IWKnights Corner for July 16, 2023

Did you know this about the IW Knights of Columbus? 

   “IN JANUARY 1943, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met in Casablanca, Morocco, to plot a path to victory in World War II. Toward the end of that conference, FDR announced that the military objective of the Allies was ‘unconditional surrender’: Th­ere would be no negotiated settlement with the Axis powers.  Roosevelt’s announcement, it is said, took even Churchill by surprise. Many wondered, was it possible to utterly defeat such powerful enemies?

   “The phrase ‘unconditional surrender’ naturally conjures images of destruction and defeat.  Indeed, World War II documentaries portray the utter devastation that led to the Allied victories.  Even so, those same words can apply to our spiritual lives — not to indicate defeat, but victory.  It is by surrendering unconditionally to the Lord and his saving love that we ‘win through to absolute victory’ — the victory of grace over sin and life over death, the victory of eternal life and a peace the world cannot give.

   Those who take the spiritual life seriously know that a serious battle is being fought, not in some distant theater of war, but within our souls.   On Easter Sunday, we sing an ancient hymn that speaks of ‘a battle stupendous’ between good and evil, life and death, a battle at once cosmic and very personal.  We may think these words are mere poetry, but anyone who has grappled with evil or slogged through years of sin and estrangement from God knows that this battle is real; our dignity and destiny hang in its balance.

   That same hymn addresses Jesus as ‘Life’s Captain’ — as the one who is victor over sin and death.  His was not a victory of force, but a victory of love — the unconditional love and mercy of God the Father, reflected fully and perfectly in his Son and poured out upon a sinful world in the power of the Holy Spirit.  In Christ’s humanity, hanging on the cross, the supreme truth and good that is God’s love was marshalled to spell Satan’s ultimate defeat.

   However, we should not imagine that the forces of evil have left the battlefield.  Though defeated, they fight on.  Jesus’ victory over sin and death must be won in us and in every person and generation until the end of time.  How do we make Jesus’ victory our own?

   The answer: unconditional surrender.  We often say that God loves us unconditionally, and it’s true.  God has gone to the greatest lengths to win for us the victory we never could have won for ourselves.  The trouble is, we love God conditionally.  We readily misuse our freedom to set limits on his love, carving out territory in our souls that we don’t allow his grace to conquer.  Sadly, we can sometimes behave like ‘quislings’ — professing loyalty to Christ and the Church, but collaborating with the enemy out of fear, weakness or hope of temporary gain.

   What does unconditional surrender mean for us as followers of Christ?  It means casting our cares upon the Lord.  Owning up to our sins - and weaknesses.  Confessing our sins. Believing with all our hearts.  Hoping against hope.  Loving him who loved us first. Embracing the freedom Jesus won so that we can love others, especially our spouses and families, but also those in need.  Unconditional surrender means allowing Christ’s self-giving love to define us, to be the last word about who we are and what we do.  One of the most beautiful aspects of Blessed Michael McGivney’s life and ministry was his unconditional love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a love which he shared with his parishioners and his brother Knights.  Let us ask our Founder to pray that we will have the grace to surrender unconditionally to the Lord’s love and so win through to absolute victory!”

     The author of the above article is Knights of Columbus Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William Lori.  Additional information about our council – including a link to the above article - can be found on facebook.com/IWknights9981on IWKnights9981.com/bulletin, on facebook.com/IWknights9981, and on Twitter at twitter.com/IwKnights.