Jeremiah knew the plot against him because the Lord informed him. In another way, however, he had not realized that people were hatching plots against him (Jer 11:18, 19).

We, like Jeremiah, think something is "fishy." Evil does not seem isolated but coordinated, timed, and even conspiratorial. For example, there seems to be a certain system in government and even in church by which vested interests are protected. Some people, ideas, and truths are blackballed by the media.

On the other hand, we, like Jeremiah, wonder if there's actually a plot, much less a conspiracy, being woven. Isn't the talk of a conspiracy an overreaction? Doesn't this sound paranoid? After all, aren't tolerance and equal opportunity talked about frequently?

Is there a plot, or even a conspiracy, or are we losing our minds? Pope John Paul II speaks of "an objective 'conspiracy against life,' " (The Gospel of Life, 17) which "involves not only individuals in their personal, family or group relationships, but goes far beyond, to the point of damaging and distorting, at the international level, relations between peoples and states"  (The Gospel of Life, 12). The same loose but objectively real conspiracy  by which Jesus was crucified continues today. Live totally for Jesus or be co-opted into the conspiracy against Him, His kingdom, and His followers.

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, July 26, 1997

Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, July 29, 1997