Temptations of the World - Who Am I?

   The ship rose and fell, rocking the four men who met in the cabin. Two stood quietly while the one addressed the fourth, the Captain of the Ghost. Suddenly, as if mirroring the rocking of the ship, the captain rose and fell upon the shipmate, crushing him under his strength. The captain beat the shipmate, as a man named Humphrey van Weyden tried to escape the horrible scene. Since his arrival, Weyden had already witnessed numerous brutal incidents. He endured it. But he had never pitied such a man more than he did the shipmate that was slowly dying by the hands of his own captain.
   Soon enough, the limp body was thrown to the deck for all to see. In a sudden outburst upon seeing the body, a man named Leach began to swear at the captain, cursing him for his deeds. Because of this ruckus, the cook of the ship stepped out, his voice challenging, “Such Langwidge! Shockin'!” Rage grew inside Leach, and another beating quickly followed the previous one; this time the cook was the victim. Weyden watched and confessed that he delighted in the beating that Leach was giving the cook. No longer did Weyden endure, nor pity. He embraced the violence. Just as Alexander Pope once wrote:

“Vice is a monster of so frightful mien,
as to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
we first endure, then pity, then embrace.” 

Do we often find ourselves in situations where we are embracing a vice? In school, have we endured the constant cursing, the disrespectful and lewd comments, and the violent bullying? Do we pity not only ourselves in our regret, but also those who take part in such activities? And do we sometimes embrace such things as “not-so-bad?” These situations have been likened to a frog in a pot of boiling water:

“It is said if you want to boil a frog, don’t throw him in a pot of boiling water. He will immediately jump out. Put him in a pot of cold water and turn the heat up so slowly that he won’t even notice the dangerous increase in temperature. Young [people], I fear that the trend in our world is to slowly turn up the heat. Pay attention. Don’t allow yourselves to be desensitized by gradual lapses in good judgment.”

   The lesson being taught is that we must pay close attention so as never to allow ourselves to be destroyed by those evils that creep up on us like warm water. Weyden, the previously mentioned sailor, began to embrace the violence on the ship when he witnessed the beating of the cook. He said:

“The continual brutality around me was degenerative in its effect. It bid fair to destroy for me all that was best and brightest in life … And even while I was oppressed by the enormity of my sin – for sin it was, – I chuckled with an insane delight. I was no longer Humphrey Van Weyden … and I was receiving repeated impressions from the die which had stamped them all.”

   After being exposed to so much bloodshed, Weyden felt that he was no longer the man he used to be. In his opinion, it seemed that there was no way to change his situation. He felt that he was doomed to become a brutal, uncaring man, who would delight in the death and beating of others. He saw this transformation as inevitable, because of the constant impressions and influences of his environment.
   But before you begin to think that degeneration is inevitable in such situations, allow me to share a story with you: King Louis XVI of France had been taken from his throne and imprisoned. His son, the prince, was then taken by those who had imprisoned his father. These men thought that, as the king’s son was the heir to the throne, if they could destroy him morally he would never be able to realize his great and wonderful destiny as king. They took him to a city, and there they began to expose the young prince to every filthy and sinful thing that the world could offer. They offered to him foods, the sweetness and addiction of which would quickly create a gluttony. They used cursing and hellish language around him. They brought to him lusting, fair women. They exposed him to dishonor and distrust. He was surrounded 24 hours a day by anything that these servants of Satan could use to drag his soul down to the fiery bowels of hell. For over six months he was constantly exposed to these many evil things, but not once did the prince succumb to the pressure and environment. Finally, after all this extreme and intense temptation, they questioned him: Why would he not partake of the many things they offered?
   Why was this prince refusing all these foods, riches, and beautiful women? Why would he not live an easy life and accept the environment that was constantly about him? The prince answered: “I cannot do what you ask, for I was born to be a king!”
   This prince was able to withstand the constant environment of sin, the impressions and the terrible influence, because he knew who he was, and he knew who he would become. In Moses 1:3&4, it says: “And God spake unto Moses, saying: Behold, I am the Lord God Almighty, … and thou art my son[.]” God specifically calls Moses his son, and addresses him as such, because he knows the importance of knowing who we are – who we truly are. When Satan speaks to Moses in verses 12-13, It becomes even more obvious that our divine royalty through our Heavenly Father is essential: “..Satan came tempting him, saying: Moses, son of man, worship me. And it came to pass that Moses looked upon Satan and said: Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of god.”
   If we have a real sense of who we are, we will be able to resist embracing evil, and never succumb to the enticements of the world. Let us be as the Prince, who recognized his royal lineage. We are all born to be kings and queens in the kingdom of God. Let us strive to become a royal son or daughter who, when we return to our Father the king, he would greet us with a kiss and say: “Behold, my beloved child, in whom I am well-pleased.”

Redemption of Sin - Charity (:

“Man overboard! Who cares? … The man disappears,then reappears, he sinks and rises again to the surface … He is in the monstrous deep. There is nothing beneath his feet but the yielding, fleeing element. The waves, torn and scattered by the wind, close around him hideously; the rolling abyss bears him away; tatters of water are flying around his head; a populace of waves spit on him; vague openings half swallow him; each time he sinks he glimpses yawning precipices full of dark; frightful unknown tendrils seize him, bind his feet, and draw him down … Men are gone. Where is God? … Nothing on the horizon. Nothing in the sky. … The sea is measureless misery. The soul drifting in that sea may become a corpse. Who shall restore it to life?”

   While reading this section of Les Misérables, the man became, in my eyes, a symbol of the natural man inside of every individual, and the ocean a symbol of the hopelessness of a sinful life. The waves, spitting on you, pulling you down, and making life seem unbearable. The “monstrous deep” a vast concourse of whispering temptation, asking you to just let go, to give up, to stop seeking a hand to pull you out of the water. “Unknown tendrils” grabbing at you, pulling you away from life, and drawing you away from happiness. In this heartbreaking situation, there is no one to pull this mournful soul from the water. He asks an important question: “Where is God? Where is the father who loves me?” As the book states, he can still see nothing but the sea of everlasting sadness. And it seems to him that he may die, and that his “soul, drifting in that sea, may become a corpse.” In a symbolic sense, he will experience a spiritual death. Once again, a powerful question arises. “Who shall restore it to life?” 

   Redemption is possible without death of the soul through the watery abyss of sinful misery. A full cleansing of sin is found through God's love (charity), not an inescapable punishment, like unto the sea of mourning. Our Father in Heaven sacrificed his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, in order to save us from that deep, lifeless ocean of sin. His is the hand that finally reaches out to pull us out of the water, proceeding to embrace us tightly, kiss us tenderly, and invites us, like Peter, to walk on the top of the water beside him. This method of teaching righteousness through love is what Christ exemplified while he was on the earth, and it is a method that must not be forgotten. 

   According to Victor Hugo (author of Les Misérables), it is possible to find redemption through Christ-like love. Many people have used the excuse that they shouldn't serve another individual simply because that individual had done nothing to serve them. These people are often not willing to fully repent and obey the law of Christ to become charitable, because no one has accepted them and lifted them up out of the water. Valjean is an example of one who was shown love and then proceeded to discharge himself of his crimes and to help others, serve them, and share that tender affection with the world around him. He would always show mercy and love towards his fellow men, even while he was constantly being chased down for a crime that he had already redeemed himself of. He – the man who was left to drown – chose to look to God, and learn from Him in order to not only continue living, but also to become capable of stretching his own hand forth into the water to catch others who were slowly sinking into the abyss of misery and wickedness. Having experienced mercy, he was enabled to extend mercy to others.

   Valjean's first obvious service was to Cosette's mother, Fantine, when disguised as the mayor of Montreuil-sur-mer. He provided Fantine with a paying job, took her in and cared for her when she was in need, and promised to care for her daughter, Cosette. As a father, he then literally took Cosette's hand and led her away from her darkness of abuse and hatred, guiding her through her early life until she married Marius. Valjean also gave a gift of true love to Marius, something Marius had never been endowed with before that time. Cosette was this gift to Marius, just as fully as Marius was this gift to Cosette. That final gift was his last work of service, his last accomplishment before he was taken back to his home in heaven. When Valjean's adversary–Javert–finally discovered him, Valjean pleaded with him, “Take me. Only grant me one thing … help me carry [Marius] home ... I only ask that of you. Then you will do with me whatever you like.”

   Like Jean Valjean, there are times when I feel that I am in a whirlpool of sorrow; as if it is some inescapable tomb that will suck me in forever. At these times, my heart and soul ache, and I am constantly scarred because of sin, confusion, or even sacrifice that I've had to make. I have not had one instance wherein this seemingly eternal anguish could not be extinguished by the comfort and love of God. One of these moments occurred when I was at a Youth Conference. My friends and I chose to be a part of the musical program. Towards the end of the program, we began to sing a hymn: I Know That My Redeemer Lives. The words to this song began to fill my heart with such regret that I could not stop myself from crying because of my sin, but also because of my ignorance to the fact that God had been reaching out to me this entire time. He had always been there to save me. For a few hours afterward, I sat during a spiritual meeting; every few minutes composing myself, and then suddenly bursting into tears again. I was still ignorant to this hand that was forever outstretched.

   Finally at a moment when my soul began to lose hope, my mind confused and chaotic, there played the same hymn I had sung an hour or so earlier. It was then that I felt that I had finally been plucked out of the ocean, even if for a moment. It reminded me of a child who was learning to swim. He begins to think that he will drown, and his father reaches out to tenderly pull him out of the water for a moment, to comfort him into trying to swim again. Comfort and love were the only things I felt for the last part of the meeting. A warm blanket, a soft and tender embrace, and a warm kiss on the forehead. I felt completely at peace. I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he loves me too. In the case of Jean Valjean, his savior came in the form of a kind Bishop named Myriel. For those Valjean served, their savior came in the form of M. Madeleine, M. Fauchelevent, or even an unnamed, ghostly guardian.

   Charity – the pure love of Christ – is a truth that can save us from the dark; a truth that will redeem us of our sin. It then grows within us, and we can extend that hand of love to grab hold of those drenched in hate and sorrow, pulling them from the depths of hell to show them the way to the glorious rebirth of the soul.