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A conundrum arises with the Virgin Mary. As the new Eve, she is preserved from sin and thus would possess the preternatural gifts.  Death is a consequence of sin and yet tradition suggests that at the end of her life in this world, Mary died.  The late Pope John Paul II believed she died to share the pattern of Christ on his Cross. The Eastern churches are so offended by this notion, that they call the Assumption by the title, The Dormition (Falling Asleep) of the Blessed Theotokos (Mother of God). Just as we drift off into dreams with sleeping, Mary is thought to drift from this world into eternity.

I am reminded of the three species of Martians (Malacandrians) in C.S. Lewis’ science-fiction trilogy. Having not fallen like humanity on the Silent Planet “Earth,” the Martians know something of death and yet there is nothing of mourning. Indeed, they speak and relate to the dead as if they were still alive. At the end of their mortal lives there is a smooth transition to immortality and a new state of being. They join closer to Maleldil or God. Their unity or communion with one another is sustained. Had Adam and Eve not fallen, it is suggested that death might have been as easy as opening a door and stepping from one room to another— it would lack finality or the darkness that threatens to consume us. Indeed, we might argue that this is not true death at all, at least as we know it. In any case, we experience no easy or casual transition. Death changes everything. We experience the absence of the deceased. The door closes quickly and we are fearful as to what awaits us on the other side.

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While sins of the flesh might steer many men and women toward perdition; it should be noted that a third of the angels were cast out, and they did not have bodies at all. Their natural superiority did not make them morally better than ourselves. Sins of the intellect and will, define the angelic fall. Along with angelic beings, our first parents of flesh and spirit succumbed to the serpent’s temptation despite the availability of preternatural gifts. While our humanity is wounded, the benefit we have is a full store of divine mercy and the sacraments. But will we take advantage of what God offers us for salvation?  Will we use our freedom wisely or misuse it?

When pondering the ends of human beings, one must consider our origins and our current status in the created order. Catholicism would insist upon a definite Christian anthropology. Thus we reflect upon the following: the circumstance of our first parents, the effects of the fall and original sin, the scientific evidence for development of species, the question of preternatural gifts, and the current human condition. There is much dispute and argumentation about the manner in which we were made. Was our creation spontaneous with God’s word and his breath of life or did the first men and women develop from earlier life forms or proto-humans? God can do as he wills and there is increasing evidence for the latter. However, the Church would insist upon two points:  one, that the soul does not evolve but was immediately infused into the first man and woman; and two, we did not develop from multiple couples but from a single pairing of a man and woman. They set the trajectory for the entire human race. They could have remained faithful and, for all we know, the consummation of all things would have come earlier in history. As it is, they commit original sin and that rebellion has a disastrous impact upon them and their descendants.  Suffering, sin and death enter the world.

We often imagine Adam and Eve as naïve fools or children who are easily swayed by the serpent. The Scriptural account affirms this impression. Eve is definitely intimidated by the satanic dragon. Adam simply seems to feebly cave in to Eve in accepting the forbidden fruit. And yet the Church has discerned that humanity before the fall must have had some sense of its great calling and the wherewithal to live it out.  Unlike the creatures around him, the first man stood up on two legs and stared in awe at the creation around him.  He was aware of himself and of the one who had fashioned him.  Indeed, a residual memory (the fact that we remain wired for God) could be discerned after the fall in how tribes of men sought to worship or render sacrifice to the divine mystery.

What had humanity forfeited in the fall? The Church speaks of preternatural gifts: (1) infused science or knowledge (the opposite of ignorance); (2) physical integrity (the opposite of concupiscence); corporeal immortality (the opposite of death); and original righteousness (the opposite of original sin). Given these great gifts, it is indeed a mystery that our first parents fell at all. It may be that they did not have these gifts for long. The smallest spark of rebellion would have brought disgrace upon them. They hide themselves in shame because they are naked. They have been stripped of these wonderful gifts. As with the angels, there was likely some veil or separation that allowed them to turn against God as the greatest good. However, while each and every angel is a species unto himself; men and women belonged to a single unified species.  The choice they make would not merely impact upon them but upon the entire human family.  Fallen man prefers the path of the beast. One can imagine him falling to all fours, finding it easier to follow the flesh instead of the spirit— choosing ignorance over awareness— choosing rebellion in his members over self-control— choosing violence and death over peace and life— choosing to play God instead of humbly walking with him in the garden. Evolutionists have joked that monkeys became men. Christians had argued that in truth it was the other way around. Men and women became beasts! After the fall, we are not entirely abandoned. God promises a Messiah who will heal the rift between heaven and earth. We know him as Jesus Christ. He grants us sanctifying grace and actual graces. We become equipped with virtues to do battle with vice.

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Certain evangelicals place much of their confidence in a faith profession in Jesus as their chief saving act. However, the Scriptures define “saving faith” in terms of loving obedience. Faith must be made real, not simply in a moment of inspiration but in a lifetime of witness.  Sanctifying grace comes along with faith and baptism but can be lost through mortal sin. A saving faith can sour. It is for this reason that the sacrament of penance is of paramount importance. But few seek out the priest’s absolution. Jesus has given his Church the benefit of his healing and mercy but too many shun the sacraments. What happens to a person obstinate in sin who takes his spiritual intransigence to the grave? As of this writing there are some 62 million Catholics in the United States.  Lapsed or defecting Catholics who are likely never to return is assessed at about 41%. Not counting the possible number of non-Catholics who will be counted among the damned, this means that around 25 to 26 million will be convicted by Christ for deliberately forsaking his Church. Maybe they blame the scandals or maybe the world was better with its message of greed, lust and power?  Warmongers make poor messengers of Christ’s peace. People who are angry with God have no room in their souls for grace. Those who hate, a political epidemic in our society, can know neither the love of neighbor nor of God. Disappointment in God and pointing the finger at others, while excusing ourselves of culpability, allows for no repentance and amendment of life. Those who delight in the excess of the senses, especially regarding lust, not only defile themselves but strip others of value and treat “persons” as “commodities.” Those who refuse to pray or worship God would not want any part of heaven’s constant adulation of the divine. Those who strip the innocent unborn of any right to life are enemies of the incarnate Christ Child— the God that comes to save.

Too many profess “Jesus” with their lips or claim incorporation in  Catholicism like a club membership, while not walking the walk with our Lord.  They live immodest lives of impurity. Their hearts are cold. They live like beasts, subject to the passions, but unmoved by the spirit. The idols of new age religion or confessions that reinvent Christ are given their loyalty. Some may literally worship the “almighty dollar.” All will have to render an account to the Lord (1 Peter 4:3-5).  While we speak of the Lord as judge, we will each convict ourselves. 

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Those that hate the light regard the existence of God and his saving intervention within human history as the most inconvenient truths. If the Gospel is genuine then all should repent and believe; but, there are some who do not want to change direction. They would rather claim a lie than the truth. Either everything changes or nothing changes!   That is why some deny the resurrection, despite testimonial witness. If God should be acknowledged then the devil loses his advantage. He knows that God does not play fair and that he has all the cards.  That is why the devil would have us steer clear of the “Great I AM.” We find ourselves in the posture of Moses, called to the burning bush. God declares to Moses, “I AM who I AM” (Exodus 3:14). It means, “I AM who was, I AM who is, and I AM who will be— I AM the one who saves you.” This deity is literally existence itself or the divine “to be.” He is the source for all things. God gives Moses this command, “This is what you will tell the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” Jesus takes the ancient name of God and applies it to himself, saying, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.” Jesus connects his identity with the divine (John 8:58). Hell can make no room for any such sovereignty. It must be denied at all costs, even if it forces the damned into a delusion about reality. But in truth, our Lord is the ground for all being. Nothing exists apart from him.  It is as Creator that he also has the power of re-creation. It is as God that he has infinite authority and can save whom he wills. The devil can only assure possession of the souls he steals away by having them deny the lordship and divinity of Christ. Indeed, if any reprobate should say the saving name with the most meager degree of faith then he or she could be saved. But cries of “Lord, Lord,” ring hollow and the lips of others remain closed and silent. Not believing in God is insurance of silence. It surpresses both invocations for help and shouts of praise. As for those who feign faith, Christ is not fooled. God responds, “I tell you, I do not know you.”  

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The devil knows the truth about God and his gifts. But given his own estrangement, he has no bread, no wine, and no sacrament to offer. There is much that he knows; but he deliberately conceals, distorts and fabricates. He has placed a veil over consciences about the presence of God and even about his own existence. Separated from the Almighty and we are left without ammunition or real power to defend ourselves against evil. What better way to seduce humanity than to compel the rejection of our Lord’s authority by denying or doubting in his divinity and resurrection? We can neither love God nor invoke his powerful grace so long as we deny his existence. Unlike terrestrial human beings, neither angels (heavenly or demonic) nor the souls of the dead, can claim ignorance about the existence of God or the identity of Christ. However, the devil promotes deception, not only about the Lord but about his own existence. A failure to believe in God leaves humanity vulnerable, without any spiritual arsenal. Denying the existence of Satan is literally to step on a hidden landmine.  

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