Sunday, November 29, 2015

Fr. Campbell- The Living and the Dead

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.”