A French Catholic writer of a century ago, Léon Bloy, frequently wrote this sentence. It is one of the most profound sentences I have ever read: “There is only one tragedy, in the end: not to have been a saint.”
That is the meaning of life. The meaning of life is to be a saint. Nothing less. God is not satisfied with anything less. He is “easy to please but hard to satisfy.” Jesus tells us we must “be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). That sounds to us outrageously high. We don’t want to accept that. But how dare we correct the Creator and Designer of human life concerning the purpose of human life?
All right, then, so the end is sanctity. What is the means to the end? Sanctity comes only with struggle, “inner struggle” … [The saints] all describe the Christian life as an agon, a Greek word that means “effort” or “work.” It is the root of the word “agony”...
There are many wars that can be avoided by good diplomacy. But not this war. For this war is not a part of life; this war is life itself.
There are many enemies that can be negotiated with. But not this enemy. For this enemy is not flesh and blood but principalities and powers, evil spirits, fallen angels… This enemy is not merely some evil men or some evil things but evil itself.
There are many causes that are worth large investments of our devotion, time, and energy. But not this cause. This cause demands all. For it is not some good things or some good men but goodness itself.
Not everyone is a career soldier. There are many enlistments that are not for life. But not this enlistment. For this enlistment is not only for life but for eternity.
There are many armies who lose not only battles but wars. But not this army. For this army is God’s army, and its front lines are composed of angels and chariots of fire.
There are many commanding officers who sometimes make mistakes in battle plans. But not this commanding officer. For He alone is God, and He alone is infallible. Whenever there is a conflict between His marching orders and the ones we invent, ours are always proved to be wrong and His right in the end...
...There are many investments that demand less than all of our resources, for if they fail we will still have something left for tomorrow and for others. But not this investment. For if we lose this, we have nothing left at all for any tomorrow at all.
Excerpt from
How to Destroy Western Civilization – And Other Ideas from the Cultural Abyss, by Peter Kreeft, Ph.D. (Ignatius Press, 2021), pp. 70-73. www.ignatius.com
PETER KREEFT, PH.D.,professor of philosophy at Boston College, is one of the most respected and prolific Christian authors of our time. His many bestselling books cover a vast array of topics in spirituality, theology, and philosophy. A few of his titles include Doors in the Walls of the World, Heaven: The Heart’s Deepest Longing,
and Summa of the Summa,
among others.
Catechism 101 Evil is not an abstraction, but refers to a person, Satan, the Evil One, the angel who opposes God. The devil (dia-bolos) is the one who ‘throws himself across’ God’s plan and his work of salvation accomplished in Christ.
Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2851
Scripture 101 We are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.