enough to Choose Hell?" (The author answers "Yes, we are."); "Hell Is for the Unrepentant"; "A Sin Against the Holy Spirit": Despair, Presumption, Impugning the Known Truth; Obstinacy in Sin, and Final Impenitence.

In his Epilogue, he sums up all that he has found:

"In times like these, when the doctrine of hell is all but excluded from the minds of most, even among many pious Catholics, what are we to do? Strongly connected to the rejection of the biblical teachings on hell is the trivializing and 'taming' of God. He is, for too many, merely kind rather than immensely holy and glorious beyond telling. There is little notion that we must be utterly transformed and perfected to attain the glory that is our future and destiny if we are faithful unto the end. As noted previously, Scripture says, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb 10:31). And again, it says we must "Strive for the holiness, without which no one will see the Lord" (Heb 12:14).

A proper balance must be restored to us, which trusts God's mercy but acknowledges how very much we need it; a balance which knows and experiences God's love but which also holds Him in awe and deep reverence. This virtuous balance is what Scripture calls "the fear of the Lord." The fear of the Lord holds God in awe and reverently loves Him. It dreads offending Him and anything that might separate us from Him. Ideally, it is rooted in deep gratitude and love, which fears to offend Him because of His goodness to us. In those who are less spiritually mature, it may well include the servile fear of punishment. But at its best, it manifests as an excited and joyful reverence in God's presence, amazed at His glory and humbly aware of our need for His grace and mercy.

To fear the Lord is also to accept His teaching without reserve, even if it puzzles us or causes alarm. The Lord Jesus loves us more than we can ever know and is rich in mercy, but He expects to be taken seriously. The gift of the fear of the Lord must therefore be sought by us and cherished. Without it we too easily trivialize the Lord and accept him only on our terms. It is true, Jesus is the Lover of our souls, He has borne our sins, and opened to us the ocean of His mercy. But this same Jesus spoke to us very plainly of the reality of Hell. He also teaches us that we are very fickle and perverse of heart. Take Him seriously in these matters! In holy fear and deep revernce listen to what He is saying and be urgent about the salvation of souls, starting with your own. A Day of Judgement is coming for all of us, and the choice is ours: "And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, butmen loved thedarkness rather than the Light" (Jn 3:19).

Be urgent and choose wisely, fellow sinner. Listen to Jesus and come to the light. Respectful of our freedom, He knocks at our door and waits joyfully and expectantly for us to open. You are free to choose, but you are not free not to choose."

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My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian witnesses and writers in reflecting on life, encounters, and various situations, in a desire to enhance our understanding of what it means to be a missionary disciple of Jesus Christ at the service of the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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© 2004-2026 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2004-2026 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

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A summer reflexion on Christian Marriage and Family Life

I have observed many families over the 43 years since my ordination. There was a young family in which they were both professionals, but it was the mother who spoke with their 4 children. When they wouldn't listen, she spoke again, but more softly instead of louder. She usually didn't have to repeat again. Her authority was a combination of factors: the children learned that whenever they didn't listen, there were always consequences for them. Secondly, they were confident that their mother loved them but was serious in discipline for their own good. Third, their father was soft-spoken, but he always backed up their mother, and if he ever disagreed with her, it was never for the children to hear or observe. They were united. 

In another family with 8 children, again it was the mother who, being most often at home, disciplined the children. Whenever a teenager disupted her, disagreed, was disagreeable, or resisted, her response was a gentle "Excuse me!" If resistance or misbehaviour continued - opposite to the other mother above - she raised her voice a little: "Excuse me!" She rarely had to do it a third time, and never a fourth time. She obviously also did not spare her children the consequences. The father sometimes teased his wife in the presence of the children, but always affectionately, and always backing up her decisions and discipline. They were united. 

The importance cannot be overstated of the need that children have to observe and know that their parents are united; that there is no division between their parents that they can exploit or that can cause them to feel insecure or worried or angry with them. 
When parents disagree in front of their children, they learn that it is okay to have disputes, and so they feel free to have disputes among themselves but also with their parents. They learn that this is how we do it in this family. 

When the mother speaks but her words have no visible effect in the father, this couple are teaching their children that the mother's words are irrelevant, and they can ignore her.
When the father speaks but his words have no visible effect in the mother, this couple are teaching their children that the father's words are irrelevant, and they can ignore him.
What is the worst that can happen if you disagree with your spouse, but commit yourself to support her / him and immediately agree with him / her in front of the children? "You heard your mother; do as she says." "You heard your father; do as he says." 

If she was wrong, then everyone will realize that it was not the best decision or policy, and they will complain. Then, both parents can reply that, yes, it might have been better another way, but at the time, this was the best decision, and as your parents, we agreed. Life is like that and it does not always go the way we want. We all need to learn to accept that and make the best of it; otherwise, our life will always be divisive, complaining, and miserable. We need to learn to give up what we want in order to get along with others in life. This is an essential lesson to learn, and that is why your mother and I teach you these things; we love you and want you to learn to give yourself discipline; so that you can learn to love God and to love your neighbour as yourself. 

If he was wrong, then everyone will realize that it was not the best decision or policy, and they will complain. Then, both parents can reply that, yes, it might have been better another way, but at the time, this was the best decision, and as your parents, we agreed. Life is like that and it does not always go the way we want. We all need to learn to accept that and make the best of it; otherwise, our life will always be divisive, complaining, and miserable. We need to learn to give up what we want in order to get along with others in life. This is an essential lesson to learn, and that is why your father and I teach you these things; we love you and want you to learn to give yourself discipline; so that you can learn to love God and to love your neighbour as yourself. 

It is only the pagans who say: "This is the way I am, and I cannot change; you must accept me as I am." This is a world view, a view of life, that puts ME at the center of the universe. This is the perspective of the original sin, the broken human condition, from which Jesus came to rescue and redeem us. 

God saw the mess that we human beings were making of life and the world, and He sent his Son to become one of us, by the Holy Spirit, who conceived Him in Mary, who gave Him birth, and she and Joseph named him Jesus, an name which means "God saves". He came first of all to live our life, which He did for 30 years, working as a carpenter in Nazareth, after having been a refugee with his parents when He was an infant and they had to escape to Egypt. 

Then, when He began his public ministry, He opened up for us the ways of the Father, which are also his ways, the "ways of the Lord", in the Kingdom of God. Jesus demonstrated for us a "new life" which opens up for us and in us through Baptism. We have been adopted by God our Father and Creator. He is ever with us, dwelling within us through Jesus, by the power of Divine Love, which is the Holy Spirit. Our choice every moment of every day is to accept our adoption and desire to cultivate this relationship of divine adoption, by seeking always the Father's will - as Jesus did and demonstrated - putting aside our own will. St. Paul taught and wrote that God's wisdom seems to human beings to be foolish, but his weakness is stronger than our strength. 

22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength." See the whole passage in 1 Corinthians 1:14-31. 

In marriage, your spouse gives you opportunity to set aside your own will by making room for hers / his. When this is difficult, this is the cross Jesus calls us to pick up and carry in order to follow Him as his disciple. This new way of life makes us different from pagans, from all human beings stuck only in this visible, practical, broken world. Surrendering one's life to the other is how we share in Jesus' Passion and Death; just as He surrendered his life into the Father's hands, that the Father's will might be done. Jesus accepted to apparently fail his mission, from a human point of view, in order that the Father's plan might be accomplished. 

What was that plan? To demonstrate to humanity for all time what the love of God is truly like: God is the only being in the universe who, by definition, gives his own Self. God is a divine self-bestowing Being. We are called to attempt, day by day, to also give our whole self to one another; holding nothing back. This is what makes Marriage, Matrimony, a sacrament. 

From a human point of view, this is impossible, but by God's grace, by the power of God dwelling within us and infusing divine love and power within us, the impossible becomes possible. When this happens, it gives glory to God, and we become God's instruments in his divine work of salvation; making life new, making humanity new, making the world new. This is what it means to be and to live as a Christian, a disciple of Jesus. 

Most of the time, all we can do is offer God our poverty, weakness, sinfulness, and failure; but this is how we give God permission to manifest in us, within the real circumstances of our life, his divine power to save. When St. Paul complained to God about his weakness, this is the answer he received from the Lord: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power[c] is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

Glory be to God. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.... 

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My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian witnesses and writers in reflecting on life, encounters, and various situations, in a desire to enhance our understanding of what it means to be a missionary disciple of Jesus Christ at the service of the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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© 2004-2026 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2004-2026 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

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From what seemed for a long time like blissful neglect, clergy today are at risk of suffering too much attention. As the world changes; so too does the Church.

My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian witnesses and writers in reflecting on life, encounters, and various situations, in a desire to enhance our understanding of what it means to be a missionary disciple of Jesus Christ at the service of the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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Who am I?

As a seminarian, I was deeply moved and inspired by Jesus' Easter encounter with the two discouraged disciples walking on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. A dear friend, who is now with the Lord, sketched the incident in the above illustration as the visual theme for my ordination to hte priesthood. I've been a priest serving in my home diocese now for going on 43 years. For most of that time, we priests lived through what could be called blissful neglect: blissful in that one could be happy not to draw too much attention to oneself, to one's ministry or lifestyle. Not eliciting much attention could be a sign of a ministry that is fruitful and a lifestyle that is holy; although that may not necessarily be the case.

The fundamental principle of "subsidiarity"

As a young priest, I heard stories told by our elders about "being called in by the bishop", which was generally not good news. Either one had "stepped out of line" or the bishop was about to "demote" one to a less important assignment, or else promote one to a more demanding assignment. One elderly priest related how the bishop called him in, as a relatively young priest, to confide in him the important assignment of establishing a new parish. He was both terrified and exhilarated, and flattered. What the bishop omitted to tell him was that six months later, his territory was part of a region separated from his home diocese to become part of a new diocese. He was cut off from all his friends. 

Thus it was deemed a good thing to remain "under the radar" of the bishop's observations or those of his officers. Most of the formation needed by priests was dispensed and acquired "on the job" and under the wings usually of an experienced pastor and, subsequently, a mentor. The Church functioned generally smoothly as each person exercised fully the responsibility that was theirs, at their "level", not trying to "micromanage" those under them, nor disrupting the responsibility of those "above" them, or supervising them. This was known, and still is, as the "principle of subsidiarity", the way in which the Lord Jesus shares his authority and power to serve throughout the Church, among both clergy and laity. 

The new buzzword "new evangelization"

Among those just a little older and more experienced, I often heard other priests complain that they did not feel supported by the bishop, that the bishop and his offices were "grinding out too much" material, all designed to give priests and parishes "more work". There was talk about mobilizing "the new evangelization" but not much in the way of suggestions about how to do it. There were monthly or so meetings organized by geographic region or, in our case, among the English speaking clergy, which included deacons and their wives and others with pastoral mandates from the bishop. We were generally left to our own devices locally but also encouraged to engage in "coresponsibility", that is, to proactively collaborate among ourselves and especially with the laity. 

Another new buzzword "coresponsibility"

After a few decades of encouragement to engage in this coresponsibility - as opposed to the clericalism whereby priests insist everyone knows they are "in charge" - these regional meetings were abolished and somewhat replaced by something resembling a "deanery meeting" but not in the canonical definition of anything usually designated by this term. It was and is for us just a meeting of priests with our director who serve in English. 

Nothing much has changed in the past four decades regarding any "attention" we might have or not on the part of our bishop with the exception that in our case, we have enjoyed having an episcopal vicar and an office director closer to us than anything the rest of the clergy may have enjoyed. At times, both functions have been served by the same person, sometimes an auxiliary bishop. At other times, the functions have been invested in two different persons, including a lay woman. We've had more than one, and they have all been remarkably competent, caring, and effective.

No real reports or work reviews in the Church

The Church here has operated differently than the world of work. A wonderfully competent lady, who became our friend, was hired from the world of work where she had been in H.R., i.e. "human resources" services in the business world. She explained how in the business world people apply for a position, must submit a C.V., i.e. a curriculum vitae, undergo one or more interviews, be hired on probation, undergo evaluations at 3, 6, and 12 months, and have to wait before being vetted for any kind of permanent status. In this environment, workers never get away from having to make regular reports and undergo evaluations, and work under the certainty of constantly being observed, tested, and assessed. 

Anyone wanting to take over their position can lodge complaints against them, which requires them to be ever ready to give an account for their performance, behaviour, and attitudes. Perhaps some wealthy dioceses in the world have introduced such workplace practices among church workers, but I haven't heard of anything like it in Canada.

The new age of the "ombudsman"

There has been one very dramatic change in our local church world, and that has been the attention given to "underage and vulnerable persons", which was prompted by the worldwide awakening to cases of abuse perpetrated by a few deranged clergymen on innocent children or vulnerable women or elderly persons. Since priority has been given to "responsible pastoral ministry" for the protection of those who are or may be vulnerable, i.e. potential victims, formation has been given to all those who work with people in the name of the Church, as well as police checks and other filters in order to reduce to a minimum the risks of exposing the vulnerable to potential predators. This is only right and just, but requiring dramatic changes.

Further mechanisms have been put in place to initiate rapid responses to complaints and red flags indicating potential harm to the vulnerable. There can be no doubt that one would find a wide range of credibility and gravity among such complaints, from simple human relations or personality conflicts to out and out crimes of abuse and violence. In principle, those invested with authority to manage and operate these mechanisms are able to "sort all these complaints out" in order to apply to each one the appropriate response and remedy. 

However, human nature being what it is, what happens when the distinction between a simple personality conflict and a violent crime is not so clear? Moreover, is any scrutiny applied to those who formulate those complaints; given that they too are human beings and quite capable of exaggerating or even outright lying, or perhaps even setting out on a jealous rampage or thirsting for revenge?

Ambiguous consequences of sanctions

When sanctions are deemed necessary, or at the very least a preliminary investigation, action is at times taken to remove a priest from his ministry, or place of work, or even his place of residence. Apparently, in such cases very little information is given to the priest himself; let alone to the people whom he had until that precise moment been ministering. They, like he, are left mostly in the dark and left to suffer the worst scenarious their imaginations can conjure up. That would be bad enough were the uncertainty to last a few weeks, but when it extends into months and even years, the harm done can be incalculable; both to the priest - especially if he turns out to be mostly innocent - and for the people.

What about the "observer effect"?

Zoologists, people studying wildlife, have been prowling about the wilds of Planet Earth for centuries, but it is only relatively recently that they have become aware of the effects that their very presence actually has on that wildlife, and that they have taken measures to mitigate that effect or influence. Here is a quote from AI in answer to the question: 

"When did zoologists become aware of the effect even observing wildlife was having on the wildlife?"

AI Overview

Zoologists and naturalists began to develop an awareness of the observer effect in wildlife studies during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with formal recognition and mitigation strategies becoming standard in the 1960s to 1980s. While early naturalists understood that studying animals required long-term observation, the understanding that the presence of the observer itself altered behavior—a concept similar to the "Hawthorne effect"—developed as ethology matured into a scientific discipline. National Institutes of Health (.gov)

Is there an "observer effect" from actions taken by leadership?

For those placed under preliminary or extended investigation by church authorities and, for the duration of those investigations, when they are removed from their specific ministry, or from all ministry, and / or from their place of residence; what effect do these actions have on them in the first few weeks? In subsequent months? What about years? Beyond those under investigation, what effects may be observed in the people who had become familiar with those priests; whether they appreciated them and their ministry or not?

We can easily imagine how such a priest, living in some degree of suspended living, might feel consigned to some sort of "acquarium or terrarium", with all eyes turned to him, and a sense of being unable to extricate himself from such a very difficult and helpless situation. The season in life in which he finds himself will generate very specific questions. His state of health will also generate other questions, interacting with those first questions.

How long will this situation last? What is he to do during the investigation with his capacity and need to work? How does he recover, if possible, from the damage to his circles of relationships? If he turns out to be guilty of human relations or human resources blunders; how does he recover and move on? If he is guilty of a crime; then of course he will have to endure the consequences. Wherever and whenever he may have harmed anyone, he will want to atone and repair, but he may or may not be able to do so under the circumstances or timeline. 

What about parish communities of faith? How do they make sense of such developments, particularly when they happen suddenly, as if in the shadows of the night? How do they maintain their trust in the Church leadership and their faith in the Church herself as the Bride of Christ? What happens to their trust in the Church's shepherds generally and in the chief shepherd in particular? There are many questions but few answers; since we seem to be in a time of experimentation forced upon us by a serious crisis. The crisis is real and worldwide. Sadly, so are all the intended and unintended consequences of all of our actions; including the "observer effect". 

Lord, we are your Church; have mercy on us.

We very much need to renew our confidence in the Lord, the Most Holy Trinity, and in Jesus as our One Lord and Saviour. Lord, have mercy on us all. Mary, Mother of God and of the Church, intercede for us. We desperately need your motherly protection and love.

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My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian witnesses and writers in reflecting on life, encounters, and various situations, in a desire to enhance our understanding of what it means to be a missionary disciple of Jesus Christ at the service of the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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© 2004-2026 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2004-2026 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

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Humanity is a mess... Part 2 - How much of human suffering results from previous trauma, our own, and that of parents, grandparents, relatives, and others?

My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian witnesses and writers in reflecting on life, encounters, and various situations, in a desire to enhance our understanding of what it means to be a missionary disciple of Jesus Christ at the service of the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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A continuation of the reflection begun in a previous post: 
Humanity is a mess... Part 1 - What exactly has God our Creator been doing about it all these past 14 billion years?

"A man who lives at peace suspects no one. But a man who is tense and agitated by enil is troubled with all kinds of suspicions; he is never at peace with himself, nor does he permit others to be at peace. He often speaks when he should be silent, and he fails to say what would be truly useful. He is well aware of the obligations of others but neglects his own. so be zealous first of all with yourself, and then you will be more justified in expressing zeal for your neighbour. You are good at excusing and justifying your own deeds, and yet you will not listen to the excuses of otehrs. It would be more just to accuse yourself and to excuse your brother., I f you wish others to put up with you, first put up with them.        From The Imitation of Christ by St. Thomas à Kempis (England 1418-1427) 

Of what importance is this old writing?

This very thoughtful and spiritual book was first published in Medieval Latin and then translated into English. The above quotation is from the second reading in the Office of Readings of the Liturgy of the Hours for Tuesday in the second week of Advent. It has come at an opportune time; when I feel overwhelmed by all that is reported in the news, or not reported, of events among the many societies of humanity all over our Planet Earth in this year of Our Lord 2025; which is rapidly winding to its end.

It is easy to judge, more difficult to understand.

It seems so natural and easy for us to draw hasty conclusions or to pass judgements about the hordes of peope we see and hear as they are reported in the news; isn't it? That may be because it takes little or no effort for us to look at the world through the prism of our own experience and perspective; as though the experience and perspective of others was irrelevant, but it isn't, is it? What other people have experienced before and what they experience today has a great bearing on how they will act, does it not?

What the hell is going on today?

Some life events have a much heavier impact on us than others; so, out of curiosity, I did an internet search on severe traumas. Since much of what affects us Canadians comes from the U.S.A. or is their experience; what I came up with is that 70% of American adults have or will experience severe trauma in their lifetimes. In addition, the major currents in American society would seem to favour the wealthy and influential and exclude everyone else. Consider the difficult access to or high costs of housing, food, clothing, medical and social services, justice and legal action, and all manner of "consumer products". There are obvious signs of manipulation of the rest of us by the wealthy and influential: consider only such factors as price fixing and the algorithms used in advertising and social media. This was event true before various applications of AI "turbo-charged" the Internet. 

Vast hordes of people suffer invisibly due to traumas....

This would seem to imply that very few children and youth, if any, escape the fallout of all that trauma, inequality, injustice, and exploitation. We can see some rather tangible fallout in the forms of addictions, marriage and family breakdowns, relational upheaval, identity confusion, inability to make commitments or decisions, social withdrawal, political and labour conflicts, and the various forms of disintegration of health: in our bodies, minds, and spirits.

What are we to do? What is God doing? 

The first question organically generated within us, in light of all that is happening everywhere, may be: "What can I possibly do about all of this? What can I possibly do for myself, for my family, for my marriage? A second question, but perhaps more crucial or important for our mental, spiritual, and physical health may be: "What is God doing about all of this?" 

There is no common measure or comparison....

Recently, I have seen up close how much confusion, stress, and hardship people endure from a simple move. From our relatively comfortable existence here in North America, it is difficult, if not impossible to imagine to what degree and intensity human life is changed and even destroyed by any number of traumatic experiences: conflicts and war, financial and economic ruin, dramatic climate changes, violent tectonic and volcanic events, and extreme storms; radiation and other forms of pollution, and so on. It has become common knowledge how traumatic events have caused various forms of dependency and the disruption of married and family life; as well as severe or chronic medical conditions. Such widespread misery has deep impacts on how people live and behave today.

The great and lasting value of Advent and Christmas....

This is no doubt why the Advent and Christmas seasons are of such value. While common sense might indicate that human beings are helpless at the hands of these huge events and impacts; God has an entirely different view of life. What we consider closed or locked, God opens; what we consider failed or useless, God transforms; what we consider weak, God empowers; what we consider dead, God raises up; what we consider hopeless, God renews. 

The People of Israel expected a warrior king to free them from the Romans; instead, God gave his only begotten Son to come among us as one of us, Jesus; so that He might set us free from sin, despair, and all forms of evil, misery, and even death. By coming among us as a helpless Baby, Jesus teaches that God prefers to make use of our weakness and helplessness; rather than our prowess. All we need to do is to embrace what we are and invite Him to empower us. As we do that through these Advent days, God stirs up within us hope, peace, joy, and love.... As we pass from December 16th to 17th... can you begin to hear bells? They are the little bells on the donkey Mary is riding, as Joseph takes her from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the Roman census.... These 9 days are the first novena... the first 9-day journey of faith in silence and prayer.... "Come, Lord Jesus!" 

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My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian witnesses and writers in reflecting on life, encounters, and various situations, in a desire to enhance our understanding of what it means to be a missionary disciple of Jesus Christ at the service of the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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© 2004-2025 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2004-2025 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

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Humanity is a mess... Part 1 - What exactly has God our Creator been doing about it all these past 14 billion years?

My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian witnesses and writers in reflecting on life, encounters, and various situations, in a desire to enhance our understanding of what it means to be a missionary disciple of Jesus Christ at the service of the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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Due to cyber threats from hackers and criminal use of AI, all my voice recordings have been deleted. Phone calls are also a threat: wait for callers to identify themselves... do not let criminals record your voice by speaking first. Contact me.

A thumbnail sketch of what God is doing in our universe, from the clues He has given us in the Jewish Scriptures and the Christian Scriptures, called the New Testament. 

From the beginning....

Before the universe existed, from all eternity (which we mortals cannot imagine or understand) God alone existed and lived - the Most Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - in perfect union and harmony of love; complete in themselves. 

At some point beyond our knowing, God created angelic beings, pure spirits, out of his love and generosity; granting them to participate in his work of creation which He was about to do. When He revealed to the angels his plan of Creation, that He would create mortal human beings capable of friendship with Him; some angels rebelled out of pride, not wanting these mortals to rise higher with God than them.

Between 13 and 14 billion years ago, God created the universe. Only this past century, astronomers have discovered that it all began in a powerful point of light called "the big bang" or explosion; from which developed stars, galaxies, planets, and all the other phenomena now obervable in the universe. In the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Torah, God testifies that God said: "Let there be light!" His all-powerful word brought the universe into being as his Creation.

In time, some 4.543 billion years ago, according to astronomers, our Planet Earth came into existence: with land, oceans, and living things on the earth, in the seas, and in the air. When the time was right, God created human beings with spirits and freedom capable of entering into God's friendship; which was his freely given gift. As we all come to know on approaching adulthood, our freedom needs to be put to the test; so that it may not remain automatic but become truly chosen and authentic.

What exactly happened to the first human beings?

God our Creator therefore allowed the human beings recently created to be put to the test, and He allowed the rebel angel leader to bring the test; which took the form of a temptation. This having happened before recorded history, we don't know exactly what form the test took. 

However, again in the Book of Genesis, God revealed to humanity through the inspired authors that our first ancestors were blessed by God with all things good. God told the man, whom He created first, that he could enjoy all the fruits of the garden except the fruit of a single tree: the tree of the "knowledge of good and evil". In biblical language, knowledge means the full and complete experience of a thing; such as a husband "knowing" his wife, as a result of which she becomes pregnant with a new life. Simply put, God told the man that if he insisted on having experience of anything evil, he would die. Fine; no problem. 

Then, Genesis relates, God created woman because the man felt lonely with no other creature like himself. He was dazzled when God presented the woman to him, and they were happy with each other's company and friendship, and in God's friendship; which was expressed by Genesis in them walking with God in the garden everyday. Then came the test. The rebel angel leader took a deceptive form as a serpent. As a clever generail on the field of battle, he approached this first human couple and brought to bear his attack on their weakest point.

The tempter did not consider the woman the weakest point because she was woman; we all know that women have strength that men don't have. No, she was the weakest point because the man had heard directly from God the warning not to experience anything evil; that is, not to eat the fruit of the tree of the "knowledge of good and evil"; or they would die. The man told the woman about this; so, she knew, but only indirectly from the man, not from God Himself. 

First round - the tempter: “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?”We don't know what "evil thing" the tempter proposed to the woman, but we do know she put up a valiant defense: "God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’” Round one goes to the woman. Second round: “You will not die; 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,[a] knowing good and evil.” Thinking it a good thing to become wise, she went for it and experienced that evil thing; whatever it was. Round two went to the devil who overcame the woman.

Round three: Wanting to share her discovery with the man, the woman brought to him this "evil experience or knowledge"; whatever it was. This was the man's test. Did he act to protect and defend her and remind her of what God had said? No, he did not; he simply went along with that evil experience; whatever it was. Round three went to the devil who overcame the man. Round four: As a result of their first experience of something evil; the man and woman suddenly found themselves ashamed of their nakedness. This had never been a problem for them before. When it was time for their daily walk in the garden with God; they hid themselves. They could have gone running to God and confessed their error and asked his forgiveness, but they did not; they tried to hide it instead. Round four went to the devil as they both failed.

Round five: Of course, God noticed their concealment and questioned them, beginning with the man, then the woman, and finally, the devil in the form of the serpent. Sadly, the man didn't stand and take responsibility for his behaviour - for going along with the temptation and for failing to defend and protect the woman - instead, he merely passed the buck and blamed her. In her turn, being "thrown under the truck by the man", she too passed the buck and blamed the devil / serpent. We can imagine the devil being quite pleased with his performance and showing no regret or remorse; fallen angels seem to be incapable or unwilling to regret or repent, which puts them well beyond the possibility of being saved.

There are always consequences....

There stood the man and the woman, unrepentant, before God our Creator. There was norhing for it but for God to explain what consequences would result for them; which they would not be able to avoid. Since they had broken trust with God, in effect believing the lie of the tempter that God could not be trusted; the man and woman were out of sync not only with the Creator, but also with his Creation, and with each other. We all suffer these consequences throughout our lives, but in Genesis God told the consequences in a symbolic form for each.

The man, being particularly robust and equipped to cultivate the earth, with a propensity to make plans for the cultivation of the garden entrusted to him by God our Creator; now found himself out of sync with the creation, with nature. This natural world would resist his efforts to cultivate it. He would earn his bread by the sweat of his brow, and instead of producing lovely fruit, the earth would put forth thorns and thistles. The man would ever be frustrated in his work and be insecure with respect to the world, work, and his ambitious plans.

The woman, being more alert and designed to cultivate relationships, to give and nurture life; now found herself out of sync with her partner, with the other being like herself. As a result, she would have doubts about herself and about her relations, and in her insecurity, she would grasp or cling to the man; but being insecure himself, he would react badly and quell her outreach or even dominate her. The woman would be ever insecure within herself, with respect to her relationships, and her ability to give and nurture life.

God's problem and challenge....

As a result of the test put to human freedom, God our Creator had lost the humans' trust, and they / we had lost their / our willingness to trust in God. How could God our Creator possibly win back the humans' trust? All of human history, and God's sacred history with his People as shown in the Jewish Scriptures, makes it clear that the only strategy that actually works is: "one person at a time". No grand schemes to win back our trust have ever worked.

1st Covenant - the Garden: with a human couple - Adam and Eve - that didn't go well... their son Cain murdered his brother Abel out of jealousy because he seemed closer to God.

2nd Covenant - the Rainbow: with a family - Noah and his wife, their three sons and their wives. It went well enough with this first generation, but the successive generations did not know God personally, or were not interested; so this didn't go very far either. Their descendants built the Tower of Babel in their proud ambition to reach heaven without God and instead rival God, compete with God, by their own efforts. This turned out badly.  

3rd Covenant - Circumcision: with a tribe - Abraham and Sarah, their son, grandsons, and great grandsons and all their wives and children. God always keeps his promises: from Ishmael came the Arabic peoples, and from Isaac came the Hebrew people of the Covenant. This Covenant went pretty well until after a few centuries in Egypt; when their prosperity turned into slavery at the hands of the Egyptians, who became afraid of the Hebrews. 

4th Covenant - the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments: with a nation: Israel. By now, Abraham's tribe through his son Isaac had become a nation, and it was time for God to make a new covenant with this nation, which had in prosperity lost its way, lost its relationship with God. They had even lost a sense of right and wrong in their struggle for survival under the bitter yoke of slavery. For more than a millennium after Moses, the people of Israel went on a roller coaster ride - from generation to generation - with one generation knowing God personally and loving Him and walking in his ways, but the next generation not knowing God personally and getting lost amid the other nations and cultures in the world around them. 

During this millennium - from sometime between the 15th and 13th century BCE until the coming of Jesus of Nazareth - the People of Israel experienced different stages: (1) Period of the Judges: The people followed the leader chosen by God: Moses and then Joshua, and a series of Judges; (2) Period of the monarchy - The First Temple: This was when the people demanded a king like the other nations around them; (3) A kingdom divided: God warned the people that demanding a king was a rejection of God, a refusal to trust and obey Him. As a result, bad kings caused the kingdom to divide in two: Judah in the south and Israel / Samaria in the north. (4) Period of the prophets: God sent his people prophets to guide them, but the people resisted, the kings refused to follow the prophets' advice. The two kingdoms were conquered by nations from what is now Syria, Iraq, and Turkey, and the upper class were taken into exile as slaves. (5) Period of the Exile and the return - The Second Temple: God raised up a pagan king / emperor who released the Hebrews, the People of Judah and Israel, from their slavery and allowed them to return to their land and rebuild their Temple. (6) The Greek and Roman Empires - a period producing more wisdom literature and the translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek: The Jewish People now had two cultural centers: Hebrew in Palestine and Greek in Egypt. (7) Persecution and messianic hopes arising, beginning with the Macchabees: A nunber of devotional movements arose, all looking forward to the coming of the Messiah to be sent by God to save his people. 

God's long-term plan....

At this point, it's good to remember that from the beginning, all that God our Creator ever wanted, was to extend to human beings his friendship; having created us capable of friendship with Him and endowed with the authentic freedom which, alone, renders true friendship possible. As God went through the various Covenants: a couple, a family, a tribe, and a nation, God's aim was always to reach all of humanity. He wanted his Chosen People to be a Light to the Nations. Here is a passage from the Prophet Isaiah 42:5-9.

5 "Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: 6 I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, 7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 8 I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give to no other,

    nor my praise to idols. 9 See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them."

In some ways, they were and are a light to the nations - like the unique gift of the Ten Commandments, but in other ways, not so much. After all, we are only human and mortal. 

Then came Yeshua, Jesus of Nazareth....

5th Covenant - the Cross and Jesus the Risen Lord: with all of humanity: Matthew in his Gospel records the following words of Jesus of Nazareth: Mt 5:17 

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill." At the age of 30, Jesus launched into preaching in public, and by the grace of God, accompanying his preaching with signs and wonders, miracles of healing and even raising the dead. In short, Jesus claimed to be God's own Son. At C.S. Lewis, the English author put it: Jesus was either crazy, or a liar, or he was exactly who he claimed to be." Those are the only logical possibilities of interpretation of his claims. So, God is still wanting those who know and love Him to bring his divine light to the nations, to all of humanity.

It is possible for all human beings to be attentive to the Spirit of the living God whispering within their own spirit and guiding them, and to obey this guidance and live as authentic human beings: caring for the Garden of Nature, our common home, being kind and generous to others, caring for the poor, the sick, the injured, and the exploited. Some people, who claim to be atheists or agnostics, do in fact rise to this level of philanthropy. 

The reason we baptized even infants is in obedience to Jesus' call to make disciples for Him who will come to know God personally, love and serve Him, and become beacons of God's divine Light to the nations. We join their parents, godparents, and their whole blended family in praying to God for the new disciples; that they may grow in the knowledge and love of God as they grow and develop in humanity and become a fully human person in all that they will say and do. 

Matthew 28:18-20    18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

In what ways may God our Creator shine his divine Light in us?

to be continued soon....

 

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My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian witnesses and writers in reflecting on life, encounters, and various situations, in a desire to enhance our understanding of what it means to be a missionary disciple of Jesus Christ at the service of the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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© 2004-2025 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2004-2025 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

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