Hope for 2020

Is it going to be continued crises during 2020 or Hope?

I am going to choose hope so let me spend a few minutes to lay the foundation for my argument.

The Culture of Death

The Culture of Death came to us about 150 years ago, when certain people decided that there was no God and that science should become the new god.

Starting with Charles Darwin who wrote about his version of the Origin of the things.

It is interesting that he and his followers placed so much emphasis on science but now 150 years later, scientists are in the forefront debunking Evolution and Atheism.

For example one PHD Chemical Engineer working as a molecular biologist has demonstrated scientifically that evolution is not scientifically possible.

It is sad that the top scientists in many fields are now teaching the God does exist but that news has not filtered down into our Universities.

One top scientist as recently asked where do I learn about the Universe, and he responded instantly with read the Book of Genesis. This is news that no one hears about.

We are immersed in the Culture of Death as anyone can see. Donald Demarco and Benjaming Wiker wrote a book entitled the Architects of the Culture of Death that explains exactly what has been happening.

Quoting from the Description of Architects of the Culture of Death.

The phrase, "the Culture of Death", is bandied about as a catch-all term that covers abortion, euthanasia and other attacks on the sanctity of life. In Architects of the Culture of Death, authors Donald DeMarco and Benjamin Wiker expose the Culture of Death as an intentional and malevolent ideology promoted by influential thinkers who specifically attack Christian morality's core belief in the sanctity of human life and the existence of man's immortal soul. In scholarly, yet reader-friendly prose, DeMarco and Wiker examine the roots of the Culture of Death by introducing 23 of its architects, including Ayn Rand, Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Jean-Paul Sartre, Alfred Kinsey, Margaret Sanger, Jack Kevorkian, and Peter Singer.

Still, this is not a book without hope. If the Culture of Death rests on a fragmented view of the person and an eclipse of God, the future of the Culture of Life relies on an understanding and restoration of the human being as a person, and the rediscovery of a benevolent God. The personalism of John Paul II is an illuminating thread that runs through Architects, serving as a hopeful antidote.

The author traces the lives and teachings of these folks from Friedrich Nietzsche who once said, “God is Dead.” In the subway of New York City someone wrote. “God Is Dead! Signed Nietzsche.” and later underneath those words someone else wrote, “God is Alive! Nietzsche is dead. Signed God!”

Doctor Jack Kevorkian known as the Doctor of Death. I remember his being in the news many times back when he was alive.

In between the author traces many others like Charles Darwin, who wrote about Evolution of the Species, Karl Marx who wrote the Communist Manifesto and Margaret Sanger the Founder of Planned Parenthood.

The problem with these folks is that they offer no Hope for what happens after death.

The last Chapter in the book sums up our response to the Culture of Death.

Quoting from the book, “We are persons who need to be liberated from whatever degree of solitude or egoism we suffer so that we can personalize, through love, our relationships with others. This is the basis for building a Culture of Life.”

Building a Culture of Life.

I want to discuss now what I call the Architects of the Culture of Life.

First on that list is Saint Pope John Paul II. He taught us that the Culture of Death was all around us and offered Hope for a Culture of Life.

Next is Cardinal Sarah. He has written “The Day is Now Far Spent,” in which he describes the Crisis of Faith in our Church and the Crisis in the Priesthood with all the scandals. Yes we are in a very serious crisis!

Quoting from the Description of The Day is Now Far Spent.

In this powerful book by the acclaimed spiritual leader and best-selling writer, one he calls his "most important", he analyzes the profound spiritual, moral and political crisis in the contemporary world. He says that he "considers that the decadence of our time has all the faces of mortal peril."

"At the root of the collapse of the West, there is a cultural identity crisis. The West no longer knows who it is, because it no longer knows and does not want to know who made it, who established it, as it was and as it is. Many countries today ignore their own history. This self-suffocation naturally leads to a decadence that opens the path to new, barbaric civilizations."

In these words, Cardinal Sarah summarizes the theme of his book. His finding is simple: our world is on the brink of the abyss. Crisis of faith and of the Church, decline of the West, betrayal by its elites, moral relativism, endless globalism, unbridled capitalism, new ideologies, political exhaustion, movements inspired by Islamist totalitarianism.... The time has come for an unflinching diagnosis.

While making clear the gravity of the crisis through which the West has gone, the Cardinal demonstrates that it is possible to avoid the hell of a world without God, a world without man, a world without hope.

After the great international success of his first two books, God or Nothing and The Power of Silence, Cardinal Sarah offers a wide-ranging reflection on the crisis of the contemporary world while teaching many important spiritual lessons.

The last part of the book is titled Rediscovering Hope. In this section Cardinal Sarah outlines What God is offering to us at this time and what we must do!

We must become Saints! That is the solution.

How do we become Saints?

So the question is how do we become Saints?

Now I want to discuss Mother Angelica and how she spent years teaching us how to become Saints.

She opened each of her Mother Angelica Live shows by saying. “We are all called to become Saints.”

She was best known for what others called her cracker barrel Theology, simple and to the point.

Mother Angelica revolutionized Catholic media and popularized the universal call to holiness, bringing this fundamental Catholic teaching to generations of the faithful. Here is the essence of Mother's thought on this topic, presented in ways that only she can teach.

It's Mother Angelica at her best as teacher and mother informing you about holiness while deftly but gently guiding you along the narrow path to sanctity. Imbued with all that Mother learned from her decades in cloistered religious life as well as from her ventures in mass media, these pages will help you grow quickly in love of Christ and His Church.

Mother Angelica's Guide to Practical Holiness: essential reading for every Catholic who is seeking holiness in our difficult times.

Bob and Penny Lord wrote about the Lives of the Saints to teach us all there are many, many ways to Sainthood. God has a plan for each of us, a unique plan that only we can accomplish with His help. The Saints help us how to develop a relationship with God and let Him take over in our lives. Get to know the Saints.

Father Jacques Philippe is another great resource on how to become a Saint.

He wrote the following books:

1) Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart

2) Interior Freedom

3) Time for God

4) Thirsting for Prayer

5) Real Mercy: Mary, Forgiveness, and Trust

6) The Way of Trust and Love - A Retreat Guided By St. Therese of Lisieux

7) In the School of the Holy Spirit

8) Called to Life

9) Fire and Light - Learning to Receive the Gift of God .With over 500,000 copies sold in 18 languages, Fr. Philippe's writings on themes such as prayer, interior freedom, and peace of heart have become modern classics of Catholic spirituality. Explore these books with this complete set of Fr. Philippe's published works. Each one is a gem in its own right. The collection of all nine books, including the latest "Fire & Light", provides food for your prayer and spiritual life for many years to come.

So there you have it.

The Evil in the World seems to be gaining ground but remember that God often works in quiet and silence.

Signs of Hope.

On New Years Eves this year for 2020 65000 young people went to Mercedes Benz stadium in Atlanta Georgia and prayed. Did you hear about that?

This is a renewal among the laity for personal holiness – did you hear about that?

Scientists are debunking the lies of the past and providing scientific evidence that confirms what is in the Book of Genesis - did you hear about that?

There are many signs of hope all around us.

To change the world simply work to be the best person that you can be.

Study some of the resources linked below.

Resources:

Listen to this post

Architects of the Culture of Death by Ignatius Press

Witness to Hope Saint John Paul II

The Day is Now Far Spent Cardinal Sarah

Journeys of Faith Lives of the Saints

Mother Angelica’s Guide to Practical Holiness

Father Jacques Philippe