CHAPTER II. THE SECOND PRECEPT, WHICH IS, TO DIE TO THE WORLD.

Lent Day 8: 40 Days w/ The Art of Dying Well by St. Robert Bellarmine

CHAPTER II. THE SECOND PRECEPT, WHICH IS, TO DIE TO THE WORLD. (Part 1)

“Now, that we may live well it is necessary, in the first place, that we die to the world before we die in the body. All they who live to the world are dead to God: we cannot in any way begin to live to God, unless we first die to the world. This truth is so plainly revealed in Holy Scripture, that it can be denied by no one but infidels and unbelievers. But, as in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall stand, I will quote the holy apostles, St. John, St. James, and St. .Paul, witnesses the more powerful, because in them the Holy Spirit (who is the Spirit of Truth) plainly spoke. Thus writes St. John the Evangelist: "The prince of this world comes, and in Me he hath not anything," (John 14:30) Here the devil is meant by " the prince of this world," who is the king of all the wicked: and by the "world" is understood the company of all sinners who love the world, and are loved by it.”

There is a famous quote above the doorway of a monastery on the Island of Mount Athos off the coast of Greece which reads, “If you die before you die, you won't die when you die.”

In chapter 2, Bellarmine develops ‘the flip side of the coin’ of chapter 1. If you are going to live well in the grace of Christ and experience peace at death, then you must die to yourself daily. He roots this whole chapter in the teachings of Jesus, the Apostles, the Fathers, and countless saints throughout church history. As Jesus says, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). To translate Jesus’ intense words into our context, the line would say, “Every morning when you wake up, go walk over to the electric chair, sit down and execute your selfishness so that you can be free to follow My plan and will for the day.”

It is this pattern of ‘self-emptying’ that we can be filled with Christ. This is Christianity 101 that so many people miss! Most Christians today simply want to believe the basics and give mental assent to a list of doctrines without actually living out the Way of Jesus. It is simply easier than to radically change our lifestyle and interaction with the world. But this isn’t Christianity nor can we call ourselves Christians if we only believe certain truths about Jesus. The New Testament is very clear that we must give Him our full allegiance ( a better translation of the word ‘faith’) as Master (‘Lord’) in order to be saved. In other words, we can say that Jesus is the Master with our mouth, but He is not truly the Master nor are we His apprentice unless we actively surrender to His Way of life and are willing to die for Him. (Many Christians in the ancient church came out of the baptismal water knowing full well they might just have to give lives for Christ in martyrdom).

“This is the Way.” The Mandalorian Season 3 is coming out today, and this series really depicts the concept of allegiance to “The Way.” In order for there to be a Way at all, everyone belonging to the Mandalorian order must give up their individual rights and privileges and embrace larger ideals and principles so that a type of fraternity can bind them all together. Community, order, and love simply cannot exist without sacrifice. This is why Jedis traditionally do not marry in the world of Star Wars. They are monk-like heroes who are fully committed to laying down their lives for the good of the galaxy. They must empty themselves so they can full of the Force. Even more so (because Christianity is not fiction), Christians are to be ready to fully lay down their lives for the good of the world and empty themselves so they can be full of the Holy Spirit.

The biggest crisis we have in American Christianity today is a “buffet mentality” that is corrosive to the Church. People want to pick and choose what they want to believe and how they are going to live in the same way that they choose their favorite foods at a buffet or how they might customize a playlist of their favorite songs. Whenever we are in control, faith is extinguished, because Jesus is no longer Master at that point.

The famous English writer, G.K. Chesterton, says it well: “We do not really want a religion that is right where we are right. What we want is a religion that is right where we are wrong. We do not want, as the newspapers say, a church that will move with the world. We want a church that will move the world” (From ‘The Catholic Church and Conversion’). If the Way of Jesus is meant to transform the world rather than simply conform to latest fads and trends, then it is going to make lots of people angry and uncomfortable because it is challenging to their own way of life. It tells them they are wrong.

It makes me think of my high school days when Gothic kids dressed in all black with black finger nail polish. Their very existence disrupted and agitated the way of the Preps and Jocks who were decked out in Abercrombie and American Eagle, the ‘branding’ of this world. The monks (dressed in black) and saints of church history are like those Gothic kids. They exist as a sign of contradiction to the current world-system. They believe in “death to the world” so that we might actually start living.

This reminds me of another famous G.K. Chesterton quote: “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.” Whenever I read this line, I think of a salmon swimming up stream and hopping up the waterfall to lay its eggs. This is a struggle and trial for the salmon, and eventually a death. (Most Salmon die after they lay eggs or before that… in the mouth of a Grizzly Bear). But it is also the only way to life, because it is only by swimming against the current that they allow another generation to continue. (To be continued tomorrow…) Don’t forget to subscribe and watch this fun salmon video below! -Kyle