It is Good Friday.
At this moment, as I write this sentence, the Roman Church is celebrating the Stations of the Cross in Rome, Italy. Where is this liturgy taking place? In the ruins of the Roman Coliseum, where Christians by the thousands were torn apart by lions, wild beasts, victims of the most henious acts of violence.
Yes, The Roman Coliseum is where Christianity died.
Fast forward through history and one finds Nietzsche declaring the death of God in his philosophy. Ironically, his own sister was a nun.
Yes, modern philosophy is where Christianity died.
Then, in 1966, Time magazine graced its cover with the headline: "Is god dead?" Then 3 years later the same magazine had to retract slightly with a different cover: "Is God coming back to life?"
And, now, again, this week during Holy Week, Newsweek's cover declares the decline of Christianity. It is too archaic for our times, we are too enlightened now, it is miserably, irrefutably politically incorrect. It cannot compete with our new gods, the god of "tolerance," "relativism," and "secularism."
Yes, the 21st century is where God died.
On Good Friday, we enter into, the first time Christianity died, on a cross, outside the walls of Jerusalem. Deicide. The historical record since that dark day has nothing new to tell us.
Three days later, the unquenchable fire that is Being Itself, reconstituted life...the resurrection, "trampling down death, by death." Oh, no, creation, I live, and I will hound you to your last breath so that you may be lifted up with Me to life eternal.
I remember watching the movie, Jesus of Nazareth, years ago. I particularly liked one line a Roman soldier says at the end of the movie after entering the empty tomb..."now it begins..."
Jesus is the truth, the way and the life; He is life. Truth will not die...because truth is not a trend, a philosophy, even a religion. Truth is a Person. There is no being, no creation, nothing, without the loving will of Being Itself.
Sometime "google" the poem by Francis Thompson, "The Hound of Heaven." I find it captures the essence of a love so enamored with his creation that He tracks us down in every silent crevice of our existence...He lives.
G. K. Chesterton said of his poem:
"That is the primary point of the work of Francis Thompson; even before its many colored pageant of images and words. The awakening of the Domini Canes, the Dogs of God, meant that the hunt was up once more; the hunt for the souls of men; and that religion of that realistic sort was anything but dead...In any case it was an event of history as much as an event of literiture, when personal religion returned with something of the passion of Dante, the Dies Irae, after a century when such religion had seemed to grow more weak and provincial, and more and more impersonal religions appeared to possess the future. And those who best understand the world know that the world has changed,and that the hunt will continue until the world turns to bay."
"I fled Him down the nights and down the days,
I fled Him down the arches of the years,
I fled Him down the labyrinth of ways,
of my own mind, and in the midst of tears.....
All that which I took from Thee, I did but take,
Not for thy harms,
But only that thou might seek it in my arms.
All which thy child's mistake,
Francis, as lost,
I have stored for thee at home.
"Rise, clasp my hand, and come.....
I am He whoc though seekest!
There is much more. Find this poem and give yourself to it for a moment. You will see God is not dead, He continues to hound our every moment with His love.
Alleluia, Christ is risen indeed.
