“Come, Lord Jesus” (Apoc.22:20)
“Brethren,
if you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where
Christ is sitting at the right hand of God: mind the things that are
above, not the things that are upon the earth” (Col.3:2,1). These words
from St. Paul to the Colossians remind us that there is a division in
mankind. There are those who seek the things that are above, and there
are those who are content to seek what is below. In fact, today the
supernatural realm is often simply denied by many, or explained away in
terms of the natural. There is only the “below” of this world. The
conciliar church, the “church” of Vatican II, seems unable to recognize,
or deliberately obscures the distinction between the natural and the
supernatural. All men are good and on their way to eternal life. Just
lead a normal good life and you have it made. This is modern Pelagianism
at work – the “do it yourself” way to heaven. Virtually everyone is
saved. Why bother with sanctifying grace?
But
where the natural alone is at work and God’s grace is denied, authentic
faith, love and peace are impossible. We are aware that some are
sincerely seeking the truth, and have not yet heard the Gospel message,
but St. Paul makes it clear that sin rules in the world: “…through one
man sin entered into the world,” he says, “and through sin death, and
thus death has passed unto all men because all have sinned…” The only
escape is to believe in the Gospel. St. Paul testifies to the power of
grace in those who believe: “There is now no condemnation for those who
are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh” (Rom.8:1).
St. Augustine in his City of God
spoke of two loves by which men were divided – the love of God to the
contempt of self, and the love of self to the contempt of God. But a
“civilization of love,” according to John Paul II, is now considered
possible if only “believers” of all religions decide to live together in
peace and harmony. While it is true that human beings are capable of
love at the natural level, the natural virtue of love cannot overcome
the power of Original Sin. Any “civilization of love” must be based upon
the Christian virtue of love, or charity, which is one of the three
theological virtues received with sanctifying grace at baptism. There
will be no “civilization of love” until the Church gets serious about
preaching the Gospel, and the world is ready to acknowledge the Kingship
of Jesus Christ and His authority over all nations and peoples.
What
we say about the natural virtue of love is true of all the natural
virtues. They are not capable of overcoming the effects of Original Sin.
A man must begin to live at the level of the supernatural through
sanctifying grace, practicing the infused Christian virtues, before he
is capable of gaining merit and entering into the kingdom of heaven. The
difference between the ordinary good man and the Christian is that the
former is incapable of overcoming the effects of Original Sin and
meriting eternal life, whereas the Christian lives at the supernatural
level and merits, if he perseveres in grace, the reward of eternal life.
The
conciliar church, furthermore, does not recognize these days the
distinction between human “faith” or belief and the supernatural gift of
faith. Those of all religions are “believers”. John Paul II wrote:
“Many
religions proclaim that peace is a gift from God. We saw this again at
the recent Meeting at Assisi. May all the world’s believers join their
efforts to build a more just and fraternal humanity; may they work
tirelessly to ensure that religious convictions may never be the cause
of division and hatred, but only and always a source of brotherhood,
harmony, love.”
But it is precisely
religious conviction that divides us from the rest of humanity, making
us true brothers in the New Covenant sealed by the Blood of Christ. It
is the very purpose of the New Covenant to form a new humanity,
the head of which is Jesus Christ, the New Adam. Outside of this
Covenant, among the descendants of the first Adam, true brotherhood,
harmony and love are impossible. Without Jesus Christ human beings are
essentially strangers. They may love for a time on this earth, but they
are always at war, and their destiny is eternal alienation – unless they
find Jesus Christ and seek Baptism.
It
is the mission of the Church to preach the Gospel of Salvation to the
nations. If the Gospel proves to be a source of division, Jesus Himself
forewarned us: “Do not think that I have come to send peace upon the
earth; I have come to bring a sword, not peace. For I have come to set a
man at variance with his father, and a daughter with her mother, and a
daughter-in-law with her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be
those of his own household” (Mt.10:34-36). This kind of division is
necessary, because it separates the wheat from the chaff, those who are
being saved from those who refuse to believe. “These (things) are
written,” says St. John at the end of today’s Gospel, “that you may
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you
may have life in his name” (Jn.20:31).
How
then can we hope for peace if the Gospel itself creates division? Again
we must make the distinction between the natural and the supernatural.
God gives the “peace that passes understanding” to those who believe.
The “peace that the world gives” must be imposed through force of arms.
U.N. “peace keeping forces” are not for keeping peace, but for advancing
the power of the U.N.
As
long as the authority of Christ the King is not acknowledged sin will
continue to reign in the world. There will be “wars and rumors of wars”
until Christ comes again.
“For
the mystery of iniquity is already at work,” says St. Paul, “provided
only that he who is at present restraining it, does still restrain,
until he is gotten out of the way. And then the wicked one will be
revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of his mouth and
will destroy with the brightness of his coming” (2Thess.2:7,8).
There
is already peace for “men of good will” (Lk.2:14). In the meantime, our
faith is in Jesus Christ, the only hope of the world, the Prince of
Peace, Who will utterly destroy the workers of iniquity when He comes.
We read in the last verses of the Bible:
“‘It is true, I come quickly!’ Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Apoc.22:20).