THE P RTAL
May 2013 Page 10
The A - Z of the Catholic Faith by Fr Stephen Wang
D is for …
Death
In God ’ s plan , human beings were created for holiness and eternal life with him . But through the original sin of our first parents , our nature has been wounded , and we experience suffering and death .
On the one hand , death is a terrible experience : we are stripped of all our attachments to this world ; our body lies corrupt ; and our immortal soul goes to meet the judgment of God . On the other hand , for Christians , there is a longing to be ‘ at home ’ with the Lord ; the hope of eternal life ; and the knowledge that Christ has already conquered death .
Jesus Christ , in his human nature , died on the Cross for our salvation . By freely accepting death , he destroyed death , and through his Resurrection he opened for us the gates of heaven . Through baptism , Christians share sacramentally in the death and resurrection of Christ , and this communion with him is renewed in the Holy Eucharist . This is why we live in hope and not in fear .
At the end of life , in sickness or old age , we prepare for death through the Sacraments of Penance and the Anointing of the Sick ( together with Holy Communion ). In this way we are assured of God ’ s mercy and supported by the prayers of the Church . The hope of every Christian is to die in a state of grace , reconciled with God and at peace with others . We continue to pray for God ’ s mercy on the souls of the faithful departed .
The Devil
The Devil , sometimes called Satan , is one of the fallen angels . These spiritual beings were created by God , full of goodness and beauty , with the freedom to love and serve him and find their happiness in him . Instead , tragically , they choose to reject God and his Kingdom , transforming themselves from good to evil , and establishing the existence of Hell . This choice cannot be undone : not because God lacks mercy ; but because the demons have made a final and allencompassing choice .
As a consequence of their hatred , the Devil and the other demons try to thwart God ’ s plan of salvation and associate human beings in their revolt against God . There is a spiritual battle going on , as Satan tries to seduce us into disobeying God .
But the battle has already been won . The Devil is only a creature , and not a rival God ; and God permits evil only because he can bring good from it . Jesus Christ , through his life , death and resurrection , has conquered evil and overcome ‘ the father of lies ’, even though the influence of the Devil endures for a while .
The Christian attitude to evil is balanced but realistic . We recognise the reality of evil spiritual forces in the world and in our moral lives ; but we do not associate every human difficulty with the work of the Devil in a superstitious way . We pray for God ’ s protection against Satan ( the last line of the Our Father reads : ‘ Deliver us from the Evil One ’), and we call on the prayers of the angels and saints ; but we have confidence that Christ has already redeemed us and will manifest this redemption fully at his Second Coming .
Devotions
The heart of Christian worship takes place in the public liturgy of the Church and the celebration of the sacraments . But our prayer and worship spills out into everyday life and can permeate everything we do . Through our piety and devotions , sometimes private and sometimes public , we express our faith in concrete ways , and allow that faith to touch different aspects of our life .
There are many examples of popular devotions : the Stations of the Cross , the rosary , statues , icons , family prayers , honouring the relics of the saints , processions , devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Blessed Virgin Mary , etc . Each devotion will deepen our prayerfulness and our Christian convictions , and lead us to appreciate the sacraments more and more .
Many devotions are informal and spontaneous , springing up from the faith of the people , always in harmony with Catholic faith and liturgy . Some devotions are more formally recognised and encouraged by the Church , and allow us to connect with the intercession of the whole Church . These sacred signs , called sacramentals (‘ little sacraments ’), include various blessings , the consecration of persons , the dedication of objects for the worship of God , actions such as processions , and prayers such as the rosary .
We are free to choose which personal devotions help us most in our circumstances , but we are all encouraged to deepen our devotional life in at least some ways .