We are indebted to Hugh of St. Victor for brilliantly describing all the evils in the world as “parts of the body of the apostate angel.” The devil’s work is all around us, visible and audible in every lie, each unnecessary tax, every intentionally inflicted pain, every nit-picking regulation, and all the deaths from abortion, euthanasia, and malaria.
Every human component of every endeavor that justifies hurt is part of the body of the apostate angel. It is a living, though somewhat disorganized, body whose individual components are invariably saying “More for me. Less for you.” Each person who becomes a part of the apostate angel’s unholy body has renounced God, truth, and love for the satisfaction of their own vanities.
The more that someone is willing to sacrifice for vanity, the higher rank granted. The highest-ranking in the devil’s body are those who destroy the most lives. Pharmaceutical companies involved with birth control chemicals, for instance, are staffed with the accursed. Movies that glorify the satiation of lust are nearly as bad.
But, among those groups, where does God draw the line between sheep and goats? Does a secretary or janitor who’s a devout Catholic working at a birth control manufacturer have a chance of salvation? This is where it gets sticky.
Manuel Ramirez mows the lush lawn at the headquarters of XYZ Chemicals, the large birth control pill manufacturer. He goes home to his devout Catholic family, attends Church every Sunday and every Holy Day. Does Manny get into Heaven? We can assume so. But, what of the chemist who develops the compounds at the same company, knowing that they will result in the death of the tiniest of babies? We can assume not. So, where in such an organization does a damnable level of culpability begin?
