Friday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time

A barn swallow swoops over Lake Mount Saint Francis

 Lectionary: 435

Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Now it is of course required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.

Saint Paul assumes as a given that stewards should be found trustworthy. A steward is, after all, an employee, one who is appointed to manage the affairs and holdings of an owner. Not even a madman would hire someone he doesn't trust as a steward. 

Someone asked me recently about the plandemic. The theory is that the Chinese or the American Army or some other diabolical agent intentionally created the Covid-19 virus to wreak havoc in the United States and, incidentally, the whole world. The so-called "planned pandemic" is one of innumerable conspiracy theories popular in the entertainment/infoworld. 

I replied with a story which I understand is true. "You remember the great controversy when Coca-Cola decided to change its recipe somewhere back in the 1980's. The new product tasted more like Pepsi Cola. The innovation immediately aroused a universal storm of protest and a rush on the supermarkets. Millions of Coca-aholics bought out the entire market of the older product, and many people refused to buy the new product. 

"Finally, Coca-Cola announced they would restore the "Classic Coke" while continuing to market the "New Coke." And the Classic is still with us. 

"Pepsi-Cola and others wondered if this was all a plan, a conspiracy, to generate publicity and promote Coca-Cola. As Dolly Parton once said, "There's no such thing as bad press." 

"Coca-Cola replied, 'We're not that smart. It was a marketting error, perhaps the biggest of all time.'" 

(That's as I remember the story. I'm sure there are other versions.) My reply to conspiracy theories in general: "Nobody is that smart." 

I believe in truth and I support those religious and secular authorities -- "stewards" -- whom I believe know, love, and serve the truth. I trust men and women who know the truth is infinitely deeper, wider, higher, and broader than themselves. No one knows the whole truth but everyone is called to be known by the truth. In service of the truth, we wait, hope, and pray for inspiration and revelation. We know we can be wrong because we have often been wrong in the past. Nor do we mind admitting it. 

We use science to discover facts but all the facts in the world do not add up to truth. For knowledge of the truth we depend upon God's revelation. Very often we can admit to ourselves and others that we do not know the truth; we must wait for the cloud of unknowing to dissipate and for clarity to emerge. 

Anyone who believes solely in his grasp of the truth, his hunches, is clearly a fool. Those who trust this person as a leader are seriously deluded; they will be led to madness. Nor should they suppose he can be used for their own worthy purposes; for instance, the suppression of abortion. A bad tree can only bear bad fruit. 

I pray during this election year that those entrusted with authority will prove themselves worthy before God and the electorate as lovers of the truth. I pray that an honest electorate will prove itself worthy of good leaders. 

On this day in 1971, Father Don Adamski and I made our solemn vows as Franciscan friars in Saint Louis, Missouri. Please pray for us.