Our Catholic Church is going through another unique and trying time in its history.
I used to think that we were going through a renewal, and while I do see flickers of hope and light (for Christ is always our hope), I am convicted that the situation in the Church and the world is going to have to get a lot worse before it gets better. I do believe whole-heartedly that a severe persecution of the Church and people of good-will is just around the corner.
Fundamental truths of morality that humanity has been founded upon have been twisted and perverted into being "good." Cardinal Pietro Parolin of the Vatican called the result of Ireland's gay 'marriage' referendum a “disaster for humanity.” Indeed it is. The homosexual agenda is aggressive and relentless and so are the many pervading mortal sins of our times which many people are so proud of and even entire global industries have been built upon. Ireland's vote has been a bold, historical move that will likely influence (and pressure) other nations to make this same, sweeping move toward sodomy ...and it won't be long before it sweeps across the western world.
Our Catholic Faith is being challenged and undermined in grave ways. If we haven't been challenged in these areas, we need to be prepared...because we will be. We will be labeled (if not already) bigots, close-minded, rigid, traditional...even by those within the Church.
Sadly, as this blog put it,
"...there are some within the Church who increasingly promoting a secular and hedonistic agenda in order to fall beneath the banner of the new religion of “Tolerance”. As Archbishop Charles Chaput said so lucidly: I think modern life, including life in the Church, suffers from a phony unwillingness to offend that poses as prudence and good manners, but too often turns out to be cowardice. Human beings owe each other respect and appropriate courtesy. But we also owe each other the truth—which means candor."
We will be shut up, shut out, imprisoned and dare I say even killed for standing true to the One, True, Catholic and Apostolic Faith in the near future. I quote Servant of God Fr. John Hardon in The Blessed Virgin and the Sanctification of the Family, a saintly man of our times, who said:
"'No less than ordinary individual Catholics can survive, so ordinary Catholic families cannot survive. They have no choice. They must either be holy—which means sanctified—or they will disappear. The only Catholic families that will remain alive and thriving in the twenty-first century are the families of martyrs. Father, mother and children must be willing to die for their God-given convictions…"
Because the Lord will spit out the lukewarm, the wheat will be separated from the tares, and the sheep from the goats. There will only be two sides in this Final Confrontation: that of truth and that of anti-truth (disguised as Tolerance). As St. John in Scripture taught,
Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him."
I could not agree with him more.
Bill and I are realistic about what we are up against and talk about it from time to time. We realize a more outright persecution is inevitable and although it is absolutely scary to think of, we hope and pray that our family will be given the grace to remain faithful to God, no matter what tribulations we are tried through.
God, in His goodness and desire for us to be one with Him in heaven, at times allows suffering to test the genuineness of our faith and purify the Church of sin and falsehoods that have crept in, especially in times when many have gone astray - even some members of the Church heiarchy themselves. This is nothing new in the history of the Church or even in Scripture. Church leaders are still sinners and subject to the wiles, temptations, and snares of the devil.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time. In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 3:7)
The prophet Zechariah from the Old Testament (Zec 13:7-9):
Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,
against the one who is my associate
—oracle of the LORD of hosts.
Strike the shepherd
that the sheep may be scattered;
I will turn my hand against the little ones.
In all the land—oracle of the LORD—
two thirds of them will be cut off and perish,
and one third will be left.
I will bring the one third through the fire;
I will refine them as one refines silver,
and I will test them as one tests gold.
They will call upon my name, and I will answer them;
I will say, “They are my people,”
and they will say, “The LORD is my God.”
It is necessary for the preservation of the truth and the purity of the Faith that God allows this at times, otherwise, falsehood and error continues to spread and persist, leading even more souls astray into the abyss of Hell. The Lord does not want us in hell!!
In our times, the presentation of Faith has become so watered down and polluted with error and false ideologies that it is the reason why so many Catholics don't practice their faith and go to Mass anymore. According to the recent Pew Research studies on the religious landscape in America, in only seven years, Christian affiliation has declined sharply while people are becoming more affiliated with other groups (or have not affiliated themselves at all). The Catholic Church is still in decline - for every one person that converts to Catholicism, six leave. It's not looking good and something has to give. In the history of the Church, an authentic renewal of the Faith has always come through bloodshed. Despite various programs and clever ways to engage and present the Faith, the only true answer to renewal is a sacrificial witness to Christ and the Church, and the pursuit of holiness. It is necessary that the Church go through trying times to be purified so that the authentic Faith, which was clouded by corruption, scandal and the like, can shine and the Catholic Church be strengthened once again.
If Christ, the Bridgeroom and Head of the Church, suffered and underwent His Passion, so too must the Church, the Bride and Spouse of Christ, suffer.
The Catholic Church will always remain until the end of time, as our Lord promised the "gates of hell will not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18)...no matter how bad it gets. And in our history, we have seen her weather some very dire and dark times!
We must spiritually prepare ourselves. We must commit to praying the Rosary every day, to pray the family Rosary, and be consecrated to Jesus through Mary, for Scripture has assured us that it is she who will crush the head of Satan. As Gensis 3:15 states:
"I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel."
The Catholic Church has always understood this as the protoevangelium - the first Gospel and announcement of the good news - and a prefigurement of our Blessed Mother and the war Satan will wage against her and her children - Christ and His disciples (CCC #410).
As the late St. John Paul II said speaking in a January 24, 1996 General Audience:
"In the light of the New Testament and the Church's tradition, we know that the new woman announced by the Protogospel (Genesis 3:15) is Mary, and in 'her seed' we recognize her Son, Jesus..." Therefore we can confidently say, "What is said of 'the woman' in Gen. 3:15 finds its fulfillment only in Mary."
Satan fears our Lady and is utterly humiliated and enraged that a humble handmaid of the Lord, by God's grace, will have the power to crush him. He despises Christ because of who He is and despises His humble incarnation in becoming man through Mary's spotless humanity. Do not be timid in waging battle. St. Maximilian Kolbe tells us, "There is much evil in the world, but let us not forget the Immaculate is more powerful yet, and that she will crush the infernal serpent's head."
We cannot delay. If you have been away from the Church, come and return to the Sacrament of Confession and place yourself in a state of grace. Seek strength in Jesus in the Eucharist by attending Mass, be obedient to the Church, and exercise your spiritual muscles by being faithful in small matters so that when those bigger trials and tribulations come, you will have the strength to choose God and not betray Him like Judas. As the Lord spoke in the parable of the talents, His joy will be ours if we are faithful:
"Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy." (Matthew 25:23)
Give yourself over to Jesus through Mary. Now is the time to prepare arms.
Here is a new movement based on age-old traditional Catholic practices. Devoted to the Blessed Sacrament and the Consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
For men, join ranks with Cardinal Burke and the new Holy League
For women, The Valiant Woman
"We must be willing to recover the zeal and the spirit of the first century Christians … unless we are willing to do what they did and pay the price they paid, the future of our country, the days of America, are numbered.”
-Fr. John Hardon, S.J.