Commentary on Encyclical Letter of the Holy Father Francis on Fraternity and Social Friendship Point 12
Sponsored
Catholic365 is sponsored by
Road to Purity
Introduction-
"Torn" is a Creed song from their debut album, My Own Prison, that most everyone knows, and most love. Creed is a power metal band who has recently re-united and will be on tour in 2024. The music of Creed is melodic, and hard hitting with a clear relatable lyric that asks some of the most profound questions of existence. The title of the song sets the stage for the lyrics in a very vivid way. "Torn" Like the veil in the temple torn in two at the death of our savior; we can be torn by the duplicity of our heart vs. our head, or between flesh and spirit. We will first do a deep dive is into the chorus because it is repeated the most and gives the overarching idea of the song in general. We will then go into the verses to see how they correlate with the chorus specifically.
Chorus part 1-
The chorus begins with, “the peace is dead in my soul” – This is a reminder of the duplicity we all experience between the new and the old man who are always at odds and always at battle within. It is this internal struggle that kills the peace that only the savior can give. The chorus then looks inward at why with, “I have blamed the reasons” – This blaming is part of the fallen human condition starting in the garden of Eden when Adam said the woman made me do it. It is also the beginning of one seeking truth and self-awareness which is the beginning of wisdom. The chorus goes on to say, “for my intentions poor” – which is a reference to bad choices or choosing to sin. This is our free will, and is part of the human condition that only with God’s grace can such inclinations be overcome. We have all heard the saying the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Chorus part 2-
The chorus then goes on to clarify that a stand has been made with, “yes I'm the one who, the only one who would carry on this far” – The Chorus part 2 is a commentary on the stubborn pride of those who think they know better, while at the same time is a reflection upon the one and only one Jesus Christ as the answer to life’s challenges as outlined in part 1 of the chorus. The duplicitous struggle and how one is to win the fight is the question the chorus proposes.
Verse 1-
The first verse begins with questions of how one may have been told to live and the conflict of the realities of life that often do not match up. “Peace is what they tell me” – Peace be with you my peace I give to you is the catholic symbol from the very first Eucharist, the last supper. It is good to be at peace; however, if you are told to be at peace and then not offered the means or the way to get to peace then it becomes an unattainable thing in human terms. The verse then goes from peace to love with, “love am I unholy” – God is love and without the saving grace of the cross and resurrection we are all unholy. This is the beginning of an existential question of worthiness and one looking for truth. Verse 1 then moves to accusations with, “lies are what they tell me” – St. Augustine says to the pure all things are pure and to the perverted all things are perverted. This verse 1 accusation could be in reference to lies of the world, or to a mis-understanding of religious dogma as lies. Verse 1 concludes with an angry exclamation saying, “despise you that control me” – Like the word lies in the previous line of this verse, the singing voice here is representative of all fallen mankind as angry in general at any authoritative figures who seem to be exerting control; be it parents, pastors, police, or any authority figure that may be attempting to show someone what is right and what is wrong. The challenge is that one must decide these things for themselves in the end and so there is this palpable disdain against anyone trying to force a particular belief upon the singer against their will. Whomever it may be exerting authority is seen as legalistically using right vs. wrong, or sin and the consequences of death and hell to control the actions of others out of fear. This ending line also hints at a rebellious spirit or one seeking liberty to make their own choices in life whether right or wrong. These feelings are what all the faithful must deal with to mature in our relationship with God.
Verse 2-
The second verse goes straight to the song title and how the signer feels about themselves. “Torn, I'm filthy” – This is yet another reference to duplicity and original sin that all mankind faces every day. Filthy is literally to be in a state of sin, needing the sacrament of confession, reconciliation, and penance. The song then reflects upon our fallen state with, “born in my own misery” – The reference here is to the fact that original sin is where we all begin and to remain there is a miserable way to live. Verse 2 then seeing through the dogmas and illusion of control from verse 1 with, “stole all that you gave me” this line is the existential realization that most things presented to us in this world is a lie, stolen from some other place, white washed and twisted to fit some other idea of what should be. This question should cause us all to pause, contemplate our own beliefs, research and learn for ourselves what is the truth. As the faithful this is at times an extremely challenging thing to do because in the end the religious experience is meaningless against an actual personal relationship with God. Verse 2 ends with an extension of the existential question exclaiming, “control you claim you save me” The dubious thought that salvation comes with control is a mis-understanding of religious practice. If there is a control issue then there is no love and that means a legalistic view that fails to teach one how to love and live abundantly. For the faithful our religious experience is not about control at all. True freedom is found when we freely surrender to the love of God.
Reprise-
The reprise is a re-enforcement of the existential confusion found when there is no relationship with God. The lyrics express this dizzying circle of anxiety with, “peace in my head - love in my head – lies, lies, lies, lies in my head.” The reality here is that the existential question can lead us to despair. This is a dangerous place where the devil can more easily convince us to do things that are not in our best interests – sin. If you find yourself feeling like these lyrics that is normal. We all go through what some call the dark knight of the soul, and it is these very existential questions that we should offer up to the Father and ask for discernment, guidance, and a deeper faith so that we can enjoy a better relationship with God. The overarching challenge with this song is that it seems to suggest that there is no answer; however, the answer is clearly seeking a personal relationship with God first and all the rest will fall into place as your faith grows. Love is the primary factor and salvation comes out of that very love for us from God through his son Jesus and unless and until one moves into a place of real love then control is what the default appearance will be. The general premise to question everything is an exceptionally good place to start as we are all seeking purpose in our lives.
Michael has a Masters in the science of management, organizational leadership & change. A BSBA in Human Resource Management. Served eight years in the military. He is currently Vice President for human resource, strategic planning, donor experience, engagement, and training for Gospel Advocacy and Leadership Foundation (GALF). Michael is leading donor relations, engagement & training initiatives via social media platforms. He also provides and designs training for advocacy, public speaking & public narrative through story telling. Executing outreach to the community at large on the mission, vision, and values of GALF which is pronounced like a golf ball just with an A instead of an O to match our name. Michael is a blogger on social media who hails from central PA and now lives in northern Virginia who has been married for thirty years with seven kids and five grandchildren.
