I was just recovering from the healthcare fiasco when the media turned on the Pope. I think the Catholic Church is in for some real rocky times. That’s probably not much of a prophecy considering the headlines we read every morning. I’m sure you’ve wondered, as I have, can it get any worse. I suspect the answer is yes, it’s going to get a whole lot worse. We haven’t seen anything yet. Satan is on the loose. I really believe that. I think God allows Satan to roam freely and widely to bring chastisement upon the world and upon His Church. In the end, the Church might be smaller but hopefully purer. In a sense it’s a “natural process.” It has happened so often before. In the end, God’s will prevails, but not without pain and suffering.
At the moment, for whatever reason, many people want to call themselves Catholic even though they refuse to listen to the Church. The healthcare struggle demonstrated that pretty clearly. So, you have those within the Church who want to change it (in ways that would destroy it), and those outside the Church who simply want to destroy it. That’s a lot of pressure on the Church. Pray for the Pope and the bishops. They will need all the prayer they can get.
I think many bishops have been confused for many years now about what to do. In trying to “save” the Church many have hurt it badly. We hear about it daily. Now I think the choices are so stark and few that more of them will get it right. This goes for all us faithful too. There will be few lukewarms left. There will be no middle ground. We should be praying for one another as well. We too have made bad choices.
This is not new. It has happened all through God’s history, from Adam right down to us. It’s the old sin/salvation circle we see in the Book of Judges: Israel is faithful to the Lord, Israel falls into idolatry, Israel is punished by her neighbors, Israel repents and calls on the Lord, God raises up a Judge (or has mercy), Israel is delivered, and then finally Israel is once again faithful to the Lord. So, where are we on the circle? I think we are between idolatry and punishment. It sure feels like punishment. I’m not sure how fast we will move through the cycle. God’s timing is still a mystery to me.
I find it an odd sensation, though, watching the anti-Christian and especially anti-Catholic world grow larger and larger throughout my life. I assumed at one time that I lived in a Christian world. Over time that assumption has altered. Now I am not sure what I live in. Is it largely a pagan world, or is it just that a minority of people have a firm grip on positions of influence and power? Some days I read of a small victory and hope it is the beginning of a turn around. But that small victory is too often followed by more bad news.
Perhaps it is my limited view point, but it seems the situation we find ourselves in today is not exactly the same as in past histories of persecution. This one seems even more widespread. The world seems even more chaotic and confused. When has truth ever been questioned so much? When have so many people denied the existence of any higher power?
Much of this is, I think, due to our incredible communication technology that connects so much of our world every second of the day. There is not much bad news that escapes our awareness, even if it turns out the news was not true. The line between gossip and news seems very thin indeed.
I am a curious type, and I wonder where we are headed. But I think that can be a danger for me. I can too easily get caught up in the news (or gossip) of the day and forget the Good News. I too easily forget that Christ has won the victory and that He is looking after me better than I can look after myself. I don’t need to worry. There is nothing that happens to me that is not for my good if I but trust in Him. I need also to remember that history is literally His story.
I need to see this as a time of grace. “This is the day which the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Ps 118:24). In addition, since I am a worrying type of guy, I need to keep in my mind and heart 1 Thess 5: 16-18: “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” This passage of Scripture is so radical that it always makes me stop and think how far worldly wisdom is from God’s wisdom.
Rejoice always? Even with all the negative news? Well, this is what we are called to. Pray constantly? Does Paul really mean that? There are certainly plenty of reasons to try to pray constantly. Give thanks in all circumstances. All circumstances? It makes no sense unless we truly believe that “in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). Can I really trust that all that happens to me and all that happens in the world will work out for the good if I hold firm to Christ and his promises? That takes faith. I think we are entering an age of faith.
