Fr Dwight Longenecker's Sobering Reflection on 'The Coming Persecution' Comments
There will be no martial law or military in the streets. That would appear to be so un-American! The officers who enforce the mandate will be lawyers in suits bearing legal documents. The battles will be in the courtroom. The penalties will seem just to the majority of people because we are in a democracy and those who disobey the law need to be punished, for it is the law of the land, and after all, if they had not done anything wrong they ... Continue Reading
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Persecution is alive and well. It's even present not only all over but in Catholic circles, the peer pressure of not speaking up lest you be branded a "holier than thou" is ever present. Case in point, look how the media and some fellow Catholics have chastised Rick Santorum. I'm not aware of him backing down or trembling. At such times what will you do?
We only have two options; Either you stay silent and stop being Catholic saying, "not me, I'm not carrying that cross, I didn't sign on for this!" OR you keep calling yourself one. But if you're gonna have the courage to call yourself Catholic then you better live it and be ready for the consequences. Remember, Saint Athanasius stood alone in the greatest crisis of faith ever to befall the Catholic Church, the Arian Heresy; he was exiled and even excommunicated! It's not an easy task, standing for Truth in a world of lies and insanity. Saint Athanasius was undoubtedly one of the most courageous defenders of the Faith in the entire history of the Church. If anyone can be singled out as a Saint for our times, surely it is Saint Athanasius.
We need to take this as the great opportunity that it is. The world is listening, what'll you say? Will you speak up? Will you tremble and fall? We can't afford to be pathetic, timid Catholics anymore. Rise up and live your faith, disrupt people, be passionate; this is a love affair after all. Scream of your beloved to the four winds. Preach Christ! After all, it's Lent and it's a time for getting ready to be resurrected into a David that slayed Golith. In short be a "bad a**......
Well said ! I recommend everyone read the " Screwtape Diaries" by C S Lewis.My daughter is not sexually active. She is on birth control to control her mood and period. For her the pill is medically necessary to control her PMS and natural cycle. She is a LPN and will graduate RN school in two months. Unfortunately most people in the pews would agree with her that the pill is necessary, but for different reasons. they are cafeteria Catholics, such as my daughter who pick and choose. As father suggested the democratic process alows compromise. However, you can not bargain with God. I have tried it and it does not work. Ezekel 33:7-9
This attitude of capitulation to the mounting odds we face today to do Gods work when the forces of Evil have been multiplying and life has become easier and our spirits are weakened by the sheer multitude of pleasures which modern technology offers us along with the benefits being granted by ill-fated government instituted “social justice” rights and privileges which dilute our moral conscience is certainly not the course designed to lead us to paradise.
We don’t surrender our franchise as God fearing Christians simply because we are outnumbered or overwhelmed by the enemy. David didn’t. Why pray for God’s intervention if we are reluctant to enter the fight or at least plead for sanity among the confusion which evil has gleefully developed in our society? Peace to you.
Brave New World, American style. Don't think for a microsecond that this isn't happening right now. Just look at the Obama Administration's attempt to dictate the rules for churches hiring practices, saying that a religious organization could not restrict its hiring of clergy to members of that faith. Now the abortion and contraception issues are holding the news people in rapture. Don't we all get it? It is not at all about who pays for anything: it is entirely about forcing someone to provide these services against their moral standard. This is a major assault on the Catholic Church in particular and religion in general. I, for one, shall not yield.
Thanks, Father. What a portrait of what, in many respects, we have become and where it can lead! Our Lord has overcome evil but we still live in the battlefield. May God forgive our indolence, and strengthen us once again. We desperately need this Lent.
The Bible speaks about the great falling away from the faith, whether it is due to prosecution or through false theology as in the case of the so called Liberation Theology, changing or reading scriptures to suit the lust of the flesh or to even accepting suitable scriptures & rejecting the other or just plain complacency as to gay agenda & relations, abortions seen today & to all things contrary to the word of GOD , the point is about faith & its loss, which again comes from the disbelief to the words of Jesus Christ "'All Power & Authority on earth & heaven are delivered unto me'' even though in the worldly appearance it does not seem so, the question is about faith & nothing but faith in Christ, reflecting back to the words of Joshua to the congregation of Israel of the manner "It is up to you to keep the word & as far as me and my house, we shall keep it", for the simple reason that them who do not keep the word of GOD cannot love God & to this sitting cross legged & chanting om, om is to a delusion.
Thank you, Father for showing us what happens when we compromise our values. What a picture of our chilling future! It makes me sick to my stomach.
That does indeed sound like the worst kind of persecution ever. Weren't we told that the worst persecution ever would befall those living in the end times? Gives me chills to think we may indeed be living through it now.
I must say though, you didn't take account the growing hostility of our enemies. The government may foment it in the beginning, but they won't be able to control it for long. It has been said by some that the devil, after building up the hatred of the jews against Our Lord, began to fear that He might indeed be the Messiah and actually tried to stop them from killing Christ, but by that time, the situation had gotten completely out of hand and he couldn't stop them.
I do believe that there will be physical martyrdom for many even here in the U.S.
Fiat Voluntas Tua
Wow, really Father? I can't imagine that any priest is o.k. with all the things you say. It is just unfathomable to me that things will be this way. I pray it isn't.
Absolutely beautiful and truthful. Thank you so much for helping strengthen my faith.