There is something which men dread more than physical death. It is that moral nothingness which awaits a life's activities devoid of eternal significance. This fear poisons all the satisfactions of life. Men ardently desire to live "so as not to die." The religion of Jesus Christ gives this power: it enables men to put the stamp of eternity on their actions. But to achieve this life and to banish fear from their existence men must embrace the Gospel in its integrity. It will not do to follow Jesus partially. One must believe in Him wholly. Few do this. Men tend to adapt the Gospel to their self-seeking lives. They seize on the merciful traits in the portrait left by the Evangelists and glide over the sterner ones. They overlook the fact that the salvation wrought by Jesus is to rescue men not only from their sins, but from their sinfulness. The mission of Jesus was not a purely humanitarian one.
- Fr. Edward Leen, C.S.Sp., Why the Cross? Sheed & Ward, New York, 1939, pg. 58
2 comments:
Thank you for posting these beautiful words of Father Leen; he is one of my favorite writers. The Holy Ghost priests were some of the best; it's easy to see the source of the Archbishop's formation when you read their works. May God bless you, and happy Easter!
Happy Easter to you, too, Kindred Spirit! Fr. Leen is one of my favorite authors, too. He had some very deep spiritual insights.
God bless you,
Paddy
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