Something To Chew On...

Comin' right at ya!

 

As I enjoy these days of my vacation, I try and get some reading done - not just Scripture, theology and hagiography, but also some history and literature.  One of the books in the case, the one I am reading at the moment is Max Brooks' World War Z.  Yes, zombies!  I saw the movie a couple of weeks ago and I was intrigued, so I bought the book and I must say it is very good - much better than the movie.

 

Well, it seems the great Fr Robert Barron shares my view - so if a zombie apocalypse should break out there are two priests who are ready for it.  Drawing on the doctrine of original sin, Fr Barron sees the zombies as an image of that fault which is at the heart if our fallen human nature - a fault or weakness that is spread like a contagion. It is a very interesting thesis.  He writes: "Do you see now why the zombie -- a human being so compromised by the effects of a contagion that he is really only a simulacrum of a human -- is such an apt symbol for a person under the influence of sin?"    In the movie, as in the book, there are desperate attempts to escape the zombies. The Israelis, for example, build a massive wall around Jerusalem - but they cannot keep the zombies out, no physical construction can halt sin, and when it comes to original sin there is no escaping it.  There is, however, healing, and that healing is found in Christ and in his Sacrament of Baptism.

 

Every generation has its ghoul - that supernatural creature that strikes fear into us.  We had ghosts, vampire, werewolves, and now we have zombies.  And who are zombies?  Ultimately they are the ordinary people who surround us who have been infected by a mysterious contagion and then turn on us seeking to tear us to pieces or make us zombies too.  What does this mean?  I suppose one answer to that is that we are afraid of the other - we have become so individualised that the other is now a source of fear and a potential threat, even if that other is a close relative - no one can be trusted. And really when you get down to it, it is really a fear of ourselves - we are uncomfortable in our own skin, and such is the malaise of modern life.  And why are we afraid of ourselves, of the other? 

 

I would suggest it is because we have lost God.  If our Creator has been abandoned, then our humanity will not be far behind.  We have become what Sartre predicted we would be - lonely, lost, without hope, strangers to ourselves.  Interestingly, as Fr Barron points out, the World War Z movie offers a corrective, a hope: love - love of family, love of friends and the determination to protect, even to the point of sacrificing ourselves.  In other words what Jesus says: he who loses his life saves it.

 

Read Fr Barron's article - it is very good, particularly his reflection on how Brad Pitt's character is like Jesus.   As a friend of mine always says at our monthly film club: This film is about redemption.

Most Precious Blood of Jesus

This morning I will be offering a Votive Mass in honour of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus - probably the last time I will do so until after Advent and Christmas.  I often offer this Mass on Fridays of Ordinary Time because it is a devotion which is well worth reviving.  Since Vatican II devotion to the Precious Blood seems to have dropped out of Church's liturgical life.  The suppression of the feast of the Precious Blood, celebrated on the 1st July did not help.  Of course that feast was incorporated into Corpus Christi, but it has been lost, and little is now said about the Precious Blood.  I was most impressed when the Holy Father offered the Votive Mass during his visit to Britian - Westminster Cathedral is dedicated to the Precious Blood, so it was appropriate.  But I hope the Holy Father's choice will help revive the devotion.

Interestingly, devotion to the Precious Blood might actually help our relations with our Protestant brethern.  A friend of mine told me of a conversation she had with a relation of hers who has embraced evangelical Protestantism.  Her relation was railing against the Catholic Church and her idolotries.  My friend was reminded that we were saved by the Blood of Christ, and Catholics seemed to have forgotten that.  "Well actually", my friend responded with great gusto, "we haven't.  Fr John said the Mass of the Precious Blood this morning!"  

Some may find the devotion strange and off-putting.  I remember reading a critique of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ in which a disgusted (Catholic) critic balked: "It's all about the blood!!"  Yes, it is!  And that is what our salvation is all about - the Blood of Christ in which we were redeemed.  If Gibson has left that image in people's mind good for him, it's good theology.   We are saved by the shedding of Christ's blood.  Our redemption was won by the generous suffering of our Saviour, the Lamb who was slain and whose Blood flowed out to wash away our sins.  This Precious Blood is the fountain of grace in which we are renewed.  Devotion to the Precious Blood reminds us of this, and brings us to a great appreciation and greater gratitude.   It also helps deepen our Eucharistic faith.  When we receive Holy Communion we receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ, and in that Communion his Precious Blood flows through us, filling us with his life and his grace.  The devotion is centred on Jesus, on his Sacred Heart and on his saving work; it is Christian, Biblical, theological and intimate.

In this difficult times we could worse than turn to the Precious Blood of the Lord. There are a number of beautiful prayers, but my favourite is the Litany of the Precious Blood.   Perhaps today, Friday, we might take a moment and pray that Litany for the world, for our suffering brothers and sisters, and for any needs which may be occupying our mind and hearts at this time.  As we pray for the renewal of the Church in Ireland, I feel this prayer can bring great comfort and inspire confidence.

Precious Blood of Jesus, save us.