Through fear we give in to evil

John 18:14 tells us of Caiaphas' philosophy. That the evil of killing an innocent man must be done to protect the people. Going against the Commandment that they were charged with teaching, the Pharisees seek to murder a man who had done nothing wrong. In the eyes of the Law he was blameless.

It was fear that motivated them. Fear of how the "King of the Jews" would appear to the local Roman authorities. That the people only a few days ago had hailed as their Savior. To save the Jews, they would break the Law. It was all for the "greater good."

It is striking to realize that we are no different today. It is the fear that says a baby is "punishment." The same temptation that argues we must enter into evil to save ourselves. The same temptation that says it is OK to slaughter the unborn in the name of health care.

The primary motivation of these sins is fear. Fear that being good isn't enough. That good cannot fix the problems. That good is not "productive." Evil offers a shortcut. A direct path through the mud that will solve the issue. Fear of our powerlessness to overcome our own sinfulness and that of society. Fear of the world and it's capacity to cause death and pain.

But just as the execution of that innocent Man 2000 years ago didn't save Jerusalem, neither will our modern evils that we have convinced ourselves are "necessary" will actually save us. For true Hope lies not in the machinations of the state or systems of economics, but in Christ. Our first and foremost thoughts must turn to Him.

Pray unceasingly. The King of Kings hears our prayers. Listen to Him.

Viva Christo Rey!

Christ is the true King

May God have mercy on those who callously abandoned the unborn who will be slaughtered under the new health care bill. May God have mercy on us for our failure to live up to the Gospel. May God have mercy on those celebrate the funding of the murder of children. May God have mercy on us for tolerating the Holocaust for so long.

We have gone to a society that disregards the sanctitiy of life. We tolerate the treatment of human beings like refuse. A person is only a person if they can survive the womb. We have abandoned the weakest of us, in favor of funding money into a system that will only continue to exploit. We are a truly sick society, one that says either choose the sick person or the unborn child. Pick who to die. There is no hope where the basic principles of justice are abandoned. Where the sanctitiy of life is ignored or outright attacked.

We hide behind nuance and euphemism. Behind words and legality. We console ourselves by torturing our conscience. We rationalize away our sins. It is a sick joke that we have expanded the culture of death so close to the Resurrection of Our Lord.

And yet...

It is times like these that we are reminded why hope is a virtue. That we must cultivate that small spark that lies within us. Our worldly hopes are dashed in order that we look to the source of Hope. We see the evil in our midst in order to see that the true hope is in He who died for us.

Our trust lies not in the pricipalities and princes of this world. The schemes and machinations of men. The systems of death and destruction. The lies and deceit of the Devil.

The blood of the innocent cry out to God. He hears the cry of His little ones. The murders that go on every year and the legal system that keeps it so are an abomination. There is no justice, no peace when a socitey wages war against its own young.

His victory is assured. The King of Kings has already conquered death. The Enemy has no idea his days are numbered. Our Hope lies in the King eternal. He will come with power and majesty. His rule is absolute. His justice will be done. His little ones will see justice done.

God will not let injustice stand for long. Our hope lies in Him. His victory assured. The machinations of the Enemy will come to naught. The societies of death will be washed away. The blood of the victims of the holocaust will be avenged.

This is not the time to be dejected. This is not the time to count our losses. Our victory is assured. The innocent will see justice. God will prevail.

The night is darkest before the dawn. But the dawn will come. That hope must be held. We must allow that knowledge to comfort us. The abortion scourge will be washed away. Those that cling to the industry of death will be swept away like chaff. The evil in this world will be wiped from it.

Every tear will have meaning. Every valiant sacrifice will be rewarded. The King of Kings, the Lord of Hosts, the Alpha and the Omega, He is our true King. His judgement will be rendered. His mercy extended to those who wish it. Our hope lies in Him. The source of Hope.

For those who are dejected with the expansion of the death industry, be not afraid. Do not succumb to despair. This is the time to rise up. This is the time to turn to God, now more than ever. Now is the time to stand up.

God will prevail. His will is everlasting. His justice and mercy will rule to the ends of the earth. We know this. We cannot falter now. We will stand with those who do not have a voice. We must stand with those who are murdered every day, now in the name of health care. We must redouble our efforts, knowing that the victory of the King of Kings is assured.

We have work to do.

Viva Cristo Rey!

Hope is a Virtue

It's an odd thing these days but people (like me) seem to forget that hope is a virtue. That means that it must be something that is cultivated. Sure we may be presented with a sign that things are getting better and that helps. But also hope is an act of will, much like charity and faith. It requires a conscious act on our part to cling to hope.

Another odd thing about hope is that it is so logical if one believes in God. The creator of the universe. The all powerful. He who made everything. His victory is assured and His will invariably will carry the day in the end. Duh. And yet it seems all too easy to forget. We are so easily frightened. We cling instead to money, sex, power. Or just yield up into despair.

But Easter is the time of renewal of hope. God has conquered death. Death no longer has power over us. Hope wins out.

The coming Cataclysm

During the French Reign of Terror, France seemed to be in the grip of death that exceeded the control of any of the major actors in that sordid bit of history. Even those who had created the menance seemed unable to control it and could only hold on for the ride. One man, Georges Jaques Danton, one of the principle architects of the Revolution, was killed by it as he tried to undo what he had done.

I feel the same about abortion and how it seems to have a grip of death on Western society and even more so in America. The pro-abortion forces pose a unified front of very loud activists with wealthy benefactors. The pro-life movement seems lost, disorganized, conflicted. We argue as much about how to combat the culture of death as much as criticizing it.

With this backdrop we see the upcoming presidental election and it appears that the pro-life movement is as lukewarm as before. An Obama presidency, it is argued, would be disasterous (and it would be if he follows through on the Freedom of Choice Act). McCain's pro-life stance on abortion is commendable (if not lukewarm) but his stance on embryonic stem cell research is uncertain, rasing a big red flag which cause those who would vote for him to second guess the prospect.

It should be remembered that as Christians we should not lose hope. The Lord will not allow his little ones to suffer and die without consequences. He watches over them. Those of us who feel powerless must remember that He is in control, and that He only allows such things to occur to give us a chance to repent. We must be ready to accept God's judgement on America, whatever form it may take. But we must also remember that any chastisement that comes from Him is for our benefit. Do not lose hope. He will carry the day.