Satan called. He wants his weather back.
In recent days, I've heard people say, "It's hotter than hell." Of course, I've heard others say they don't believe in hell. Clearly these people have never been to Gillette, Wyoming... or Newark, N.J.
When I was in Taegu as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the 1970s, it was very hot in the summer. I would go into the courtyard (마당) at night and pour a bucket of water over my head. By the time I went indoors I was sweating again. Or when I was a priest in Masan in the 1980s, it was so hot and humid the host would melt to the paten and I had to pry it off with my fingers. It was so soft I couldn't hold it up except with two hands. Now THAT was hotter than hell.
Hell is not so much a place, as a situation. You could be in the most beautiful place on earth, Honolulu, let's say, but if you are surrounded by people you dislike and who dislike you; people who know all your faults and sins and look down on you and ridicule you; then you'd be in hell.
On the other hand, you could be in a totally miserable place (insert your favorite New Jersey city here), but if you are with people you love, who also love you; people who know your faults and weaknesses but love you anyway, then you'd be in heaven.
I have traveled to more than 25 countries, but there is one country where the people truly seemed happy even through they were very poor. Tanzanians are always smiling, even though they don't have iPads...or even iPhones. Many don't even have electricity. Yet they are happy.
I asked a missioner to Tanzania why this was so. He explained that family is more important to them than possessions; and poverty doesn't mean having fewer things than your neighbor, but rather having nothing to show hospitality to a guest. Tanzanians will kill their last chicken in order to make a meal for a visitor and it would be highly insulting for someone to refuse this hospitality. What a missioner would do is accept the meal, and then the next day send over a couple of chicks or eggs in gratitude.
Today we have the parables of the treasure hidden in a field, which a man discovers and reburies, then goes out and sells everything he has in order to buy that field. Does the owner know there is a treasure in his field before he sells it? Wouldn't it be sad and tragic and stupid of the man to realize there is treasure but sell his land anyway because he doesn't appreciate the treasure he has?
What about us? Do we appreciate the treasure we have in our Catholic religion? The treasure of the Eucharist? What would we do to save and protect this treasure?
You all have heard the story of the time I fell into the outhouse (변소) in Korea. Well, when I was in the Peace Corps, one of my friends accidentally dropped his wallet in the outhouse. How much did he value his money, and credit cards and drivers license? Was he willing to put up with a lot of **** to get back what he valued?
Now, in recent years our religion has fallen into a rather disgusting situation. Catholicism's credibility and reputation have been seriously soiled. But inside this is our greatest treasure: the Eucharist. It enables us to live the Gospel and to see Christ in one another. It has the power to turn hell into heaven.
So if you get discouraged or disheartened by the present state of the Church, remember Christ remains with us and gives us the strength to make our world a better place.
When people criticize the Church or make fun of the Church and make your life hell because of the Church, hold your head high and do not be afraid to defend or practice your faith. After all, it's cool to be Catholic.
