Fr. Paul Anthony Wickens 1930-2004 Requesciat in pace. I, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, am already being poured out in sacrifice and the time of my deliverance is at hand. I have fought the good fight. I have fiinished the race. I have kept the Faith. For the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice, which the Lord, the Just Judge, will give to me in that day; yet, not only to me but also to those who love His coming. 2Timothy, Ch.4
You are perhaps asking yourself many questions! A good friend of yours just got killed on his motorcycle -- he was only 20 years old. A mother of 4 died of cancer at the age of 40. Another friend has recently been divorced: a shattered dream. So many tears! And you say: "Truly, there is so much misfortune in the world, I can't believe in God." ... That you are asking questions, is a good thing. But not to seek the correct answer is not so good. Put your discouragement aside for awhile and let us reason together.
Facts
Let us start with facts. Your body with all its organs, each one like a factory i.e. of an extraordinary complexity (ask any doctor), this wonderful "machine" was passed on to you by your parents, they didn't create it. You may have been told that evolution tries to explain that your great grandfather was a monkey... Now, almost every year, new theories on fossils contradict each other on their age and their "evolution." Botany tells us that "like begets like." Spontaneous generation has long been discarded. It has been proven scientifically that life can come only from life. All this leaves us quite sceptical of what some teachers and the media -- especially T.V. -- tell us! The world does not find its explanation without an almighty Creating God, wise to the highest degree. You have the excellent witness of Prophet David in Psalm XIII: "The fool hath said in his heart: There is no God. They are corrupt and have become abominable in their ways." Here is the answer to one of your questions.
Your soul
Moreover, you are not a mere animal. You have a soul. It is easy to prove the existence of that soul. In a carpentry shop where wooden tables and chairs are made, they do not make use of iron mineral. Inversely, in a car assembling plant, they make use of metal not of wooden beams. What comes and leaves the factory is of the same nature. Now, continuously you think, you compare, analyse, judge: this is right, that is wrong, this is beautiful. These thoughts have neither weight nor dimensions, nor colour. They absolutely cannot be produced by matter. They transcend matter. Then, make the step with the great pagan philosophers who lived before Christ: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, etc... And like them recognise that you have a soul. By this same soul, God gave you freedom and leaves you the faculty to use or abuse it. But if you abuse it, it will turn against you. This explains all the depressions, suicides of so many --because outside God, everything crumbles... And hell has not even yet been mentioned where you can go if you die in the state of mortal sin. There are 14 specific mentions of hell in the Gospels. Now, this is the Word of God! What is at stake is too serious to be ignored. We are all affected by it -- you too.
Nothing is lost
Nothing is lost, however, as long as you live. You can pull yourself together whatever your past may be. Put the counter back to zero. Come and follow the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.
Ave Regina Coelorum Ave Domina Angelorum: Salve radix, salve porta, Ex qua mundo lux est orta:
Gaude Virgo gloriosa, Super omnes speciosa, Vale, o valde decora, Et pro nobis Christum exora.
Prayer to St. Joseph by Pope Leo XIII
To thee, O blessed Joseph, do we have recourse in our tribulation, and having implored the help of thy thrice holy Spouse, we confidently invoke thy patronage also. By that charity wherewith thou wast united to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God, and by that fatherly affection with which thou didst embrace the Child Jesus, we beseech thee and we humbly pray, that thou wouldst look graciously upon the inheritance which Jesus Christ hath purchased by His Blood, and assist us in our needs by thy power and strength.
Most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, protect the chosen people of Jesus Christ. Keep far from us, most loving Father, all blight of error and corruption. Mercifully assist us from heaven, most mighty defender, in this our conflict with the powers of darkness, and even as of old, thou didst rescue the Child Jesus from the supreme peril of His life, so now defend God's Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity. Keep us one and all under thy continual protection that we may be supported by thine example and thine assistance, may be enabled to live a holy life, die a happy death, and come at last to the possession of everlasting blessedness in Heaven. Amen.
