"the culture of death"
"By the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who are in his possession experience it." —Wisdom 2:24
Pope John Paul II called© our Western, secularized culture "the culture of death." Married couples refuse to conceive children; we abort babies; we withdraw food from terminally ill patients so that they will die; masses commit suicide through alcohol and other drugs; we entertain ourselves by watching people kill each other on TV. We are a culture of sin, and because the wages of sin is death (Rm 6:23), we are a culture of death.
"It was the wicked who with hands and words invited death, considered it a friend, and pined for it, and made a covenant with it, because they deserve to be in its possession" (Wis 1:16). "Court not death by your erring way of life, nor draw to yourselves destruction by the works of your hands" (Wis 1:12). We either repent of our sins or court, marry, and become possessed by death. We either give our lives to God, Who is Life (Jn 14:6), or become lifelong, everlasting slaves of Satan, the prince of death (Heb 2:14-15).
"I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life" (Dt 30:19).
Prayer: Father, use me to save babies from abortion and other people from sin and damnation.
Promise: "The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace." —Wis 3:1-3
Praise: Larry and Sarah repented of their contraceptive lifestyle and soon became prominent figures in pro-life movements.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape The Culture of Death on audio AV 73-3 or video V-73.)
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Bishop-Elect, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 26, 2011 (for 10-1-2011 through 11-29-2011) and May 26, 2011 (for 11-30-2011)
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