 
"I say to thee, arise" Luke 7: 14
Those who place their trust in human solutions are destined to fail, for all from the Conciliar Church to the most pagan of governments or media have abandoned Christ's words that "Without Me you can do nothing." Because of that, all institutions today who do not strive for the Kingship of Christ are "incompetent."
"Every man has eyes to see the dead rise up, as the widow's son spoken of in the Gospel just read, rose up. But not all can see men who were dead in heart rise up, save those who are themselves risen in heart. It is a far greater miracle to raise to life one who will live for ever, than to raise someone who must die again" St. Augustine, PL 38, Sermo. XCVIII
Editor's Note: In Father Louis Campbell's sermon for the Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost, he emphasizes that we will remain 'dead' if we do not place our trust in Christ and strive to seek first the kingdom and reject the snares and lures of the world. Those who place their trust in humanist institutions from the Conciliar Church to the UN are sadly lacking for these entities come up spiritually empty, incompetent, as Father points out, mainly because they have rejected the sole authority of Christ as their Sovereign King. Only in the True Church is there hope. Father reminds us of what St. Paul admonished and what Our Lady lamented at Fatima regarding sins of the flesh, and he entreats us to shun those things that would harm our souls by being vigilant in the custody of the eyes and closing our ears to the cacaphony of the satanic din that is called 'music' today. If we give in we are dead to sin. These noises are the sirens of satan and we can only shut them out by taking refuge at the Door of Salvation - Jesus Christ. He will muffle the noise of the world with His love, mercy and compassion in raising us up above the din by His pronouncing "I say to thee, arise."
[bold and italics below are editor's emphasis.]
In the Gospel today Jesus shows His human compassion and His Divine power in behalf of a poor widow who has just lost her only son. As He approaches and touches the bier, the mourners cease their wailing and the bearers stand still. At His command the dead man is called back to life, to the joy of his mother and the astonishment of the crowd.
This true miracle of our Lord may be understood as a parable of the human race. Without Jesus Christ there is no life, no one who can say to us, "Arise!" Without Jesus Christ, no earthly power, not even the US, the EU, or the UN, can prevent the decline and final demise of the human race, since it is under the death sentence incurred by the sin of Adam. Plan and plot as they may, the world just sinks further into chaos, perhaps as a prelude to the coming of the man of sin, the Antichrist, who will offer the world a false peace and prosperity.
"Let no one deceive you in any way," says St. Paul, "for the day of the Lord will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and is exalted above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he sits in the temple of God and gives himself out as if he were God" (2Thess.2:3,4).
But even if all humanity should worship the Antichrist, we must stand with Christ, Who can raise up again and give eternal life to those who believe in Him. St. John tells us: "But to as many as received Him He gave the power of becoming sons of God; to those who believe in His name: who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (Jn.1:12,13).
Humanity is actually dead spiritually due to Original Sin, in spite of the "ecumeniacs" who insist on having "respect" for every worldly power and false religion which, they say, represent the many paths leading to the "common Homeland". But life comes to humanity only through the preaching of the Gospel and Baptism in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Those who refuse Baptism remain in spiritual darkness and are unable to free themselves from sin and death. Those nations that refuse to recognize the kingly authority of Jesus Christ will go the way of Babylon, the Egypt of the pharaohs, and pagan Rome.
Meanwhile, the true Church, which is now persecuted and obscured, suffers and mourns for her sinful children, most of whom do not even realize their spiritual emptiness. The Conciliar Church, unable to minister successfully to the needs of Catholics, collaborates with human organizations on their terms, without insisting on the acceptance of the Gospel and the rights of Christ the King and His Church.
With its "respect for the responsibilities and the competences of all," the Conciliar Church has surrendered its authority to the apostates and unbelievers. What are the "competences" of a decaying corpse? There are no "competences" outside the kingly authority of Jesus Christ, Who told us, "Without Me you can do nothing" (Jn.15:5). Worldly authorities are usurpers all, if they do not recognize Christ's authority. One word describes most secular authorities these days, in the face of a world situation beyond their control - incompetence.
A world without God is a living hell, but there is One Who can bring true peace and order - Jesus Christ the King, to Whom the Father promised: "Ask of Me and I will give you the nations for an inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession. You shall rule them with an iron rod; you shall shatter them like an earthen dish" (Ps.2:8,9).
What is true of the nations is true also of our individual lives. We can decide to be among the walking dead in a dead world, or we can be brought to life in Christ through faith and the Sacraments, which unite us to the living Christ, Who says to us:
"I am the First and the Last, and He Who lives; I was dead, and behold, I am living forevermore; and I have the keys of death and of hell… As for Me, those whom I love I rebuke and chastise. Be earnest therefore and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man listens to My voice and opens the door to Me, I will come in to him and will sup with him, and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will permit him to sit with Me upon My throne; as I also have overcome and have sat with My Father on His throne" (Apoc.1:17,18; 3:19-21).
One thing more than any other causes many to linger in the land of the dead. Our Lady told the children at Fatima that more souls go to Hell because of sins of impurity than for any other sin. Christ paid a high price for our freedom - His death upon the Cross and the outpouring of His Precious Blood. Those who have been brought to life by Him must become obedient and perfect disciples, avoiding all sin. Ask yourself the next time you plan to view a video or a DVD, or when you turn on the TV or the computer: "Will I really laugh at sin and be entertained by lewd and shameless behavior? Am I now going to be amused by things that stab directly at the Heart of Christ? Am I to allow to pass before my eyes scenes that would shame the angels and the saints, or turn my ears to the satanic noises that pass for music these days? Do I really love death more than life?"
"Flee immorality," says St. Paul. "Every sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your members are the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought at a great price. Glorify God and bear him in your body" (1 Cor.6:18-20).
Commenting on today's Gospel St. Augustine says: "Every man has eyes to see the dead rise up, as the widow's son spoken of in the Gospel just read, rose up. But not all can see men who were dead in heart rise up, save those who are themselves risen in heart. It is a far greater miracle to raise to life one who will live for ever, than to raise someone who must die again" (PL 38, Sermo. XCVIII).
May we who believe in You, Lord Jesus, persevere in Your grace, and live for ever in that place You have prepared for us in the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen.
Father Louis J. Campbell
For the Sunday Proper for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, see "Inclina, Domine"
|
