Paranoia: Not That Many Are Out to Get Us
There’s no doubt that King Herod had a wide streak of paranoia running through him. Everywhere he turned he saw existential danger, and so he resorted to fortress-palaces and pre-emptive strikes to preserve both his power and his very life.
I’ve always thought of paranoia as one of the most self-indulgent of human emotions. It relies on the belief that everyone is out to get us and therefore most everyone knows who we are. Certainly there are a few cases in which that might be true; but the fact is, most paranoids are not the center of any universe, no matter how small it might be. Most of them fade away, forgotten and alone, with scarcely anyone to lament their passing. And if Herod is unusual because we remember him, it’s not so strange that scarcely anyone has missed him.
I have no explanation for why anyone would let paranoia drive their behavior, but I readily admit its power to destroy us. So if we’re ever tempted to indulge in it, it’s good to be realistic. The fact is, most people have no idea who in the world we really are, and fewer still have the time or the desire to get us. Still, if there is one person of whom we should be genuinely paranoid, it’s the Lord Jesus Christ. He knows us; he’s out to get us; and even worse, he never gives up. May we not shrink in terror when he reaches out to grab us by the hand.
NOTES
+On February 2nd I participated in the online meeting of the Council of the Subpriory of Our Lady of Philermo of the Order of Malta. It’s a monthly gathering.
+On February 4th I took part in the online meeting of the Formation Committee of the Western Association of the Order of Malta. Unlike the meeting above, it tends to be weekly.
+On February 5th I participated in an in-person orientation to prepare moderators for a program at Saint John’s University called Johnny Brothers. Begun nearly thirty years ago under the title Men’s Sprituality Groups, the program consists of groups of ten students who meet biweekly, with two moderators from among the faculty and staff of Saint John’s University. I’ve long wanted to be part of this program, but my travel schedule simply did not allow it. Groups meet regularly through the course of one year, and the more successful groups among them have continued through the entire four years of college.
+On February 5th I presided at the abbey Mass, and today’s post is an edited transcript of the homily I delivered that day. It was based on Mark 6: 14-29.
+On February 2nd we celebrated the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. Also celebrated as Candlemas Day, it is the day on which candles meant to be used in the coming year in church are blessed. The photo at top shows a collection of candles made in the abbey candle shop that were blessed that day. The second photo shows the presentation of the child Jesus in the temple, rendered in stained glass for the Cistercian abbey of Mariawald outside of Cologne. It was made ca. 1520-30 and is housed today in the V & A Museum in London. At bottom is a 14th-century rendition of the Presentation, now housed at the Museum of Catalán Art in Barcelona.
A Monk's Chronicle 