He seeks to deceive and destroy.
There is no better example of his presence than the current mania among the secular press, atheists and liberal catholics in there effort to destroy the Catholic Church by their obsession over homosexual rapists among the priesthood.
Of course they don't use the word homosexual since they believe that perversion to be normal and a legitimate alternative lifestyle.
Instead they harp on about pedophelia which involves pre-pubescent children.
While some priest abuse cases involved pedophelia, the vast majority were instances of homosexual rape.
Let me make something clear: Pedophiles and all other homosexuals who rape should be put to death. The devil clearly works through such people. Yet, why is the Church singled out? Why are the devil's minions so eager to resurrect decades old cases? Why no attentiion to the many more cases of sexual predation outside the Church? Undoubtedly, the devil fears the Church more than the rest of the world combined. Hence, the attention.
Back to the devil among us.
Within and without the Church are those who work towards the end of the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church, or-if not the end- then a bending of the Church to suit their desires, e.g. female priests, end of celibacy, recognition of homosexuals, womens' right to choose to kill their babies, an end to sin and everyone gets to heaven, etc.
Those outside the Church take comfort from those heretical cafeteria catholics who willfully corrupt the Church from within and who insist on their way whenever the Pope and the Magisterium expect conformity to Jesus' proclamation "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
(Matthew 16:19-20)
See http://archden.org/index.cfm/id/3702 for an article by George Weigel and http://renewamerica.com/columns/abbott/100407 for an article by Matt Abbott, both of which are helpful in understanding the situation.
The Church has endured 2000 years of battling the devil and his helpers. Take heart, "The gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18-19)
We Catholics must stand ever faithful to the Church and resist those heretic catholics and secular heathens who walk in the devil's footsteps. The Church will survive as it always has. http://americanthinker.com/2010/04/salvaging_the_wreckage_of_the.html
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
http://ourladyswarriors.org/prayer/michael.htmThe road will be difficult. There will be times when blood will be spilt and hearts broken, but Catholics must remain faithful. It isn't all sweetness and tea time. As Jesus warned, "Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on, a household of five will be divided three against two and two against three..." (Luke 12:51-53)
In the end, the remnant may be small, but the price more than worth it. As to those liberal, cafeteria catholics who would tolerate the intolerable, they would be well advised to recall Revelation 3:16-17, "I know all about you: how you are neither cold nor hot...since you are neither, but only lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth."
Take heart Catholics, and remember that extremism in the defense of the truth is never wrong. Afterall, Jesus is the Way, the Life , and the Truth!
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for the cause of right, theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:10)
Nice post; it makes me think of a line from The Usual Suspects: The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. Some additional thoughts:
ReplyDeletePaul tells us that the Devil is the prince of this world and is keeping people in the dark (2 Corinthians 4:4). Indeed, this is why Jesus exclaimed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!" (Luke 23:34) Does this excuse them? No. Should we blame God for allowing this to happen (for, surely, God could intervene in these cases)? Again, no. Paul's letter to the Romans is particularly instructive here:
But one of you will say to me, "If this is so, how can God find fault with anyone? Who can resist God's will?" But who are you, my friend, to talk back to God? A clay pot does not ask the man who made it, "Why did you make me like this?" After all, the man who makes the pots has the right to use the clay as he wishes, and to make two pots from the same lump of clay, one for special occasions and the other for ordinary use. (Romans 9:19-21)
So the weak and misled have no excuse. So what are God's followers instructed to do? Paul tells us:
Welcome the person who is weak in faith, but do not argue with him about his personal opinions. One person's faith allows him to eat anything, but the person who is weak in faith eats only vegetables... You then, who eat only vegetables - why do you pass judgment on your brother? And you who eat anything - why do you despise your brother? All of us will stand before God to be judged by Him... Every one of us, then, will have to give an account of himself to God. (Romans 14:1-2,10,12)
Paul's thoughts on the influence of Evil, and our powerlessness before God's will, led him to preach about our obligations thus:
Be under obligation to no one - the only obligation you have is to love one another. Whoever has done this has obeyed the Law. If you love someone, you will never do him wrong; to love, then, is to obey the whole Law. (Romans 13:8,10)