Walking in to the Stable
I am currently listening to The Chronicles of Narnia The Last Battle on my way to work, and just came to the part where Rilian meets the kings and queens as well as the false god Tash in the Stable on Stable Hill. I was struck by how profoundly Lewis puts his point here, as only fiction is capable of doing for us.
First, the most obvious matter is that in order to be in communion with the saints we must walk as they walked, in the mouth of death itself. That is to say, we must lay down our lives and look to the lives of others. We must think, not how might this help me, or further my cause, but how might this help my neighbor, spouse, or child, reach the kingdom of heaven. Then, walking into death itself, actually give ourselves up in order to help them reach that goal. Not living for ourselves, we live for one another.
Second, our battle at that point is rewarded with reinforcements. The saints and angels are then found to be rolling that great stone away with us. This is their battle. It is like working out in a sense (as I am doing once again [I always get spritual lessons when I am working my body - go figure]). When we work out we work the muscles that we are going to use for a certain purpose. I am doing lifting, jumping, stretching, etc, for an over all fitness goal, while Manny Pacquaio (the amazing boxer that I read about yesterday) focuses almost entirely on stamina exercises, and spends virtually no time lifting in comparison. I need to get to a basic level of fitness, but after a certain point the body specializes in certain activities so that it can do a better job. A baseball player hits, runs, catches and throws, even Manny Pacquaio could not do those things as well as a AA ball player probably.
In relation to the angels and saints their strength is in virtuous work (pardon the bad analogy of course). They seem to be distant when we are working ourselves into a frenzy in ungodly activity or thought. When we rely upon ourselves and insist on our own way. Not because they lack love, but in a sense, they have no experience in that arena. Now, they are highly skilled at fighting against these passions, and in as much as we battle those they battle with us. When we begin to prefer these ways of living, however, they simply let us have at it. I am better at following my passions and my own willfulness then St. Christopher is. He helps me, but in the way that he knows how, and in this case it would be actually praying against what I am doing. He works against me for me.
So, it is interesting to me that when we willingly walk into death, we actually receive life, help, and joy (from God) through the common bond of a common goal with the saints and angels. We make this trip into death hell by seeking our own and cutting ourselves off from the strength of our reinforcing troops (so to speak).
