Who Do You Serve?

Last Sunday's Gospel asked a simple question of each of us. Who do you serve? It is simple because there are only two answers. You can either serve God or serve something else: "No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Luke 16:13). There is no middle ground. It's not about how hard you try or whether or not you did the "best that you could." It's about who you serve.

Most of us don't like that word, "to serve." It sounds beneath us, humiliating. These days we like to talk a lot about "freedom." We adore the idea of utter independence, a man who acts without regard to any restriction. We have freed ourselves from many things: from having to form relationships by using pornography; from working any harder than we have to; from procreation as a gift and an essential part of the marital act with contraceptives and abortion; from pain with alcoholism, rapidly legalizing drugs, and euthanasia; from the responsibility of raising our children by shoving an iPhone in their hands; from the Truth about masculinity, femininity, and human sexuality; from every last taboo; from decency; from common sense; and even from God Himself.

But our "freedom" is a lie! Is a man free if he is addicted to pornography or ruled by his passions? Is a child free when if they are struggling with perversity, they are told that sin is good? Something to be proud of?

The man of the twenty-first century is one emancipated from the good and enslaved to that which is evil. Everyone is the servant of someone or something, even themselves.

Why isn't it good to serve yourself? You'll be more comfortable. You'll probably be more successful. You might even think you'll be happier. The problem is that you aren't alone. God didn't put us in our own little bubbles. If He did, it might make sense to live for ourselves. But the reality is that each and everyone of us, if we're not a hermit, has people we live with, people we work with, people we pass every day on the street or in the hallway. God put those people there for a reason. They are not objects to be used, that is the evil of the sinners described in last Sunday's First Reading: "We will buy the lowly for silver, and the poor for a pair of sandals" (Amos 8:6). God gives us other people so that we can love them in a reflection of His love for us.

And yet we are not just called to serve the people around us. This too can lead to error if we try only to satisfy everyone. It's impossible and may even be harmful. A child might want to eat a whole chocolate cake for breakfast, but that doesn't mean it would be good for them. Sometimes loving people can make them angry. Because of our fallen and sinful nature, we are inclined to sin. You are not loving someone if you tolerate their sin! You are only allowing them to live in slavery! Tolerance is just another word for apathy. If you truly care about your brothers and sisters, you will show them the Truth that Christ has revealed to us. And sometimes that hurts.  If sin has become a habit, it is as if we are living in a dark cave: it hurts our eyes to see the light, the light of Truth. It's like pulling off a Band-Aid: it's something we have to do, but it's certainly not pleasant. We cannot tiptoe around each other's sensitivities trying our best just not to "offend" anyone. In our service to those around us, we must take our directions from a Higher Authority.

We must serve God above all else. By serving Christ, we will most perfectly love each other and ourselves. Serving Christ is not something to be afraid of, "For my yoke is sweet and my burden light" (Matthew 11:30). In fact we read in Imitation of Christ that "Go where you may, you will find no rest except in humble obedience to the rule of authority."

What does serving God look like? For one thing, it is radically different than the ways of the world. There are two paths: one wide and well-trodden and the other narrow and thorny. Though His "yoke is sweet", following Christ is not always easy. You will be mocked, you will be persecuted, and you may even be killed, just ask the host of Martyrs. There might be times that it looks like you are totally alone on this path. You're not. Saints have walked this path ahead of you, but most importantly Christ walks with you. He took on the weakness of our flesh, He understands our temptations and struggles. As the old story goes, sometimes you will be walking besides God and sometimes He will be carrying you. No matter what, persevere until the end!

A servant of God stores up treasure in heaven. He speaks and acts with love. He suffers without complain, offering it up for his intentions and the Holy Souls of Purgatory. He goes to Mass, not out of an obligation, but because of a fervent love for Christ truly present in the Eucharist. He defends the innocent, the weak, and the downtrodden. He stands up for the Truth, even when it hurts. He conforms his will to God's in all things.

And even though he may suffer in this world, the servant of God knows that he runs after a greater prize than man can offer. His hope is in heaven and in the infinite mercy of God. Christ is reaching out His pierced hands to each and everyone of us. All we have to do is accept His mercy and become His servant.


DEUS VULT!

Keeping the Fire Burning

I'm high.

No, it's not what you're thinking. I am on a "Jesus high." Or at least I was when I returned from Lifeteen's Camp Hidden Lake two weeks ago. We had a blast: Mass every day, two hours a day for Confessions, a Eucharistic procession, and Lectio Divina in addition to an obstacle course, our own lake, tubing on a river, team-building on high and low ropes courses, and messy games. With guidance from college student summer missionaries, our youth group grew closer to one another and especially to God. It was a life-changing experience for all of us. At least for a week or so.

When you come home from a high-octane religious experience like a Lifeteen Camp, a Steubenville Conference, or even a World Youth Day, a lot of people have this euphoric "Jesus high." After feeling the presence of God with hundreds or even thousands of other faithful, you feel ready to take on the world and all of its challenges, to give your life to God.

But the thing about a high is that it doesn't last. I should know. I've been to seven Lifeteen Camps, three Steubenville Conferences, and a bunch of other retreats with my local parish. Pretty much every time, I come home with the bravado and fervor of a "Jesus high." I'll make huge changes to my faith life. But then a week later, I'm back to where I was before the retreat. Often it's when I first really begin to struggle with temptation or something unexpected happens in my life.

We see this a lot in the Bible. The Hebrew people were enthusiastic about Moses leading them out of slavery, but lost their faith as soon as they felt the first pangs of hunger. After Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish to feed the five thousand, the crowd was understandably excited. This Man can get us all the food we could ever want, they must have thought. They said "This is truly the Prophet the one who is to come into the world" (John 6:14) and even tried to carry Jesus off to crown Him their king. They followed Him across the sea of Galilee when He left with His disciples. Surely these men and women, so on fire with enthusiasm for Christ, will go out and proclaim the Good News. This must have been the early Church, right?

But Jesus followed the feeding of the five thousand with what is known as the Bread of Life Discourse. He spoke of "the food that endures for eternal life" (John 6:27) which is in fact Himself. The crowd was confused. They were expecting some sort of earthly food that would fulfill all their hungers, a political philosophy that will free them from Roman oppression and enrich their poverty. Instead, Jesus said "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him on the last day" (John 6:54). Rather than accept the Truth, even though it is hard, "many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him" (John 6:66). Their faith had no endurance.

So many times, after coming back from an awesome retreat, I become like the crowd. When the Eucharist is enthroned in the Monstrance right in front of me and all of my friends are at my side and the beautiful praise and worship music is blasting, I feel ready to give my life to God, no matter the consequences. Everything is right there, I can see it - Christ has just fed an immense crowd with almost no food. But then I come home and things start to get difficult. When I'm in school it's hard to remember how I felt on retreat. I return to my "former way of life" all too easily.

And I can't accept this dichotomy. Every time I try to get comfortable with acting like a Christian only when I'm on retreat and assuming that will be good enough, I am reminded of Christ's warning: "Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). When I am on retreat, I am saying "Lord, Lord" because it's easy, it's what everyone else is doing. But then I all too often fail to follow the will of God when it's not what everyone else is doing.

This is a problem for the Church as a whole. We leave treat Christ like a box to be checked off our schedules, a life of holiness as something only to be lived on Sundays and retreats. We say 'Lord, Lord' but then fail to protect the poor, the suffering, the unborn. We fail to defend Truth outside of the physical building of our parish and allow poisonous ideologies like gender fluidity to spread and threaten our children. Cardinal Robert Sarah writes that "The Church can no longer go on as though the reality did not exist; she can no longer be content with ephemeral enthusiasm that lasts for the duration of major meetings or liturgical gatherings, as beautiful and rich as they may be" (God or Nothing, p. 174).

This does not mean that youth retreats like those put on by Lifeteen or Steubenville are useless. Quite the opposite: I would not be half the Catholic I am today if I hadn't gone on my first retreat. Lifeteen's Camp Covecrest brought me back to Confession and introduced me to Eucharistic Adoration, something that simply wasn't big in my old parish at the time. It taught me the value of brotherhood and how to treat my sisters with dignity and respect.

The only thing I am condemning here is my approach to taking the fervor and devotion I felt on retreat back home with me, my failure to keep the fire burning.

What I have learned is that if you really want to change your life after a retreat, you have to do something concrete, consistent, and with the support of a community.

The worst thing that you can do after a retreat is to make a vague resolution: "I want to be more holy" or "I'm going to try to pray more." You might as well have just said you're not going to do anything different at all, the end result is the same. If all you are trying to do is "pray more," you might end up saying the Rosary for the first couple of days. But as soon as you stop feeling the "Jesus high," you won't feel like praying when it's so much easier to scroll through Instagram. The Rosary will become a decade, which will turn into a single Hail Mary, until you aren't praying at all.

That is why you must resolve to do something that is concrete. Instead of saying you'll "pray more," say you'll read the Bible for five minutes every day, or that you'll go to Daily Mass once a week. These are real resolutions. They might be hard to keep at first once the "Jesus high" goes away, but you will have something specific that you promised yourself you would do. It is easier to remain constant when you know exactly what you should be doing.

And that brings me to my second point: consistency. Once you have something you've decided to do, make sure you do it often! I find that it's easiest to stay consistent if you give yourself a definite timeline. So "I'll read the Bible for five minutes" becomes "When I wake up, I'll read the Bible for five minutes" and "going to Daily Mass every once and a while" becomes "going to Daily Mass every Tuesday."

Finally, consistently doing something concrete is much easier when you have a community that supports you. Accountability is a huge part of taking the devotion of a retreat and bringing it home. You're no longer just disappointing yourself when you neglect your resolutions, now you're letting down your brothers and sisters. It's a big change in dynamic. With community, you help each other to grow in holiness. You remind people of their commitments and ask for their prayers when you yourself begin to struggle.

Concreteness, consistency, and community are what help you to form habits that will lead you into an ever-closer relationship with God. Once you've established that habit, you won't need enthusiasm or a "Jesus high" to remain constant in your faith.

Being Christian does not begin and end with retreats. They ought not to be a "safe place" where you can actually live out your faith but instead tools that will "recharge your spiritual batteries" and inspire you to advance in holiness.

Don't only let your light shine when you're on retreat. Keep that flame burning bright and carry it home with you so that you can set the world on fire!

DEUS VULT!

On Fatherhood

Dedicated to my father,

My first and truest example

Of what it means to be a man.

There is a crisis in our world. It does not have the theatrical force of a hurricane or the publicity of acts of violence. Rather, this threat is slowly growing like the rising waters of a flood which go unnoticed until the levy breaks. And then it is too late.

We have a dearth of manliness in our culture, but more importantly of fatherhood. You can't have the latter without the former. There are a lot of examples of fake manliness. Of men who treat women like objects for their own gratification. Of men who use their God-given strength not in defense of the innocent, but who have "overturned the way of the poor and oppressed together the meek of the earth" (Job 24:5).

We have had too many men who take the easy way instead of the "narrow gate" (Matthew 7:13). I have read story after story about men who pressure their girlfriends, wives, and daughters into having abortions because of their own fears and convenience. That is why pro-choice is not pro-women. Abortion is a way for men to oppress women. To exploit them.

More and more men are rejecting the Truth and perverting their sexuality, be it for premarital relations or homosexuality. In the height of folly, men are even going so far as to reject the biological and spiritual reality of their manhood claiming they "identify" as something else.

Men are falling away from the Church and even from the belief in God altogether. They claim to be advanced or evolved, but atheism and humanism are the most barbaric creeds of all. Without God man becomes nothing but meat and is treated as such.

A crisis of manliness means a crisis of fatherhood. Fathers should be an example to their sons, a beacon of strength and virtue. They should not enable the sins of their children for the sake of moral relativism or let them "experiment," go through a "phase." Fathers cannot allow their children to pick their gender. They ought to be an example of holiness, not of vice.

Too many families do not have fathers at all. Single-parent households are the natural consequence of promiscuity. The fathers are there for the good times, but leave as soon as commitment or responsibility looms. And study after study points to the significantly higher rates of crime and delinquency of children raised in a single-mother home. The prevalence of single-parent homes in the African American community almost completely accounts for its higher crime rate.

As goes the father, so go his children.

But not all men are bad. Far from it. For every Mordred there is a King Arthur. For every Goliath, a David. For every dragon, a knight in shining armor.

We have good men in our world today. They just tend not to be where the spotlight is.

There are hosts of men who refuse to follow the norm and instead follow their God, no matter the consequences. St. Joseph trusted in the message of Archangel Gabriel even though he knew taking the Virgin Mary into his home might have been scandalous. St. Stephen testified to the Truth even as his body was broken by stones. St. Augustine had the humility to seek forgiveness after his life of sinful wordiness and became a bold defender of the Truth. St. Maximilian Kolbe gave his life for another man without fanfare or hesitation.

Two of my favorite Biblical examples of manliness are Mattathias and his son, Judas Maccabeus. Mattathias was the father of five sons in the day of the oppression of Israel by King Antiochus. Though he was offered gold, silver, and influence, Mattathias refused to forsake the Lord and the law saying "Although all nations obey King Antiochus... I and my sons, and my brethren will obey the law of our fathers. God be merciful unto us: it is not profitable for us to forsake the law and the justices of God" (1 Maccabees 2:19-21). Faced with the pressures of the world, tempted with its riches, and threatened with its sword, Mattathias did not abandon his faith. Furthermore, he did not allow his sons to abandon their faith. On his deathbed, Mattathias said to his gathered sons: "You, therefore, my sons, take courage, and behave manfully in the law: for by it you shall be glorious" (1 Maccabees 2:64).

His son, Judas Maccabeus, having such an example for a father, grew up to be a great man who "in his acts he was like a lion" (1 Maccabees 3:4). Like his father, "he pursued the wicked and sought them out" (1 Maccabees 3:5) and fought "for our lives and our laws" (1 Maccabees 3:21). He did not use the strength of his arm for self-aggrandizement but rather for justice. His last words are very telling of the sacrificial way he lived his life: "God forbid we should do this thing, and flee away from them: but if our time be come, let us die manfully for our brethren, and let us not stain our glory" (1 Maccabees 9:10).

 There are men who sacrifice everything for their families. Men who work late hours to put food on the table and get their kids through college. Men who put off their ambitions to raise a child. Men who refuse to cave to what the world says. Men who stand up for the innocent and defenseless, especially the unborn. Men who put God first in their lives, then their family, and at last themselves.

My father is such a man. As I have grown, I have learned just how blessed I am. Few enough fathers go to Mass. Even less lead their children to God as my father has. Growing up Catholic in a public school is hard. Again and again, my father pushed me, not just to get by and keep my head down, but to thrive. He's the hardest working man I have ever known, but he always has time for his children. Throughout my childhood, I cannot remember a single selfish act of his.

At the same time, my father did not allow his children to grow up without a sense of responsibility and virtue. There was never any room for relativistic nonsense in our household.

My father is a rock. No matter the tumult in my life, he is always there. He has always been there for his children.

His love for my mother is an example of the sacred and sacramental nature of marriage. By word and most importantly by deed, he taught me about the dignity of woman and the importance of men of virtue.

So on this father's day, I would like to thank my dad. I would not be who I am today without him. I pray that we might have more fathers like him in this age. I firmly believe that with a revival of manliness and true fatherhood in our world, a whole lot of problems would quickly disappear.

Rise up Men of God.

Deus Vult!

The Church (The Creed)

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins,

and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead

and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Holy Spirit gave life to the Church on Pentecost. We began in this series on the Creed with Creation and God the Father. Then, we moved on to the birth, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. His Ascension lead into the coming of the Holy Spirit which breathed life into the Church.

The Apostles, frightened and in hiding, were "all together in one place" (Acts 2:1). Jesus had just ascended into heaven. They'd drawn lots to chose Matthias as Judas's replacement in the Twelve. They were in recovery, shaken by the tumult of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. Their world had just been shattered and they were only beginning to put their lives back together.

And then the world changed forever. The Holy Spirit came down upon them with wind and fire. "They were all filled with the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:4). And so began the Church. Instead of the cries of an infant, Mother Church was heralded by fire and wind, elemental majesty.

Atheists like to say that all religions are the same, that they are merely expressions of subjective religious experience, a psychological longing for the divine that is merely primitive instinct. But the Church is not just another religion. It is Truth.

What other creed has spread so far and so wide? What other creed has so radically changed human history? The way we think? The way we live? Unlike Islam and Judaism, Buddhism and Paganism, Christianity  easily hurdled geographical, cultural, and ethnic boundaries.

The Church is revolutionary. Why else has the world tried so hard to silence her? The Church is always countercultural. "If you had been of the world, the world would love its own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you" (John  15:20). The Church challenged the brutality and hedonism of the Romans just as she challenges our modern brutality and hedonism. Christ's message of love contradicts the hate of our flawed human sinfulness.

The Church is a rock. She is unchanging. The Catholic Church today is the same Church gathered together on Pentecost, despite what the Protestants would have you believe. She does not compromise dogma for whatever happens to be popular. The Commandments were written in stone tablets.

The Church is our foundation. We can cling to her and trust that no matter who is president, no matter what the law says, no matter what the world is screaming at us, we cling to truth. We can trust in the Church.

We enter into the Church through the Sacrament of Baptism. The Roman Catechism says that "by nature we were born from Adam children of wrath, but by Baptism we are regenerated in Christ, children of mercy." Baptism unites us to Christ. We become members of the Church who is the spouse of Christ.

Baptism changes our very nature. Though it does not make us invulnerable to sin, or even remove our sinful nature, Baptism frees us from our inherited bondage to sin and gives us new life. It is a rejection of the ways of the world and the first step on the way to salvation. It is THE first step on the way to salvation. Remember brothers and sisters, the uniqueness of Baptism. It is not merely a human creation. It cannot be imitated. Baptism is not merely the entry into a worldly organization, but rather initiation into the divine body of the Church. St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians: "one Lord, one faith, one Baptism" (Ephesians 4:5). There is but "one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins." There is  but one Church.

Through Baptism we become brothers and sisters. Regardless of where we come from, the color of our skin, the language that we speak, or even the sins that we have committed, we are all united in the Church. Baptism makes us greater than the sum of our faults. It gives us new identity. That is why a Baptism is as beautiful as the birth of a child, for we gain a new member in our universal family.

Our family has a lot of enemies. There are those who see the Church as a backwards and antiquated organization. There are those who says that she hates women or homosexuals. There are those who hate her because of the lies they have heard or the darkness within their own hearts. The Islamic State has promised the destruction of the Vatican. Even some Christians have declared themselves enemies of the Church. They decry her "corruption" or say that she has fallen away from the teachings of Jesus when they themselves are the ones who cannot fully accept His Word. 

But though every nation on earth were to declare war against the Church and persecute her members, we must not lose our faith. We must stand firm in our conviction. When Rome was falling under the influence of the Arian heresy, a companion of St. Athanasius told him that "The whole world is against you!" The saint responded that "Then it is Athanasius against the world." The Church is against the world too, and she will endure. How can man destroy that which God has made? Some worry that the Church will be destroyed by external aggression or by internal decay. Groups like the Church Militant take this too far and insist upon undermining the authority of those clergy who do not follow their definition of orthodoxy. I will not do so. I will call out heresy where I see it, whether it is inside or outside of the Church, but I will also respect the dignity of the Church and her members. I will trust that Jesus will guard His spouse far more ably than I ever could.

Remember that the Church is hope. The Church is Truth.

DEUS VOLT!

The Holy Spirit (The Creed)

"I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

who with the Father is adored and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets."

After ascending into heaven, Christ did not leave us alone in this world of troubles. He did not allow us to remain bereft of His love. Before He returned to His Father, Jesus told His disciples "you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence" (Acts 1:5), "I will not leave you orphans: I will come to you" (John 14:18). In the hope of this promise, the disciples remained in Jerusalem, despite the persecution that they thus risked. And their hope was not in vain.

"And when the days of the Pentecost were accomplished, they were all together in one place: And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming.... And there appeared to them parted tongues as if of fire.... And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:1-3).

It is impossible to speak of the Church without mentioning the Holy Spirit. That is because, through Pentecost, the Church has been imbued with the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the hardest Person of the Trinity to comprehend. We are familiar with the idea of a father and a son, but an incorporeal spirit? This is a hard teaching indeed. 

We must remember a few essential aspects of the Holy Spirit, in order to better understand this teaching of the Church. First, the Holy Spirit is distinct from but one with the Father and the Son. Secondly, the Spirit is the Author of Scripture: "who has spoken through the prophets." And finally, the Holy Spirit is "the giver of life."

The Holy Spirit is "distinct but inseparable" (CCC 689) from the Father and the Son. This is key to our understanding of the Spirit. The best way that I have ever heard this concept explained is that the Holy Spirit is the fruit of the love between the Father and the Son. Thus, though the Holy Spirit is unquestionably unique in the Trinity, he cannot be imagined outside of it.

Next, the Holy Spirit is the Author of the Word. The Catechism tells us that one of the places in which we know the Spirit is "in the Scriptures he inspired" (CCC 688). The Holy Spirit gave us the Word through the prophets. Isaiah wrote "the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me" (Isaiah 61:1). Even the early Church acknowledged this truth. Paul said to the Jews of Rome: "well did the Holy Spirit speak to our fathers by Isaiah the prophet" (Acts 28:25). Sacred Scripture is not the outdated work of  a few backward Jews and Christians. It is the LIVING work of God. It is not something merely to be studied, but listened to and lived. The Holy Spirit speaks to us through the Word.

And finally, the Holy Spirit is "the giver of life." He is active in our hearts. Once they received the Holy Spirit, the disciples immediately began speaking in tongues. They were granted the courage necessary to stand before the throng of Jerusalem and preach the Word, though it might have meant (and eventually did for all but John) their own deaths. I do not believe they could have spoken otherwise, for the Holy Spirit is "the spirit of truth" (John 14:17). They could not help but speak the Truth when filled with the "spirit of truth." We know of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, the boons we receive through grace. These fruits prepare us to live and spread the Word.

This discussion of the Holy Spirit would be remiss if I did not also write about the Sacrament of Confirmation. The Holy Spirit is of course involved in every Sacrament, but is featured especially prominent in the last Sacrament of Initiation. Confirmation has its origins in Pentecost when the Church first received the Holy Spirit. We see this Sacrament in action later in the book of Acts when after being baptized, the people of Samaria called upon Peter and John who came and "laid their hands upon them: and they received the Holy Ghost" (Acts 8:17). And indeed, another name for this Sacrament is the laying on of hands.

In the Early Church, the three Sacraments of Initiation were all celebrated simultaneously, a practice that continues in the Eastern Church. Baptism was separated during the reign of Constantine when he made Christianity the religion of Rome. Confirmation was likewise celebrated apart from the Eucharist beginning in the Middle Ages. And I think that during this time, we really solidified our understanding of the Sacrament.

The concepts of knighthood became intertwined with Confirmation. Confirmation was not influenced by the historical phenomenon of knighthood. Rather, chivalry was an expression of the values of Confirmation. Sometimes this expression was more worldly than spiritual. But we find the perfect expression of this in St. Bernard of Clairvaux. He wrote "In Praise of the New Knighthood" for Hugh de Paynes, the founding Grand Master of the Knights Templar. Now, the historical reality of the Templar Order has been distorted by popular culture. They were not a secret society or anti-Christian cult. In truth, they were a group of warrior monks sanctioned by the Pope and committed to defending Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land, a place that was equally if not more violent and hostile to Christians than the modern Middle East. They were the embodiment of Christian knighthood and thus St. Bernard's "Praise" is key to this discussion of Confirmation. These knights are disciplined and focused. They are fierce in battle, but "there is no distinction of persons among them." He extorted them to "go forth confidently then, you knights, and repel the foes of the Cross of Christ with a stalwart heart."

Of course Confirmation should not be seen as a preparation for a physical warfare, as was necessary in the times of the Templars. Today, we fight against "foes of the Cross" who instead of steel carry blogs and Twitter validations, signs and a false sense of advocacy. And this sense of Confirmation preparing us for spiritual warfare can be found throughout Tradition. Pope Melchiades, pontiff during the reign of Constantine, wrote that "in Baptism, man is enlisted into the service, in Confirmation, he is equipped for battle." The Roman Catechism, product of the Council of Trent during the Catholic Reformation, calls those who receive the Sacrament of Confirmation "a valiant combatant."

Confirmation is rightly a Sacrament of Initiation, for it girds Christians with abundant grace and prepares them for living in the world. In the book of Revelation, we read about the "mark" of the beast which identifies his slaves in sin. Confirmation is the counter to that sign. Pope Pius X wrote that "Confirmation is a sacrament which gives us the Holy Ghost, imprints on our souls the mark of a soldier of Christ, and makes us perfect Christians," perfect of course, not in immunity from sin, but rather in fulfillment of grace.

The mark of Confirmation is divisive. The bishop marks the heads of the Confirmandi with chrism as a proud standard for them to wear as they venture out into the battlefield of life. It is a sign of our soldier-hood for Christ. In Confirmation, we are strengthened by the Holy Spirit. We receive the graces and gifts of the Spirit. The Spirit is thus our Paraclete, our Advocate, "the giver of life."

If you want to learn more about the Holy Spirit and the Sacrament of Confirmation, go here and watch this excellent podcast by Rise Up Jerusalem on how Protestant baptism relates to the Sacrament of Confirmation. The host of Rise Up Jerusalem, happens to be, not just my cousin, but a close friend and an excellent voice of young Catholicism. Check out the rest of his videos to be inspired by his ministry and passion for Christ.

I leave you with these words from the advocate of Christian knighthood. Truly we have cause for joy for we are visited with the graces of the Holy Spirit, our comfort.

"Rejoice Jerusalem, and recognize now the time in which you are visited! Be glad and give praise together, wastes of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people." - St. Bernard of Clairvaux

DEUS VOLT!

The Second Coming (The Creed)

As I emphasized in my last post, our faith is not dead or stagnant. It is effective and alive. Christianity did not end with the Resurrection any more than it ends with the Passion. After Christ revealed Himself to His disciples on multiple occasions, He ascended into Heaven. Unlike the false prophets of paganism or even the Jewish prophets appointed by God, Jesus did not succumb to the decay of a final death. Instead, he rose into the Heavens after rising from the grave. God-made-Man returned to the bosom of His Heavenly Father.

This must have been difficult for the disciples. They were scattered and in hiding when they saw the proofs of the Resurrection. And now Jesus was gone again. Many men might have simply returned to the comfort of the shadows and anonymity. The Roman sword still hung over their heads and the Pharisees wanted to tear them apart. I think that it would have been understandable if, even with the hope of the Resurrection, the disciples had gone back into hiding and spread the message of the Gospel in secret to a chosen and trusted few.

But this is not what happened. In fact, the disciples did quite the opposite. They went out among the throng of Jerusalem. They did not speak in whispers. "Peter standing up with the Eleven, lifted up his voice and spoke to them: 'Ye men of Judea, and all you that dwell in Jerusalem, be this known to you and with your ears receive my words" (Acts 2:14). These are not the words of a fearful man. These are the words filled with the courage and strength of the Lord.

And yet let us remember who this is that speaks so boldly. This is Peter, the same disciple who during the Last Supper rashly proclaimed that "although I should die together with thee, I will not deny thee" (Mark 14:31), only to deny the Lord not once, not twice, but three times on Good Friday. The question we must ask ourselves is what changed? What happened to the disciples so that instead of running away, they proclaimed the Gospel to the nations?

There are two answers to this question. The first is the descent of the Holy Spirit which is the subject of my next post. The other reason for their courage is found in the promise that came with the Ascension. After Jesus was raised up into the clouds, two angels appeared to the disciples and said to them "Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven? This Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come as you have seen him going into heaven" (Acts 1:11). Shall so come as you have seen him going into heaven. The disciples received the promise of the Second Coming of Christ.

The Ascension was not Jesus' last farewell to Earth. He is coming back.

We read extensively of this promise in the New Testament. In the Gospels, Jesus warns us of the tribulation and confusion that will abound in the end times, for truly the Second Coming represents the end of the world as we know it. In those times, "many false prophets will rise and shall seduce many" (Matthew 24:11). The Ancient Fathers of the Church long believed this to mean that the antichrist would present himself, the great deceiver and servant of Satan. It is said that he will "make war with the saints" and "all that dwell upon the earth adored him, whose names are not written in the book of life" (Revelation 13:7-8).

True believers and followers of the word "shall be hated by all for my name's sake" (Matthew 24:9). "And you shall be betrayed by your parents and brethren and kinsmen and friends, and some of you they will put to death" (Luke 21:16). In the book of Revelation, we read of the "great harlot" of idolatry "with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication," and that she is "drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" (Revelation 17:1-2,6).

Truly these will not be tame times. These will be days marked by chaos and persecution.

It is important to remember, however, that it is vain to try to predict when the last days will come. Christ tells us that "of that day and hour no one knoweth: no, not the angels in heaven, but the Father alone" (Matthew 24:36).

These signs and predictions might seem disheartening. Why did it fill the apostles with such strength?

It is because of what follows these sufferings which are merely "the sign of thy coming and the consummation of the world" (Matthew 24:3). The Enemy will not prevail. He has already been defeated. Our ultimate victory is in the Cross. These times will merely be the last "hurrah," the vain though potent charge of Satan's Light Brigade. There is no question about the outcome. When these slight afflictions pass away, "then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven" (Matthew 24:30), "then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds, with great power and glory" (Mark 13:26). Christ shall return from His Heavenly throne to establish His new Kingdom. He "shall judge the living and the dead, by his coming and his kingdom" (2 Timothy 4:1). And though the beast should rise from the abyss to devour true Christians, "the Lamb shall overcome them because he is the Lord of lords and King of kings" (Revelation 17:14).

All of this around you, all of the kingdoms of the earth, the laws of men, the institutions of sin, all of this shall pass away and be forgotten. "Vanities of vanity, and all is vanity" (Ecclesiastes 1:2). "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer" (Revelation 2:10) for they will be washed away in the blood of the Lamb.

This is why the apostles were able to disregard the threat of death at the hands of the Jews and the Romans. They stood before the crowds of Jerusalem and proclaimed the glory of the Resurrection and message of the Gospel. The apostles suffered torture and martyrdom in the expectation and hope of the Second Coming in Christ, knowing that "he that shall endure unto the end, he shall be saved" (Mark 13:13), "he that shall overcome shall not be hurt by the second death" (Revelation 2:11).

We must try to live in the hope of the Second Coming. Christians must toil upon the earth so that when He comes, the Lord might say to us "well done, good and faithful servant.... Enter thou into the joy of thy lord" (Matthew 25:21). The Lord amply rewards those who follow his word: "be thou faithful unto death: and I will give thee the crown of life" (Revelation 2:10). It is impossible for us even to imagine a fraction of the joy that is waiting for us in heaven. Therefore, live with the love of God as the disciples so that when you meet the Lord, whether in death or in His coming, "your redemption is at hand" (Luke 21:28).

"Take ye heed, watch and pray. For ye know not when the time is" (Mark 13:13).


DEUS VULT!

How to be a Pro-Life Warrior

Let us herald in this new year, not with a dropping ball or trumpeting revelry, but with a fierce and furious battle cry. Brothers and sisters, we are at war. We fight against the tyranny of sin and culture of death. We fight against the elements of our society that make the taking of innocent life morally permissible. Not just permissible, but something done for the sake of convenience! The crime of abortion cannot be allowed to continue any longer. It cannot be tolerated!

This war will not be won by sitting on the sidelines. Lukewarm arms will not carry the day. Arrayed against us are hordes of demons and a host of deluded souls who call themselves pro-choice, but who would more aptly be named pro-death. Our foes are no push-overs. They are, however, deceived. They have accepted the lies of Satan and this world. "It's just a fetus," they say, "a woman should be able to do what she wants to with her body."

But they are wrong! At the point of conception there is life, human life that is separate and distinct from the body of the mother. This is a truth that we must fight for. In this post, we will look at how to do so. Every Catholic is called to be a pro-life warrior. The horrific reality of abortion is not something that any true Catholic can ignore. It is not a reality that you can idly cluck your tongue at.

These 11 points will teach you how to arm yourself for the fight that we have at our hands, a fight that we cannot abandon until it is won.

    1) PRAY

Prayer is the foundation and sustenance of the spiritual life. It is our source of strength in these times of blood and woe. Prayer is our source of courage in this battle. We must kneel before the Lord and ask that His strength might replace our own.

There are two things that we must pray for as pro-life warriors. First of all, we must entrust to God the souls of the unborn, both those who have died, those who will die, and those who can yet be saved. Pray that the Blessed Virgin will extend her mantle around the children who are yet to be born into this world. For it is the tragic reality that we will not be able to save every child. This is not a battle that can be won in a day, and babies are murdered every hour.

But God is infinitely merciful, and when it comes down to it, the best thing that we can do is pray.

The second thing that defenders of the unborn must pray for is a quick and speedy end to the practice of abortion. It is a scourge upon our land that must be eradicated. Soldiers of God must be found down on their knees in fervent prayer for an end to the evil of abortion. God can do more for the hearts and minds that must be changed than we could ever do on our own.

    2)  STUDY SACRED SCRIPTURE

God, our Great General and Lord in this fight, has given us a manual of tactics, the Bible. Neglecting the Scriptures is a recipe for defeat. St. Jerome wrote that "ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." In God's written revelation to us, we find words of encouragement and exhortation. When weary, turn to the sublime beauty of the Psalms. When despairing, reflect upon Job's endurance in suffering. When discouraged, read the Prophets and the Book of Revelation ton find the promise of eventual victory. When you feel alone, the first letter of John reminds us of God's love for each one of us and the words of the Prophet Jeremiah remind us of the truth that we fight for: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you." (Jeremiah 2:5)

In the Bible, and especially the Gospels, the reason for our belief can be found. Only a bitter soul can read the Word of God and remain unmoved and uninspired.

    3) FREQUENT THE SACRAMENTS

The definition of the Sacraments is visible signs of invisible grace instituted by Christ. Everyone should remember that from Sunday school. Pro-life warriors must sustain themselves with the Body and Blood of Christ. It is the "source and summit of our faith." The Eucharist is our bunker in this war. It is the greatest sign of God's love for us, the love that makes all life sacred.

But receive the Sacrament worthily! Taking the Body and Blood of God in a state of serious sin is a grievous blasphemy. Therefore let the Confessional be your shelter from the tumults of this world and your own baseness. It is very difficult indeed to Confess too frequently.

Use Confession like the Christian warriors of old. "The French rise up and on their feet stand close; all of their sins are shriven and made whole... all are now ready into the field to go." (The Song of Roland, 90) On the eve of every battle, they sought Divine forgiveness so that they would not have to fear death. We are far less likely to face Saracen swords while protesting abortion. Nevertheless, it is right and fitting that we frequently rely upon the Sacraments that we might remain pure and righteous warriors of God.

    4) TAKE SEMPER VITAE AS YOUR MOTTO

We fight for the lives of the unborn because we believe in the sanctity of life, every life, from conception to a natural death. As we take on the forces of this anti-culture, we must keep "Semper Vitae" as our motto - Always Life. We must defend life at every stage, whether attacked with abortion or euthanasia. Do not fall into the error of taking a life in order to save it. Engaging in acts of violence against Planned Parenthood and other providers of abortion violates the very Truth that we fight for. Ends do not justify means.

    5) LEARN THE ARGUMENTS

A pro-life warrior is not a soldier of steel. They are defenders of the Truth. Our weapons consist of arguments, apologetics, and the passion of our faith. In order to truly engage in this fight, you must study evidence to use as arms. Learn why we can be confident in the righteousness of our cause. The arguments are simple. The Truth often is. Conception creates life. Without conception, there is no life. Barring human interference or tragic circumstances, the child will grow and develop in the womb before being born. At no point are the fruits of our sexuality not a human child. Abortion unequivocally takes a human life.

Your reply to "It's the woman's body" should be an emphatic "No!" It is the child's body! Planned Parenthood does not sell the parts of women, they sell baby parts! Those are not parts of the mother that they discard so callously, those are the products of their murder! The corpse of a child! Murder is not justifiable for the sake of convenience! Not ever.

Learn the arguments that you might defend the truth of Semper Vitae.

    6) BE BOLD

The times that we live in are no occasions for the faint of heart or the lukewarm. Defenders of the unborn must be outspoken. We cannot give the foes of life any quarter. Never let their lies go unchallenged!
The rot of the pro-choice ideology has spread deep. You'll find it almost everywhere, from the schools to the workplace to the city streets. Therefore, let the world find a pro-life warrior just as frequently. Shout Semper Vitae from the rooftops.

Never allow your voice to be drowned out by the cravens who accept infanticide. St. Pope John Paul II famously said "Be not afraid." Be bold men and women of God. Do not fear persecution for the sake of the unborn. Embrace it. "Count it all joy." (James 1:2) Holding back in the field of battle might mean comfort and convenience for you, but it means death for even more children. St. Augustine wrote that we should "pray as if everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you." Never let it be said that the courage we find in God is insufficient for our weak and tepid souls.

    7) CHALLENGE LEADERS

For the more than forty years since Roe v Wade, we have been forced to watch the innocents be slaughtered upon the altars of our corruption. Just as the evil of abortion was brought forth upon our land by a Supreme Court decision, it can be removed by a Supreme Court decision. While seeking to change the cultural conditions that allow abortion to be considered allowable, we must simultaneously seek to change the political conditions that make it legal.

Remember that the ranks of the pro-life movement are by no means thin. It is estimated that about 800,000 people attended the March for Life in DC last year. What if a mere tenth of that number were to write letters to their Congressional representatives? What if we were to flood the Capitol with letters and petitions and phone-calls? We could drown out the discordant howling of our opponents with a righteous defense of the unborn.

Go to opencongress.org. It has a listing of the representatives in both houses of Congress for your ZIP code. You'll find their phone-number, mailing address, and email. Demonstrates your support for the pro-life movement. Show your representatives, be they Republican, Democrat, or Independent, that the abortion wars are not yet over. We live in a country where the power is supposed to reside in the people. Prove to them that abortion is something you refuse to accept as citizens of this great nation.

    8) BE PRO-LIFE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

It seems that town halls and public meetings have all moved to the Internet. Therefore, let there be no need to search for pro-life warriors in the binary realm. There are pro-life pages and profiles on every form of social media. Show those who "follow" or "friend" you that you reject the status quo on abortion. Unsurprisingly, there are lots of pro-choice pages and profiles as well. Give the enemy no quarter! When you find a comment that denies the humanity of the unborn or justifies their murder, do not let it go unchallenged. While avoiding being a "troll" who delights in conflict for its own sake, do not be a lukewarm soul when it comes to how you express your faith online.

    9) ORGANIZE

"For when two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20)

This is not a battle that can be won by individuals. The slaughterhouse that is Planned Parenthood will only be toppled by a unified Militia Christi. Fighting alone will only lead you astray. Gather together, warriors of Christ, and find strength in your numbers.

There are innumerable pro-life groups and organizations across the country: National Right to Life, Pro-Life Action League, Students for Life, etc... Or you can even create your own group of like-minded opponents of abortion. Gather your true friends around you. Form a system of support so that you will not find companionship lacking in this fight. Only by standing together can this war be won.

    10) DONATE

Sometimes your job, health, or other factors can keep you from being a frontline warrior. Not everyone is made to be a foot soldier. There are still ways you can help. Planned Parenthood currently receives about half a million dollars every year from the federal government. Their "non-profit" coffers overflow. You will find that the National Right to Life, for instance, does not receive such enormous sums from Washington. And this is not a fight without a cost. It is expensive to produce materials, organize marches, and hire lobbyists.

It is not tacky to ask for money. It is not corrupt. It is practical. In addition to your actions and words, you can fight the scourge of abortion with your wallet. Jesus told the young man (Luke 18:22) to sell all that he had. What will you do to ensure that not one more child is denied a chance for life?

    11) NO COMPROMISE WITH THE EVIL OF ABORTION

We must finally refuse to bow to the whims of the culture of death. Complacency and compromise make us complicit in their sin. May God have mercy on those craven souls that place exceptions upon their pro-life stances. Allowing abortion in some cases but not in others is a depraved position because it recognizes the murderous reality of abortion, but still accepts its use as long as the circumstances are "right." Murdering a child is no less a crime is no less a crime when that child was conceived in incest or rape!



Give your foes no quarter. Never compromise your convictions for convenience! Do not let the sword rest in your hands until abortion has been wiped off of the face of the earth and every child has a chance to live!

Semper Vitae


DEUS VOLT!

Followers of the Star

It is the most wonderful time of the year. In just two days, we will celebrate the remembrance of the Incarnation of Christ. This is a time for love and a time for cheer. For a short season, we are a little more gracious, a little more compassionate towards out family and neighbors. We give each other gifts, not in a spirit of materialism or worldliness, but always keeping before us the true image of Christmas, that of the Savior made flesh and born humbly unto us. It is good to indulge in the merrymaking of this season. We can drink a little more eggnog and eat a few more cookies than is strictly good for us. We can pause for a moment in our ever more busy lives to listen to a Christmas carol or two.

That being said, Christmas is above all else a time for remembrance. Just as we might distract ourselves from the ways of this world by watching a classic movie like "It's a Wonderful Life" or "White Christmas," we should immerse ourselves within what happened in Bethlehem so long ago, the "word that has come to pass which the Lord hath shown to us" (Luke 2:15). With the same sense of wonder with which we as children waited for Santa and his sleigh, let us gaze upon the infant King, the Godhead on Earth, the Word made flesh and dwelling among us.

When Jesus was born, "there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem" (Matthews 2:1). Arriving in the domain of Herod, these learned magi appeared before him and asked "Where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East and have come to adore him (Matthew 2:2).

In a way, these magi were the earliest followers of Jesus. Unlike His first disciples, the magi did not know Him by word of mouth or by hearing him speak. When they found him, Christ was not yet old enough to talk and yet his Kingliness was both inherent and apparent. The magi knew him by His star.

These magi were likely skilled astronomers from Persia. In those times it was believed that when a new king was born his star would appear in the sky. Calling Him king of the Jews, perhaps the wise men were also familiar with the prophecy of Numbers 24:17 - "a star shall rise out of Jacob and a scepter shall spring up from Israel."

In the verbiage of our times, the magi would be considered scientists and academia. Their knowledge was so great that it was often mistaken for magic. These men were true seekers of the truth. They were no pseudo-scientists who would rather appear on TV than study the intricacies of the external world. Bill Nye, Neil De Grasse Tyson and their ilk are more apt to mock Christians and pursue progressive social agendas than pursue the truth. They are nothing like the magi.

Why did the wise men travel so far? Why did they traverse hundreds, maybe even thousands of miles just because of what they saw in the sky? We can ask much the same questions about the saints. Why did they live in die by a law contrary to that of the world? Why did they give up the things of this world and even more often than not their lives simply for a creed?

Both questions have the same answer. Because it is more than a star and more than a creed. The magi and the saints searched for the same thing: Jesus. Both came "to adore him." These wise men from the East were not looking for a merely political figure. Their gifts demonstrate this fact. Gold for a king, frankincense for a priest, and myrrh for a sacrificial lamb.

Finding the King and His star, the magi were "overjoyed." Despite all their earthly power and domain, despite their knowledge and studies that gave them powers beyond that of normal men, the wise men "prostrated themselves" at the feet of the child on Mary's lap. They worshiped the King born of a virgin. Human reason and power knelt before the Throne of the Incarnation.

The magi were truly "wise men." They searched for and found the promised heir of David, Jesus Christ of whose kingdom their is no end. But what can we learn from these searchers? Is there anything that we can take away from the actions of these men who lived two millennia before us?

We find ourselves in this season, in the same position as the wise men. We have been led into the foothills of Judea. The star is in the sky. But what are we going to do? The meaning of the star was no secret. Herod's scribes and chief priests were able to explain its significance to him easily enough. Why then was it only the wise men who came searching for Jesus when so many others could see the star in the sky? The shepherds came, yes, but only after an angelic host appeared in front of them, singing celestial hymns. The wise men did not need to see the angels. They believed.

We can see the star, but are we followers of it? The existence of God is as evident as the stars in the sky. There is no such thing as a true atheist. It is impossible. No human being can absolutely deny the existence of God. It is a truth that we cannot run from.

But faith is more than the Creed we say at every Mass. It is more than simply accepting the existence of God. Faith needs to be alive in order to function. It needs to be expressed through its sister virtues of love and hope. In a letter to the Emperor Gratian, St. Ambrose wrote "Faith, therefore, august Sovereign, must not be a mere matter of performance, for it is written, The zeal of your house has devoured me. Let us then with faithful spirit and devout mind call upon Jesus our Lord, let us believe that He is God." This Christmas season, let us be more than idle stargazers. Let us be followers of the star just as the wise men were. Let us be followers of Jesus Christ.

Let us pray for the same faith that led the magi to the scene of the Nativity when the Son of God, the Word, assumed our flesh so that He might die for our sins. Let us pray for the same willingness to subjugate the things of this world to the will and Majesty of God.

Unwrap those presents from beneath the tree. Celebrate with your family. Go to Mass on Christmas (and hopefully every Sunday and holy day of obligation). Above all else, be followers of God. Reject being lukewarm in the spirit, that tepid and tasteless condition that finds no favor with God. Be rather on fire with love of God. Let your love be something that consumes your soul. Let it be something that consumes your life. Be ye faithful unto death and always submitting to the will of God.

Deus Volt!

Living in the World

Life is hard. C'est la vie as the French would say. The world is not perfect, far from it. People get hurt, they lose their jobs, their families, their lives, their faiths. Terrorists, natural disasters, and accidents kill innocent people, good people. In case you want to be depressed, just turn on the news. All of this and more. Our times are tough.

That is not to say that every age does not have problems of its own. At least we don't have to deal with the Black Death or marauding Vikings. Our generation, however, has a few problems of our own that are particularly troubling. Part of it is technology. Part of it is culture. All of it is bad.

We have been given an opportunity that no people in history have ever been given. In the space of a decade, the amount of data and information that we have access to has exponentially increased. In a matter of seconds, you can find just about anything you need to know. Want to know who the foreign minister of Austria was in 1815? That's easy, its Metternich. Need to know the Mandarin word for pig? Done, its zhu. It's that easy.

Technology is not all bad. Nothing is inherently evil. The advancement of our age allows for an unprecedented level of global connectedness and information. The problem is that we abuse this power just as we abused the tree of knowledge of good and evil in Eden.

What do we do with this wealth of information that is literally at our fingertips? We play games. In the space of a few days, a new application can spread across the country and even the world. Games and apps, whistles and bells, all of the bright colors and sounds, they're all so distracting. It can even become addicting. How many times have you been at a restaurant and seen someone playing a game on their phone instead of talking to the person sitting in front of them? How many hours are wasted tapping a screen that could have been spent forging better relationships, praying, or following your vocation?

Bingewatching is even worse. Netflix has become synonymous with sloth. We consume an incredible amount of TV, streamed or otherwise. And how much of it is good for us? There is only a handful of shows that are not utterly morally corrupt. All too often, television glamourizes sex and violence. It normalizes homosexual attractions and deviant behavior. Rather recently, the show, Scandal, had an episode that featured the main character getting an abortion for the sake of convenience - on the screen. It was little less than a long advertisement for Planned Parenthood. Pay attention to what you watch! The eyes are the windows to the soul. Windows work both ways.

And these are the tame things that the world distracts us with! The number of people, adults and children, men and women, who are addicted to Internet pornography is insane. You can find images of violence, terrorism, abuse, and anything you could possibly think of all too easily. Drugs run through our streets, ruining families and lives. Underage, premarital sex has become a veritable fact of life. Abortion is called a "right." Sexual perversity in the form of homosexual "marriage" has been legalized. Every single day, people lie and steal and hurt each other. When will it end?

It is hard not to fall into despair seeing the hardness of our times. We hope for distraction, a way out of the pain and the hurt of the world that we find ourselves in. And that is the doorway for the very lies of the world we try to run from. The world offers us distractions from itself that only leads us deeper and deeper into sin. Deeper and deeper into darkness. There is so much noise in this world that it is nearly impossible to think straight.

As a Christian, one of the hardest things to do is live within the world. We walk an edge, the line between earth and heaven. Our stewardship of this earth is not something to be forgotten. God has given Himself to us through the True Presence in the Eucharist, but He also appears to us in the form of our neighbors. "Amen: I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me." Matthew 25:45.

At the same time, we cannot forget that we were made for heaven. "Our hearts are restless until they rest in you." St. Augustine said. This is our challenge: to be children of God while on His earth.

This is a challenge that Jesus Himself lived and breathed. For "we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15.

Jesus knew exactly how hard life is. He ate and dined with the lowly of the world - prostitutes and tax collectors - instead of the celebrities of His age - the Pharisees and Sadducees. His friend Lazarus died when he was away. He was betrayed and abandoned by His closest friends at the time He needed them the most. When He died on the Cross, the thousands that heard Him preach were gone or were now mocking Him. He felt the cruel sting of the lash. He felt the weight of the tree as it bore down upon His shoulders. The earthly ministry of Christ was no vacation. It was life in all of its vivid colors.

How do we live in the world? There's an easy answer. Live as Jesus Christ lived. Actually following the way of Christ, now that's the hard part.

We have been blessed with more information than all ages past. Some of that information is actually knowledge. Use it! No one has an excuse for not being able to find the Teachings of Christ and His Saints. While technology can be a gateway to sin, it can also be a tool for holiness. There are apps where you can find the Holy Bible, the Roman Missal, and the spiritual writings of holy men and women who lived this life and walked this road before us.

In this life, we must have one foot in Earth and the other in Heaven. Mental prayer is a great way to connect to God while remaining an active part of the world. Simple prayers, the Our Father and the Hail Mary, can counteract the distractions of the world by turning our eyes to God. "Say the Holy Rosary. Blessed be that monotony of Hail Mary's that purifies the monotony of sins!" Speaking of the saints, St. Josemaria Escriva is an excellent model of faith for this day and age. His "Way" is both accessible and profound. It is a truly life changing work.

 With every breath you take, whisper "Jesus my Savior." How hard will it be for you to fall into sin when you have Christ's name on your lips every second of the day?

Yes, life can be hard. But it can also be great. Remember that Jesus has already won the war and do not despair. Death has already been conquered. We must now find the strength by God to live out our lives as Jesus would. Through us, Jesus can walk the earth once more. That is the will of God. That is how to live in the world.

Deus Vult!

Peace in Our Time?

What is our world coming to? Last Friday, on November 13th, the city of Paris suffered her worst attack since the Second World War. 129 people died. Several hundred were injured. Why? This was the work of truly depraved men, men who believed that they were fighting for the sake of religion. "Allah Ackbar," they cried as they stole innocent lives and covered the streets of the City of Lights with blood. These are not men of God. These are men of hate. These are not holy warriors fighting for their faith. These are cowards who target civilians and blow themselves up. These are not martyrs. These are murderers. In a recent address, His Holiness Pope Francis called these monsters and all who kill in the name of religion "blasphemers." Islamic terrorists like the ones who perpetrated the attacks in Paris make a mockery of the name of God by using it as their final words as they kill innocents. That is not what God is. That is not the truth. That is a lie.

The taking of innocent lives is never justified by religion. It is never justified by anything. We must always remember that a single life, a single soul, is so precious that Jesus Christ would have died on the Cross for them alone.

That is the problem with Islam. The Bible does not say "kill the unbelievers" seven times. The Quran does. The Bible does not sentence basically all woman to damnation. The Quran does. Jesus did not reclaim his holy city by massacring Jews. Muhammad did.

The heresy of these Islamic terrorists is that they think that God is pleased by acts of violence, by their killing of the unbelievers. They believe that they can appease him with the shedding of innocent blood. What damned nonsense.

They are dying for a lie. They are killing for a lie. They are truly monsters. Their violence and blasphemy is not limited to Paris, not by any means. Our Christian brothers and sisters in the Middle East are callously murdered by the same lie that murdered 129 in France. Every single day, the Islamic State and others like them blow themselves up, behead, rape, and murder all for the sake of their "religion," their lie.

What should we do? What can we do? Is there anything that we can do in the face of such utter violence and depravity?

Have faith in the justice of God. His righteousness is so much greater than our own. His justice comes in His own time. Make no mistake, these monsters that call themselves holy warriors, mock the name of God, and murder His true believers will have their day before the Throne. They will not be able to escape the judgement of God for their depravity.

What we should do is pray. Pray for those who lost their lives in France, in the Middle East, and around the world because of the lies of hate and blasphemy. And though it might be hard, pray for those souls that have somehow become so consumed with hate that they think that it is acceptable to take a life. And pray for better times. Pray that we might have peace in our age, as impossible as it seems, for nothing is impossible with God. This age of hate and apostasy should make us yearn all the more strongly for the coming of the Kingdom of God. Just as the Israelites prayed for deliverance during their years of captivity and oppression, so too should we Christians pray for the love of God to blot out the hate of our world.

The only thing in this world stronger than this hate is love. We have no shortage of examples of radical love in the face of hate. Do not be afraid of these terrorists. Have hope. They are not the first to promise the destruction of Christianity and all we hold dear. We have two millennia of true and holy martyrs to prove this. The Romans could not extinguish the love of Christ, regardless of the numbers of Christians sacrificed to the beasts or burned alive or tortured to death. The Church survives. She has survived fire and blood, schism and hate. The Church is well and alive!

This attack on Paris was the act of cowards, but they are doomed cowards. They have taken on a futile task because the Church of God will never fall. We are established on a rock, not on bloodied sand as they are. Await God's judgement eagerly, for He will bring peace in our time. He alone will bring peace in our time.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Genevieve, patroness of Paris, pray for us.

Deus Volt!

The Narrow Path

"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it." Matthew 7:13-14

There is a famous joke involving a tourist in England. He finds a native and asks "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" The inevitable and unexpected response is "practice, practice, and practice." 

The point is that it is very difficult to get into Carnegie Hall, at least in one sense. You cannot simply pick up an instrument and pluck a few strings for a few weeks or even a few months in order to perform in Carnegie Hall. You cannot buy a ticket to get in. The only way to Carnegie Hall is years and years of practice, of sacrifice.

Interestingly enough, there is a parallel to Heaven here. There is no easy way to gain eternal life. Now, notice that I say "gain" instead of "earn." The distinction is monumental. We, all by our little old mortal selves, cannot earn our way to Heaven. There is no deed so great, no life so perfect (excepting Jesus and Mary of course) that would make us perfect enough to enter into Heaven of our own accord. Heaven, just like grace, is a gift. Heaven, just like grace, can be rejected. The consequences of rejection remain the same: spiritual death and Hell.

But make no mistake. Though we cannot earn our way into Heaven, there is still a Hell, and it is very real. Despite the grace that has been given to us by God, despite His love, innumerable souls decide to reject His plan in favor of their own. In doing so, they reject His eternity. We are not privy to the will of God. We do not known how He decides which souls enter into Heaven. All we know is what Jesus has told us.

The gate to eternal life is a "narrow" one. As pessimistic as it sounds, there are "many" souls who reject the narrow road and plant their feet on the "wide road" that "leads to destruction."

How often do we forget this? In a world that likes to ignore both Heaven and Hell, we are told that we can live as we please. The lie of relativism tells us that there is no true way to live, only the way that seems right to us. In days such as these, the other road must be very wide in deed.

This is the danger of tolerance. For false love of image and of acceptance, we allow people to live in sin. We allow people to walk that "wide road" to Hell. This is not judgement. Who among you would allow a blind man to walk straight off a cliff, simply because you do not want to presume to show him the right way for fear of offending his sensibilities?

Jesus did not say "many is the way to Heaven, just do what you would like, and I will give you eternal life just so long as you offend no one." There is but one way to Heaven. That is the way of God.

It is hard to walk the narrow path these days. Everyone will shout that you are going the wrong way, that you are an idiot for choosing such a difficult path. All the while, they are blind to the quicksand that they themselves trod so assuredly.

Know that the road is hard. The gate is painfully narrow. There are brambles on this road. There are thorns that will cut and hurt and bleed you. There are stretches of mud that seem impassable. There will be days on this road when you will want to turn around. You will want to return to the illusory safety of the wider and easier road. The road that is far less lonely.

Remember that you do not tread this road alone. There have been saints who have walked this road. They have left us maps for the path. Look to the lives of the Saints. Read their words of encouragement and instruction. They know what it means to walk this road that seems ever narrower.

Remember what lies at the end of this road. We do not strive towards fame, wealth, or any earthly gain. All those will perish like dust in the wind. We walk to Heaven, the eternal reward. We were made for eternity, not this world of shadows.

The narrow road is hard. The reward, however, is very much worth it.

Deus Volt!

Mad Max or Tomorrowland?

There is a lot of dystopia in today's culture. Perhaps the most poignant example of this is the recently released Mad Max: Fury Road. In an offshoot of the classic post-apocalyptic series, Fury Road features all of the characteristics of a dystopia, a broken world. There are raging bands of desperate bandits roaming the burnt fields. They kill indiscriminately and without cause. Even the hero is forced to engage in brutal combat just to survive. Resources are virtually nonexistent. A life means next to nothing. This is not the picture of a bright future.

The world dystopia evolved out of the word "cacotopia" as a counterpoint to utopia. George Orwell's 1984 is a classic example of a dystopian world. Even though this form of science fiction was popular in the late twentieth century, it has become incredibly popular amongst today's audiences. Hunger Games, Divergent, Zombieland, The Walking Dead, and The Maze Runner are examples of movies and TV shows involving dystopian futures that are wildly popular.

Dystopias evoke a sense of despair. Often, humanity is on the brink of collapse or extinction. More often than not, there's the looming possibility of global destruction. This is not the vision of the Gospel. We as Christians do not fail to recognize that this world is not perfect. There is evil in this world, a fair amount, actually. But that does not mean that we have given up on this world. God has already won the ultimate war against evil. And because we were created in the image of God, we must always have in mind the essential good that is in the human race. We should have a strong hope in the outlook for the future.

Dystopias can become dangerous when we are inundated with them like we are today. They foster and feed an environment of hopelessness for the future. Sure, we might not actually think that the world will be destroyed by zombies, but watching dozens of hours of media where just that occurs inclines our o so impressionable minds towards an attitude of despair. The eyes are windows to the soul. Just as we need to watch what we eat, we need to watch what we see. Dystopian media is not intrinsically evil. In fact, many examples of dystopian books and movies are thought-provoking. They force us to turn a mirror on our own society. We become more socially aware of the potential dangers that lie in the future by examining the worlds that those dangers have already destroyed. We simply must make sure that our viewing diet is not restricted solely to dystopias. That makes for a very lean and malnourished mind in deed.

What we need more of today is a relic of the last century. We need science fiction with a side of optimism. We need more books, movies, and shows that follow in the tradition of Flash Gordon, Lost in Space, and Star Trek. We need media that looks to the future with a sense of hope. Where the forces of science work towards the betterment of humanity, not its destruction.

The recently released film, Tomorrowland, is a good example of a more optimistic outlook. Without ruining the plot for those of you who haven't seen it yet, Tomorrowland reveals a world where technology and science have bettered the lives of man. There are space ships routinely carrying men and women into space, there are hovering monorails, jetpacks, and robots. While peril is not absent from this film, the world of Tomorrowland is exactly what dystopias like Mad Max are not, hopeful. Tomorrowland gives audiences a bright view for the future. It shows us that, no bad how our world gets, we can still fix it. We need more Tomorrowland's and less Mad Max's today.

Deus Volt!  

A Memorial Day Post: Service

Today is Memorial Day, the day upon which Americans honor the sacrifice and service that has been offered up by countless men and women of the armed forces, or at least, they are supposed to do so. Right now, I see a total lack of respect for the service of our soldiers. Instead of providing support to American heroes, cowards prefer to attack them. They fail to recognize the nature of their sacrifices. Celebrities and politicians sit back in comfort and condemn the acts of violence that soldiers perform, ignoring the difference between a soldier and a criminal. The difference is that soldiers do not fight for themselves. They fight to defend the people they left behind and safeguard the liberty of their nation. The job soldiers have to do might not be nice work, but it is work that has to be done.

The Bible is rife with examples of soldiers. The Old Testament is practically filled with them. Joshua, David, Judas Maccabeus, Gideon, the list goes on and on. These men exemplify the inherent virtue of the soldier. They take upon themselves the greatest sacrifice: killing and being killed, in order to free their people from bondage, to defend their nation from transgressors who defile the law of God. Judas Maccabeus is one of my favorite biblical figures. His story has clear parallels to today's situation. The Bible tells us that the successors of Alexander the Great decided to suppress the people of Israel by forcing them to violate the commandments of God. Many succumb, those few who do not are killed. But the priest Mattathias, along with his family, refuse to bow to sin. When a royal official comes to Mattathias and tries to convince him to partake in blasphemous sin, Mattathias replies:

 "Even if all the nations that live under the rule of the king obey him, and have chosen to obey his commandments, every one of them abandoning the religion of their ancestors, I and my sons and my brothers will continue to live by the covenant of our ancestors. Far be it from us to desert the law and the ordinances. We will not obey the king's words by turning aside from our religion to the right hand or to the left." (1 Maccabees 2:19-22)

Mattathias and his sons were soldiers of God. They offered up their lives to serve God and their people, even if the political environment did not favor such behavior, much as it does not today.

Dishonor is being done to our soldiers. They are being left behind by politicians who only want the votes of a majority. Go to any major city and walk the streets. Chances are, you will see a homeless veteran. These men and woman suffer from their sacrifices. Many face the crosses of PTSD or TBI. Suicide rates for returning soldiers continue to rise. If you watched the news in recent months, you will have seen news about the VA scandals: veterans with urgent medical needs were left to die.

We need to honor our soldiers. We need to support them just as they supported this country while putting their lives on the line. We need to respectfully bury the martyrs of freedom and honor their memory. We need to tend for the wounded and the hurting soldiers who return from the battlefield to the home. We need to show a little respect.

Deus Volt!