{"id":17733,"date":"2012-06-08T10:01:03","date_gmt":"2012-06-08T15:01:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=17733"},"modified":"2012-06-08T10:01:03","modified_gmt":"2012-06-08T15:01:03","slug":"soulless-zombies-and-the-pending-apocalypse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2012\/06\/soulless-zombies-and-the-pending-apocalypse\/","title":{"rendered":"Soulless Zombies and the Pending Apocalypse"},"content":{"rendered":"

How often do you think about death?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s 2012, and no year has brought on as much conversation about the end of the world since the new millennium. It seems like there is an ever-increasing collection of movies, shows, and even guidebooks warning us of our possible doom.<\/p>\n

Death is scary. It\u2019s a violent act where the soul is taken from the body. It\u2019s only really measurable by the lack of a pulse, and no device, no matter how specific or sensitive, has been able to add a calculable measure for a soul. Still, it is very obvious when the soul is gone.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever seen a dead body at a funeral or anywhere else, I\u2019m sure you will agree with me that there is something that feels so unnatural about seeing a body in that state.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Photo Credit - Josh Pesavento<\/p><\/div>\n

I have often wondered how it would be if the body came back to life, and I\u2019m pretty sure I\u2019m not alone in those thoughts. All we have to do is look at the Zombie craze.<\/p>\n

From World War Z to The Walking Dead, zombie stories have proven endlessly fascinating to many around the world and even more profitable for media producers. In the words of Gotye \u201cYou can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness. Like resignation to the end, always the end.”<\/p>\n

The concept of bodies coming back to life is a very strong reminder of the true purpose of our bodies to have life in them. We were not created for death.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We are still caught in this condition where we are anxious for the eternal life but are still fearful of unknown end of our mortality. This is where it can be easy to get caught up in despair.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s possible that the fascination on zombies shows humanity longing for something beyond an end where we lie six feet under. Even if it\u2019s not always openly admitted, people recognize that we are living in some dark times and that the party on this earth can\u2019t go on forever.<\/p>\n

Once the soul has left the body, there are some weird things that can happen as the muscles relax, such as movements, groans, and even belches. Yes, it’s a bit creepy, but not as much as the threat of a soulless body, with an intent to hurt or even kill. Thank God that as much as the body works against the soul because of its constraints, a lifeless body is not an enemy to anyone.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Photo Credit - Steve Parker<\/p><\/div>\n

Unfortunately, we have more complex, sophisticated, and stealth enemies on this earth. Taking this into consideration, we would almost wish that the forces against us walked funny and could be strategically attacked with bullets. Don\u2019t be mistaken, our enemy is real.<\/p>\n

We Christians understand that even though we walk in the valley of death, we shall not fear, because we have a true reason for hope (Psalm 23:4). The enemy is real, but we know which side has already won.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now back to the original question, how often do you think of death?<\/p>\n

Did you know Catholic tradition encourages to think of it daily? Ok, so maybe not explicitly, but the Church does encourage a daily examination of conscience<\/a>. This helps us to develop better consciences and work harder on our spirituality daily. It reminds us that we are meant for more than this reality, and that how we live in this life affects what happens after death.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t give in to despair. Always be ready, for we know not the hour of the end, but live a life that reminds the world of the beauty for which we were created.<\/p>\n

<\/object><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How often do you think about death? It\u2019s 2012, and no year has brought on as much conversation about the end of the world since the new millennium. It seems like there is an ever-increasing collection of movies, shows, and even guidebooks warning us of our possible doom. Death is scary. It\u2019s a violent act… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[90,91],"tags":[118,792,793,791,698],"class_list":["post-17733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-faith-blog","category-young-adult","tag-death","tag-end-of-the-world","tag-examination-of-conscience","tag-grave","tag-sin","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":54849,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2014\/10\/misconceptions-death-angels-dia-de-los-muertos\/","url_meta":{"origin":17733,"position":0},"title":"Misconceptions About Death, Angels, and Dia de Los Muertos","author":"Crist\u00f3bal Almanza Herrera","date":"October 22, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019ve been intrigued\u00a0by how much interest there is about angels in the world today, especially from the secular world. In fact a 2011 poll found that 77% of Americans believe in Angels. Which is somewhat surprising considering that there is a growing number of people that don\u2019t believe in God\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Misconceptions About Death, Angels, and Dia de Los Muertos","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/DeathDoesntProduceAngels-550x366.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/DeathDoesntProduceAngels-550x366.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/DeathDoesntProduceAngels-550x366.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":282611,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/08\/image-divine-mercy-soul\/","url_meta":{"origin":17733,"position":1},"title":"The Image of Divine Mercy In My Soul","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"August 14, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"In the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska when speaking of the image of Divine Mercy, Jesus tells her, \"My image already is in your soul.\" (Diary 49) The image of God was present in man from the beginning when God said, \"Let us make man in our image, after\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Column"","block_context":{"text":"Column","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/column\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Saint Faustina in Prayer","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/SaintFaustinaInPrayer-523x700.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1261616,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2018\/10\/angels-dragons-xvi-st-michael-the-feast-of-all-souls\/","url_meta":{"origin":17733,"position":2},"title":"Angels & Dragons XVI: St. Michael & All Souls","author":"Deacon Guadalupe Rodriguez","date":"October 31, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"What happens when we die? \u00a0And what does the Archangel Michael have to do with our life after death? The Catholic Church teaches through the mass prayers, Her prayers for the dying, and through the lives of the saints that St. Michael has been given a very important role both\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Column"","block_context":{"text":"Column","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/column\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/xyBsmNOMtLE\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":41763,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/10\/the-souls-movement-at-communion\/","url_meta":{"origin":17733,"position":3},"title":"The Soul\u2019s Movement at the Moment of Communion","author":"Josue","date":"October 5, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Consider this article as a monologue or an interior thought, as if someone was thinking out loud and searching for an answer within themselves. 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