Zombies!

Snapshot from Night of the Living Dead (source:Wikipedia)

One of the frustrating aspects of being Catholic is that there is so much to learn about the teachings of the Church. Actually, it's a blessing and a curse. The blessing is the recognition that the mysteries of the faith are inexhaustible; one can delight in this playground of the mind forever. The curse is that there is a lot of ignorance, which can lead one into error if one is not too careful.

One of my self-identified weaknesses is the understanding of grace. In understanding the complete human being, there is the order of nature, which most people have a reasonable grasp, but over and above this there is the order of grace (or supernature). When reading Scripture, it might be confusing when it talks about life and death. 

For instance, God warned Adam and Eve that eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would lead to death. But they didn't die, at least not immediately (or so it seems). It's true that God intended that they be immortal, so they did become subject to natural death. But they did die immediately upon disobeying God. They changed. They realized that they were naked, and they attempted to hide from God. They lost sanctifying grace, and hence they were dead at a supernatural level.

The Greek language has several words for life and this is explained by the late Fr. John Hardon, S.J. (from his book, History and Theology of Grace):

The most fruitful analogy that revelation gives us for sanctifying grace and the state of righteousness is the concept of life, which the Greek authors of the New Testament regularly rendered by the word zôê, in preference to two other terms they might have used, bios and psuche.

Where English and Latin have only one word, life and vita, the Greek has three; and the choice of one of these to describe the divine life we receive through grace must be significant. The true antithesis of zôê is thanatos (death), and means life taken intensively, as contrasted with bios, which refers to life extensively, or its duration, and with psuche, the breath that in animated beings is a sign of life.

The term zôê is used selectively and exclusively to designate the supernatural life which God communicates to us through Christ; indeed, He is our life and its Author. Most often the combination, zôê aiônios (eternal life), is found in the Gospels and St. Paul; yet the same zôê that we possess on earth will continue into eternity. This is the divine life that was in the Word from the beginning, “and the life was the light of men.” It is also the life that the Persons of the Trinity have in common. “For the Father has life in Himself, even as He has given to the Son to have life in Himself.” It is a participation in this life that those who believe in Christ have received.

So there is such a thing as "the walking dead," those who have natural life but have lost supernatural life ("need brains!"). An interesting aspect of this analog is that zombies are deficient in the brains department; they're not quite the rational animal God intended them to be. "Sin makes you stupid." On the other hand, "the living dead" should be applied to those who have died naturally (when the soul separates from the body, leaving a corpse and an immortal soul), but who have persevered with sanctifying grace, and retain supernatural life.

The saints in heaven are alive! This is why we rejoice in the liturgy. The entrance antiphon for All Saints Day (the reason why we have Halloween: All Hallows Eve) is:

Let us all rejoice in the Lord,
as we celebrate the feast day in honor of all the Saints,
at whose festival the Angels rejoice
and praise the Son of God.

A question comes to mind: What might it look like to have supernatural life during this life time? Stay tuned to this channel. (update: I've tackled the question here.)