Fr. Campbell- The Living and the Dead
"Why Do You Seek The Living Amongst The Dead?"
The
First Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of a new Liturgical Year.
Advent brings us back to the beginnings of our race, and the fall from
grace of our first parents, Adam and Eve. God’s promise of a Redeemer
brought hope to them and to their descendants who looked for the coming
of the One who would save them from their sins.
This
year as we also look forward in hope to the coming of the Savior into
our dark world enshrouded in sin, we must focus on staying alive. Even
staying alive physically is a challenge these days. There is so much
hunger in the world. Children are dying of starvation in many nations,
and they need our help. Many people are dying of cholera, malaria, and
various other infectious diseases like aids. And many are dying as the
threat of war hangs once more over the world. As we get older we also
have our problems. Many of us have to deal with the deterioration of the
brain cells, and the decline of our mental capacities.
Then
there are the many natural disasters, accidents, and wars which deprive
thousands, even millions, of their lives. And these days there are
those who think that the life of a tree is more important than human
life, so they resort to the horrors of abortion, and are willing to use
any means they can to reduce the human population to a fraction of what
it is today. This we know from their own words and their activities.
Mischief is afoot!
But
many who are quite successful at staying alive physically are totally
unconcerned with staying alive spiritually. They become the true
zombies, the walking dead. Jesus pointed out that we must be born again
of water and the Holy Spirit (Jn.3:5), and he referred often to the
spiritually dead, as when he said to a man who wanted to follow Him, but
wanted to bury his father first: “Let the dead bury their dead”
(Lk.9:60).
Those
who want to escape eternal hellfire and enter into eternal life must
stay alive spiritually at all costs. This is the most important task of
our lives, to which we must devote the greatest effort. It means
renunciation, the cutting off of many worldly pursuits and unlawful
pleasures, and giving time to God for prayer, Holy Mass, and the
Sacraments. The minimum effort will not do. Those who think they can
cope with the snares of the devil and the temptations of the world
without God’s special graces, or with a mere nod to the spiritual side
of life, will die spiritually and join the walking dead.
Are
there indeed such, the walking dead? We live in a world of spiritual
zombies. The fully alive are very much in the minority. The devil has
waged a successful campaign to populate the world with the spiritually
dead.
Catholics
should know by now that they have little in common with those who are
poisoning our environment, or with those who have allowed themselves to
be poisoned and turned into zombies, alive in body, dead in spirit.
How
can we not be angry with those who are destroying our way of life,
curtailing our freedom, hijacking our Church, our governments and our
economy, stealing our bank accounts and our property, sending our
children to die in their endless wars or to be maimed and crippled,
physically, mentally, and spiritually? How can we not be angry with
those who are destroying our souls through their filthy
this-world-focused entertainment? How can we not be enraged at those who
are destroying even the youngest of our children through a corrupt
education system, and programs and movies that corrupt their souls and
destroy their innocence? Remember what Our Lord said about those who
lead the innocent children into sin:
“Whoever
receives one such little child for my sake, receives me. But whoever
causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it were better
for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck, and to be
drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of scandals!
For it must needs be that scandals come, but woe to the man through whom
scandal does come!” (Mt.18:5-7).
Instead of scandalizing the little children, we must become more like them, as the Lord said we should:
“Amen,
I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will
not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whoever, therefore, humbles
himself as this little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven” (Mt.18:3,4).
It
is impossible, without a childlike faith, for even the most brilliant
and talented to achieve true knowledge and understanding of life, its
origin, its purpose, and its destiny. Their pride makes them pawns of
the devil, and instruments in carrying out his plan to destroy the human
race and make them all citizens of hell. But the childlike of any age,
by the grace of God, may understand the truth – that we are all God’s
children, and we must hear Him and believe, following His Divine Son,
Jesus Christ, in obedience. In the end we will stay alive, and follow
Him into the happiness of eternal life.
Consider these fitting words from the Confessions of St. Augustine:
“You
are great, O Lord, and worthy of the highest praise! Your power is
immense! And your wisdom, without limit! And so we, the human part of
your creation, we long to praise you. You incite us to delight in
praising you, because you have made us for yourself, and our heart is
restless until it rests in you.”