19th Sunday After Pentecost - The Dying Camel
“Friend, how camest thou hither, not having on a wedding garment?”
Did you know that camels go out into the desert alone to die? A traveler once watched a scene like that. An old camel stumbled off across the sand dunes on his last journey, pitiful and alone. As the traveler watched, a shadow appeared in the sky. It was a vulture, wheeling above the camel in circles, watching and waiting. Slowly the camel walked until it finally stum-bled. Right away the vulture swooped down. But the camel got wearily to its knees and then to its feet; so the vulture moved away and continued to fly in great circles, watching and waiting. The rays of the sun caught it and threw its shadow on the sand. Again the camel stumbled and again the vulture swooped. This went on and on until they passed out of sight, the camel stum-bling and the vulture stooping. It is a picture of a soul in mortal sin. Always the devil is there watching and waiting, always ready to swoop down for the kill.
Mortal sin robs our soul of grace. When we commit a mortal sin, the light of God that shines in our souls goes out. If we die in mortal sin, the devil swoops down on us and we belong to him for all eternity. We become like the man in the Gospel who did not have on a wedding garment. We will be cast out into the exterior darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
In this regard, there are two resolutions which every one of us should make:
1. Never as long as we live to commit a mortal sin.
2. If through some misfortune we should commit sin, not to stay in that state but to re-move it by going to confession as soon as possible.
We can help ourselves to keep these resolutions by thinking of the seriousness of sin, the greatness and goodness of God Whom we offend, and the danger in which we place our-selves. Mortal sin is a serious offense against the law of God. When we sin, we say, “I don’t care what God thinks, I am going to do it anyway.” What a shame to offend the God to Whom we owe so much—the kind and gentle God! And what a danger we place ourselves in! The dan-ger of falling into the hands of the devil.
There was once a fish who got tired of life in the pond where he lived so he jumped out of the water onto dry land. He gasped and flopped around and said to himself, “I wish I was back in the pond again.”
A little boy came along and felt sorry for him. He picked him up and threw him back in.
After a while the fish got tired of life in his pond again and jumped out once more. Again he gasped and flopped around and again the little boy threw him back where he belonged.
Over and over the fish did that, and the boy saved him every time. But once the fish jumped out when the boy was not there to save him, and he died. We are taking chanced like that poor fish when we place ourselves in danger of death by sin.
~ “Sunday Morning Storyland,” Imprimatur 1945 ~
Did you know that camels go out into the desert alone to die? A traveler once watched a scene like that. An old camel stumbled off across the sand dunes on his last journey, pitiful and alone. As the traveler watched, a shadow appeared in the sky. It was a vulture, wheeling above the camel in circles, watching and waiting. Slowly the camel walked until it finally stum-bled. Right away the vulture swooped down. But the camel got wearily to its knees and then to its feet; so the vulture moved away and continued to fly in great circles, watching and waiting. The rays of the sun caught it and threw its shadow on the sand. Again the camel stumbled and again the vulture swooped. This went on and on until they passed out of sight, the camel stum-bling and the vulture stooping. It is a picture of a soul in mortal sin. Always the devil is there watching and waiting, always ready to swoop down for the kill.
Mortal sin robs our soul of grace. When we commit a mortal sin, the light of God that shines in our souls goes out. If we die in mortal sin, the devil swoops down on us and we belong to him for all eternity. We become like the man in the Gospel who did not have on a wedding garment. We will be cast out into the exterior darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
In this regard, there are two resolutions which every one of us should make:
1. Never as long as we live to commit a mortal sin.
2. If through some misfortune we should commit sin, not to stay in that state but to re-move it by going to confession as soon as possible.
We can help ourselves to keep these resolutions by thinking of the seriousness of sin, the greatness and goodness of God Whom we offend, and the danger in which we place our-selves. Mortal sin is a serious offense against the law of God. When we sin, we say, “I don’t care what God thinks, I am going to do it anyway.” What a shame to offend the God to Whom we owe so much—the kind and gentle God! And what a danger we place ourselves in! The dan-ger of falling into the hands of the devil.
There was once a fish who got tired of life in the pond where he lived so he jumped out of the water onto dry land. He gasped and flopped around and said to himself, “I wish I was back in the pond again.”
A little boy came along and felt sorry for him. He picked him up and threw him back in.
After a while the fish got tired of life in his pond again and jumped out once more. Again he gasped and flopped around and again the little boy threw him back where he belonged.
Over and over the fish did that, and the boy saved him every time. But once the fish jumped out when the boy was not there to save him, and he died. We are taking chanced like that poor fish when we place ourselves in danger of death by sin.
~ “Sunday Morning Storyland,” Imprimatur 1945 ~