Incorruption in a Corrupt World
We hear about death and destruction every day. Wars rage around the globe. People are sleeping and starving on the streets of America. Drug and alcohol abuse ran rampant through every demographic of society. Air and water pollution make it more and more difficult for people to thrive. Everywhere you look, there is evidence that the world is corrupt.
“Tell me something I don’t know!” Then we turn to a saint like Saint Patapios of Thebes who the Church commemorates today. His body, though dead since the 5th century, never decomposed. The Church refers to this as incorrupt since his body did not see corruption. He wasn’t a martyr. He lived a pious and holy life.
Not every saint’s body is found incorrupt. It is always something special when ‘nature’ doesn’t take its natural course of events. The Church takes notice. I mention him today as encouragement. The way of the world is the way of corruption. Death and destruction are signature events of the world. Life and holiness are the ways of God.
Christianity has always struggled to remain incorrupt in a corrupt world. There have been holy and ‘not-so-holy’ emperors, kings, presidents, prime ministers, etc. Even the clergy have not been immune to corruption over the years. That is why an incorrupt saint is so special and deserves our attention.
If these saints can live a holy life, then so can we. It wasn’t easy for them, and it won’t be easy for us. But then again, nothing worth anything is easy. As we continue on our journey to the Nativity I encourage you to seek out examples of incorruption in our corrupt world.
When you find them, notice what aspects of life they have in common. These traits will be worth your attention. In your prayers today, ask Saint Patapios to help you see that it is possible and worth the effort to live a holy incorrupt life in a corrupt world.
