The Battles Lines Have Been Drawn

We really are at war.  If we fail to realize that and do not arm ourselves against the risks of these battles, then it is very possible that Satan will find a way to take us down.  I have been watching and reading with horror about the Catholic school boys from Covington that were the victims of such an attack. They are local, living right across the river from Cincinnati and the school is a very good and reputable institution. Yet they were blindsided by Satan this weekend, and it is tragic that so many of us don’t understand that an event like the March for Life is a very real and dangerous battlefield.  These kids and their chaperones failed to realize that and failed to maintain and guard themselves against the very real evil dangers and snares of the devil that would hurl themselves against such a cause and such a fight.  Many probably viewed such a trip as a great school activity and event, and never gave the dangers they would face a second thought. We need to prepare ourselves for such battles and be on guard for them always. Satan will strike when we are not expecting, and he cloaks himself in honor and false goodness.  It is going to be tough, but our salvation and the souls of those close to us are at stake.

We have been taught for years in our parishes and schools that Satan is not real.  We have been ingrained with the notion that God is Love, which He most certainly is, but love has never been defined in its’ truest and most honest form.  The love of self giving and sacrifice. We have been indoctrinated into the Church of Nice, and it has opened us up to great losses as many leave in light of scandals and ignorance. How many leave because of disagreements with Church teaching on various issues without the true understanding of those teachings.  How many fail to understand the importance of succumbing to God’s will and not their own selfish desires and wants.  The Church is failing to fight the culture and society, and is losing ground to the secularism that will eventually destroy all of mankind. The Church is not always nice, She is always good, but when she sacrifices goodness and Truth for nice, She will fall every time and drive many souls to destruction. 

If we enter the battlefield without the armor of wisdom, understanding, prayer and the Sacraments the defeat will be of our own doing, Jesus has repeatedly warned us about this battle in Scripture, so has Peter, James, John and Paul in their letters and writings.  Along with all the Fathers and Saints who have followed in their footsteps as Martyrs for this Truth.  Why have we been denying the very breath of God as he warns of us the powers and dangers of Hell?  If we belong to parishes who do not offer us the opportunities to arm ourselves against the Devil and who have sacrificed goodness and Truth for “nice”, then flee and find a parish that has a pastor that is willing to suffer for souls by preaching the Truth so he can defend his flock and save his sheep.  Truth can be very difficult to hear and follow in a culture so marred by death, vice and perversion.  Our true heroes our the clergy and faithful who bear witness to Truth and bear the spiritual and physical scares of that witness to Truth.

Our battle is not with flesh and blood with but dominions and principalities.  It is spelled out very clear in Scripture, it is there as a warning for us all, if we don’t heed that warning, then our destruction is our own, caused by our own denial, disobedience, and negligence. The loss of Heaven will be our own fault.