Where is your brother Abel?

The terrible depths to which humanity sinks can be found as early as the first book of the Bible, Genesis. While I do not interpret scripture literally, the divinely-inspired story exemplifies a great problem in the world today.

8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

9 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?"
"I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"

Lesson 1: Giving God a sarcastic answer is probably not a good idea. More importantly though, like Cain, God asks us the same question. Where is your brother Abel?

Think on this. Whom do we put off, thinking that they are not our responsibility. About whom do we answer God, "Am I my brother's keeper?"

Here are some examples of Abel in our lives:

1. Human rights victims in countries like China or Sudan
2. Underpaid factory workers in developing nations
3. That kid at the other lunch table who no one sits with

So, what do Chinese prison occupants, Indonesian Nike employees, and that kid with no lunch money have in common? A lack of lunch would probably be a common theme, but there is a more important connection: The system tells us it is okay to disregard these individuals.

The system relies on our ignorance, and our fear of responsibility. It tells us that we have the right to get ahead of everyone else, that we are entitled to the best of the best. With that mentality, starving people thousands of miles away matter less to us. "It is unfortunate for them," we might say, " but at least I managed to get ahead in life." Put bluntly, this is the wrong mentality. We are our brothers' keepers, but how do we fulfill this role?

Charity is a good start. Despite what many idealists might argue, money goes a long way in solving problems. Money is only part of the solution though. What the world needs is awareness. The world needs people willing to shatter the ignorance that the system covers us in, and willing to, as Ghandi once said, "be the change you wish to see in the world." That's two ideas, so let's start a list.

1. Give Charity
   
2. Raise Awareness

What else? A big step is Mission. Traveling in the name of Christ to another place, and working to make life better for the people living there is one of the greatest acts of love a person can participate in. Mission is long, it is hard, and it is exhausting; however, the love and grace you receive for your efforts always surpasses whatever effort you put in. Add it to the list...

1. Give Charity
2. Raise Awareness
3. Do Mission

The next step? Considering that a true Christian spirit is one that is welcoming and open to everyone, as Jesus was, approaching the world with a welcoming attitude is essential. Looking out for your brother might just be as simple as loving and respecting the people who harm him.

1. Give Charity
2. Raise Awareness
3. Do Mission
4. Be welcoming

One final idea. One cannot possibly fix the world unless he has fixed himself first. The final step in being your brother's keeper is the conscious act of being mindful of yourself, and your relationship with God. Without the love of Christ, we cannot hope to overcome the system's grasp on society. Without being in command of ourselves, we cannot possibly persevere through the millions trying to tear our brothers (and sisters, by the way) down.

1. Give Charity
2. Raise Awareness
3. Do Mission
4. Be Welcoming
5. Be Mindful

On a parting note, it may seem an overwhelming task to save the world. Does it seem that way? Good, because you're correct to feel this. The powers of sin and death hold this world tightly, and the masses have already surrendered. Though I would normally close with a biblical quote, I will instead turn to popular culture to conclude this entry. In the movie, "The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King" the stereotypical "good guys" face a monstrous army, outnumbered to a simply ridiculous degree. The good side's leader, Aragorn attempts to inspire his army before the battle in which they are all certain to die.

I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the Age of Men comes crashing down, but it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand.

Some would say the courage of men has already failed, but I disagree. All it takes is a few people willing to stand up for their beliefs to start the change in the world, to turn the tide back toward God. Like Aragorn's army, we also must fight. Some modern Catholic theologians speak of "spiritual combat", a never-ending war with the devil. We are called to fight this battle, to fight against whatever YOU call evil in the world. Satan, temptation, lies, mutated human nature, the system...any name will do. Fight it, defeat it, and the world will already be a better place.

Who am I?

Our cultural obsession with worldly things - money, power, sex, drugs, etc. - stems from many places. Because all of these things appear constantly on television, in music, and truly in all forms of popular culture, it's easy (and self-assuring) to blame our faults on these sources. What's more difficult is to see past this, and look at where these concepts originate. The T.V. networks will only show us what they think we want to see, which means that we all are partially to blame for this issue.

Accepting this, each individual shares in the responsibility of the world's problems. But how did we fail so greatly? Why are we so out of touch with our true nature? The answer: The world is experiencing a breakdown in "sense of self."

A person's identity is of the utmost importance. It is what makes you unique, and it dictates a great deal of how you lead your life. It influences how you act, who your friends are, and what you do with your time. Most importantly, all people share the need for God as an essential part of their identity. This type of identity is natural, and beautiful, but can easily be corrupted by negative influences. When we allow sin (lies) into our lives, we let our true identity as children of God be challenged. Who we really are becomes clouded by our own mistakes.

So what happens when our true self becomes obscured? The system steps in, and lies to us, trying to make us think the obscured sense of self is actually crystal clear. It tells us to do things we know are wrong, but makes them appear to be good. The result of this? Inner conflict. We begin to play roles that are not truly our identities. To clarify, an example:

An 18 year old girl has been brought up in a good household her entire life, and has been given a sound sense of right from wrong. Recently, however, her friends have begun to experiment with drinking and abusing drugs, and have been encouraging the girl to join them. The girl knows that these activities are dangerous, and a bad decision, but feels the need to fit in with her peers. The girl decides to participate, and soon falls into the same bad habits as her friends.

The girl in the story made the same mistake we all do. She saw something terrible be held up by others as great, and fell into it. Notice however, that the girl knew what she was doing to be wrong. Why did she do it? She felt a need to be one with her friends. She created an identity mask, covering up her true self, and putting forth an image to fit in with her friends. These masks are convincing; almost everyone uses them to hide who they really are, and eventually the individual may come to believe more in their masks than in themselves.

Let's break it down a bit. We know that everyone has a personal identity that is inherently good, and involves a personal relationship with God. We know that this identity can be challenged, and that we can create "masks" for ourselves, in essence becoming someone else to please others. Therein lies the breakdown of self-knowledge. The question: How can we fix it?

Simple: Be honest, be real. Consciously seek out who you are, and work for a closer relationship with God. There are many false goods in the world, and many people who seek to keep us from our true identities. Metaphorically speaking, there are many roads leading to nowhere, to an emptiness and lack of fulfillment.

How can we find the right path? Simple, we just listen.

5Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"

6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.

-John 14:5-7