I read the dystopian, science-fiction novel, “Lord of the World,” by Msgr. Robert Hugh Benson, about the Anti-Christ many years ago. Given the times, I think it is time to give it another read. Much has been written about this somewhat unknown work of fiction. But then, is it really fiction? I honestly cannot remember much of its detail. But, I remember, as if it were yesterday, the feeling I had when I read the book. A feeling of terrible foreboding and absolute loneliness. I do not think a work of prose that engenders such a feeling can truly be classified as fiction. Let alone science-fiction.
The Lord of the World vs. …
We live in very confusing times. Words do not seem to mean what they meant before. Standards of ethical and moral behavior have all but been flipped on their head. Take for example, the word “sin.” It means to miss the target. But, if one professes that there is no target, then there can be no missing of the target. There can be no sin. There is then no need for salvation. It is truly fascinating. And terrifying at the same time, to see society stand now, at the bottom of that slippery slope of moral relativism. That I was and am alive to witness this slide from top to bottom is a testament to this law of Mordor. That what generations of faithful did to preserve the order in the Church, with its pillars of Scripture, Teaching and Tradition, can be flung into the waters of chaos the moment it chooses to surrender to the virus of moral relativism. You would be forgiven if realizing this today, you are overcome by that same feeling of terrible foreboding and absolute loneliness. But what exactly am I fearing?
… The Lord of All.
Fact #1, Christ has already won the victory. Fact #2, my children, and their children may live in a dystopian reality, that heretofore was considered a genre of fiction. How does one go about life carrying both these facts, (and I apply that word, “Fact,” with great reluctance to the latter one), and not lose one’s sanity? In 1 Samuel 1, we get a sense of this foreboding & loneliness in the story of Hannah. She is, of all the places, in the temple. She is crying out to the Lord, in faith, to look with pity at her Misery. For her efforts, she is accused of being drunk and is told to sober up. Her faith is (mis)interpreted for drunken show by, of all people, the priest of the Temple, Eli. Ultimately, despite being lonely, and in the darkness of the world around and in her, it is her faith that bears fruit, in the birth of her son Samuel, and it is Samuel that brings sobriety to the people of Israel.
The Message
The story, like many others in scripture, is the message and the messenger. A messenger hurtling through the darkness, towards us, as a bearer of a faint light. It is worth repeating and meditating on Fact #1. Christ has already won; Christ has already won; Christ has already won. No matter what we see and hear in the world today, our relationship to Christ, our faith in Him is the only sustenance necessary. Remember this when that feeling of terrible foreboding and absolute loneliness overcomes us. For my own sanity, I cannot be distracted by my feelings of anger, feelings of betrayal, and accusations of drunken show when I choose to practice my faith. I must choose not to turn into a victim of these distractions, designed by the Lord of the World for just that purpose. Instead, I need to head closer and into that message of light, until the darkness is gone and all I see is the light around me. The Lord of All has already defeated the Lord of the World. Yes, we live in confusing times. But the cure for confusion is always with us. Amen.
