Glory versus death; pride and fear

St. Leo the Great:

"The earth - our earthly nature - should tremble at the suffering of its Redeemer. The rocks - the hearts of unbelievers - should burst asunder. The dead, imprisoned in the tombs of their mortality, should come forth, the massive stones now ripped apart . . . .

"The body that lay lifeless in the tomb is ours. The body that rose again on the third day is ours. The body that ascended above all the heights of heaven to the right hand of the Father's glory is ours."

Then why do we insist on remaining entombed? Why do we cling to being dead rather than embracing the glory to which we are called? Why do we embrace the pleasures and comforts of this world as if they were the life that lasts?

The other day I had a thought that I think is related to these questions: our two greatest obstacles to becoming the glorious saints God desires for us to become are our pride and our fear, and they are more closely related than we often realize.

Even though I've been blessed with a relationship with the Lord for over 20 years now, I have nonetheless lived much of my life as a slave to sensuality - that is, to the gratification of the senses or the indulgence of the physical appetites as ends in themselves. Our society tells us that the treasure of life lies chiefly in the sights, sounds, tastes and scents, and touches that we experience. Every avenue of art and commerce are predicated on convincing us that our lives will be poorer if we fail to experience what they offer us.

God tells us the same thing.

So why do we insist on believing the world?

Pride, and fear.

We are proud of who we are. We are rational, healthy people who don't need a crutch to get through life. We have accomplished much, and we must have the recognition for it.

And we are afraid that if we believe God instead, we're going to miss out on life. Let's face it, there are a lot of pleasurable things that God asks us to receive differently from him than the world offers it. Moderation doesn't seem fun. We're afraid that life according to God's desire for us will be less than life done our own way.

I know it isn't that simple. But doesn't it seem like that's a pretty big piece of the problem?