There seems to be something deep inside all of us that inclines us toward sin and creates a barrier for us to Truth and Joy. We all want it, and most of us aspire to even lessor supposed goods as an alternative to the real virtues. We are born again into a life of Christ through Baptism, yet many Christians delay this necessary initiation into the family of God for their children instead opt for dedication ceremonies and the like instead, something not outlined by scripture or tradition. o even though this very necessary act to becoming a priest, profit and king/queen in the Kingdom of God is taught and dictated by the one True Church through Tradition and Word, many feel inclined to refute it and do their own thing. All the while testifying to the notion that they love God and are following Christ.
Then we have those who actually do baptize their babies, promise to raise them in the faith and devout followers of Christ and His Church, yet decline participation in the sacraments the very next Sunday. So essentially breaking a promise they make to Almighty God, their creator and the creator of the universe. All the while clinging to the notion that they love God and follow Christ.
We all know those who come to Mass each Sunday, yet have no idea why, or what the meaning behind this ritual is, or we are ourselves in this category. We come out of habit, or obligation and lukewarmly go through the motions, not quite knowing why, or how. Yet, insist we love Christ, and attest and insist upon our dedication.
Really, the examples go on and on and on. We all have that inclination to sin and unfaithfulness. It is not a new inclination, it is as old as Adam and Eve, and for those of us who take the time and make the effort to learn our story, realize that it is an unfaithfulness found through the centuries by those devout and not devout. We all fall, some of us try to do better and try to follow God's will, and some of us could really care less when it gets right down to it. We have better things to do and more fulfilling ways to spend our time. As if anything could be more fulfilling and worthy than spending time with the Almighty.
We see the most powerful and holy men and women in the Bible falling into grave sin. Even King David, a man after God's own heart, fell into this trap. It is difficult for any of us to escape the clutches of concupiscence This is especially true when we are not doing what we should be and find ourselves where we shouldn't. Sin and the rejection of actions which will lead us toward virtue will lead us to temptations we may not be strong enough to fight. Yet, Jesus does give us gifts to help, and it then becomes our responsibility and duty to use them. Namely, they are the sacraments. The gifts and treasures given to us through Christ and His Church. Sacraments that many of our Protestant brothers and sisters deny and reject. Denial and rejection of these gifts we do at our own peril though, and that rejection and denial leads us into a death of sorts. Denying our souls the life Christ promises through these gifts leads us away from not just the happiness this world deems the greatest glory of this life, but something far better, the recognition of Truth, true peace of spirit and mind, and joy. We can have all of this during our time here on Earth, the Kingdom of God is not something for the future, it is here right now, and we chose to be a part of it or separate ourselves from it every day, every hour, every minutes. Every minute, hour, day we reject this, we deny ourselves that friendship with God that he desires more than we do. It is a choice.
You see, many claim friendship with God. But friendship and love require sacrifice. You cannot have love without sacrifice, so every time we decide to sleep in instead of attend Mass on Sunday, we are showing that really, we aren't friends or disciples of Christ, we are just fans. We admire from afar, because the demands of true friendship with Christ is just too costly for us. The demands of that love and life are too difficult and get in the way of our own desires and wants, however misguided and misdirected those are. You see, whether we participate in God's will or not, it will be done, and it will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. So, with or without us, God's will is glorified throughout the ages and has been pretty much been glorfied in the same divine liturgical manner as we celebrate in the Mass for centuries, It is up to us to get on the wagon and participate. That participation starts here and now, and if we fail, that failure of a participation in Christ will follow us into eternity.
So how is it that we fight that thing inside of us that leads us away from holiness and toward destruction, and makes that destruction seem so desirable and attractive? Well, I think the first thing we need to do is be baptized, that starts this process, whether we are adult or infant, we all deserve and need Grace from God, and we get a big boost from that Grace at our Baptism. We then need prayer, a daily and healthy dose of it. The Graces we get from prayer will help us direct our choices rightly, and help us to live in Truth. We will still fail, but without prayer we don't stand a chance. We also need to recognize that there is one True Church that Christ founded and their is no salvation outside the Church, because there is no Eucharist outside the Church and the Eucharist is in itself what gives us life. So, if we don't love the Church, whom Christ himself if the head of, then we cannot love Christ. We cannot love Christ with loving his Church, which is of course His Kingdom, which transcends space and time in all Her glory and with all Her Saints and Angels. On Earth that Kingdom is not so perfect, but it is in Heaven. The Sacraments and Liturgy are Christ's Truth in action, and what saves the world, each and every day, on every continent and in every country, spoken in all languages and for all people. It is a awesome family, and we are all invited. Yet their are family rules and rituals and by not practicing these we set ourselves outside that family and without protections against sin and vice, we become much more vulnerable.
Join this bandwagon, fight the inclination to sin, and join together with all of us fighting this fight and running this race together, as Gods people worshipping Him in the way he has prescribed and given to us. Because, God's Kingdom has come, and His will is done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. The only question, are we a part of that will or placing ourselves outside and away from it.
