The Walking Dead takes place after the onset of a worldwide zombie apocalypse. The zombies, referred to as "walkers", shamble towards living humans and other creatures to eat them. Humans that they bite or scratch become infected and slowly turn into walkers as well. It is revealed early in the series that all living humans carry this pathogen, so that if they die from any other cause, they will also turn into walkers. The only way to permanently kill a walker is to damage its brain or otherwise fully destroy the body, such as by cremating it. The Walking Dead has attracted the most 18- to 49-year-old viewers of any cable or broadcast television series. Now this age group should sound familiar, it is the same age group that is the fastest growing age group that identifies as “no religious preference”. So you’ve heard it said, “you are what you eat,” no pun intended, or that what you watch forms your habits in life. According to St. Augustine, bad entertainment can be seriously dangerous to your spiritual health.
While there may be disagreement on defining the Walking Dead as bad entertainment, let me share my limited perspective. I watched part of one episode and the commercial trailers. What I see as a theme is distrust of everyone, extreme violence, and the hopelessness of this is what we will all become walkers when we die. Just what our communities need to see more.
As our children and many adults hang up our Halloween costumes that sometimes mimics the characters of the walking dead after a night of going door to door to satisfy our need for sweets. All Hallows Eve has lost much of its connection to its religious origins and the following religious solemnity, is not widely practiced or acknowledged by most Americans unless they are devout Catholics.
Catholics celebrate All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day in the fundamental belief that there is a prayerful spiritual communion between those in the state of grace who have died and are either being purified in purgatory (the 'church penitent') or are in heaven (the 'church triumphant'), and the 'church militant' we who are the living.
During the Apostles' Creed we confess “I believe in the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints." The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) asks and answers: "What is the Church if not the assembly of all the saints?" The communion of saints is the Church. CCC946
The term "communion of saints" therefore has two closely linked meanings: communion in holy things" and "among holy persons." CCC948
Therefore, unlike the characters and themes of the Walking Dead, we are walkers in this world with the hope and goal of being in communion with our heavenly Father, Son and Spirit through is communion mystery, a mystery that unites us with the saints who have been tried by this life and gone before us to the heavenly banquet, and we are walkers in communion with the saints we encounter in our daily ordinary lives.
Pope Francis tweeted this morning: “Dear friends, the world needs saints and we are called to holiness without exception. Don’t be afraid” to be the saints of today as we walk with each other and a world searching for hope.
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