“Receive the Ingrafted Word” (Jas.1:21)
Fr. Campbell
“Walk
in the Spirit,” says St. Paul, “and you will not fulfill the lusts of
the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit
against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, so that you do
not do what you would.” (Gal.5:25).
There
is a purpose for our daily trials and struggles. We are on a journey
that must lead to Heaven. On this journey we cannot afford to be
sidetracked or disabled by the pursuit of worldly goals that become ends
in themselves rather than steppingstones to our ultimate goal. “No man
can serve two masters,” says Our Lord, “for either he will hate the one
and love the other, or else he will stand by the one and despise the
other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Mt.6:24). The Lord’s best
advice: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all these
things shall be given you besides” (Mt.6:33).
The
supernatural life is above the natural, unattainable by unaided human
effort. Unlike blood or brains, it is not an integral part of our human
nature. It is not in the genes. Sanctifying Grace is a God-given gift
that comes through Baptism, making us children of God who are capable of
pleasing Him. It is true that all human beings are capable of good on
the natural level, because they possess the natural virtues in some
degree or other, but their good works do not merit a supernatural
reward. As St. James says in today’s Epistle:
“Receive the ingrafted word, which is able to save your souls” (Jas.1:21b).
“You
cannot serve God and mammon,” says Jesus Christ. But the church of
Vatican II is willing to give it a try by ignoring the distinction
between the natural and the supernatural. It believes that every human
being is good and capable of meritorious acts that make one deserving of
Heaven. Forget about Original Sin. There is now a nearly universal
belief that virtually everyone is on a free ride to the “common
homeland.” Many would-be Catholics no longer struggle. They have already
lost the battle and are on their way to Hell, imagining themselves safe
in having the form of religion, but without its power.
The
false prophet Francis Bergoglio allows everyone to think that they can
earn their way to Heaven by means of their good works. This is a
catastrophe for the faith of Catholics. It is true that we must do good
works, but they must be done under the conditions that are acceptable to
God, that is, being baptized and living in the state of grace. St. Paul
says of those who do not understand the things of the Spirit:
“The
sensual man does not perceive the things that are of the Spirit of God,
for it is foolishness to him and he cannot understand, because it is
examined spiritually. But the spiritual man judges all things, and he
himself is judged by no man” (1Cor.2:14,15).
The
ancient heresy of Pelagianism claimed that the sin of Adam was only
“bad example” and didn’t leave any lasting effects on human nature. But
the heresy rendered the Sacrament of Baptism unnecessary and undermined
the Redemption itself. It was condemned by two councils in Carthage,
North Africa, in 416 AD and 418 AD. When St. Augustine heard that the
Council decrees had been accepted by Pope Zozimus, he is supposed to
have said, “Roma locuta, causa finita” (Rome has spoken, the matter is
ended). But then he added, “utinam finiatur error!” (If only the error
were ended!). But the error survives!
Those
who wish their good works to merit a supernatural reward must first
believe as did the Apostles and the martyrs and the saints of all time.
Besides having faith, one must be baptized according to the traditional
form of Baptism, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost. And then one must obey the Lord by keeping His Commandments
and belonging to the Church He founded, the Holy Catholic Church. We do
not speak of belief as the word is now often used in the conciliar
church – Muslims are believers; Hindus are believers; Jews are
believers. A believer in the truly Catholic sense is one who has faith
in Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior and Lord.
Remember
the story of Lot’s wife! The Lord had told Lot and his family to flee
the condemned city of Sodom, and not to look back, because the Lord was
about to destroy it with burning sulphur falling from the sky. But Lot’s
wife allowed her curiosity to get the better of her. She looked back at
the burning city, and she was turned into a pillar of salt. This could
shed some light on a terrible problem of these times, the problem of
pornography. Many who look at pornography may never be able to turn
away. They are like a dead branch cut off from the tree, good only to be
thrown into the fire and burned. But we must learn how to love what is
good, and hate what is sinful. The psalms are helpful, as in the
following:
“Taste
and see how good the Lord is; happy the man who takes refuge in him.
Fear the Lord, you his holy ones, for nought is lacking for those who
fear him. The great grow poor and hungry; but those who seek the Lord
want for no good thing” (Ps.33:9-11).
Use your mind well, says St. Paul:
“Whatever
things are true, whatever honorable, whatever just, whatever holy,
whatever lovable, whatever of good repute, if there be any virtue, if
anything worthy of praise, think upon these things… And the God of peace
will be with you” (Phil.4:8,9b).
Focus on Our Lord’s promises, as in these words:
“Let
not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In
my Father’s house there are many mansions. Were it not so, I should have
told you, because I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I am coming again, and I will take you to
myself; that where I am, there you also may be” (Jn.14:1-3).