The Happy Priest on September 11 and the Path to Peace

The solution to today's terrible challenges really rests with each of us. Are we going to follow Jesus or are we going to live sinful lives?

As we remember the infamous events of September 11, we pray for the innocent victims, the soldiers that have given their lives for the cause of freedom, and the men and women of the military who each day put their lives at risk in order to defend our way of life.  We pray that our nation will turn back to God and we pray for all Muslims, that they too will turn to the Prince of Peace

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (Catholic Online) - Ronald Reagan was able to win the Cold War without engaging the former Soviet Union in a terrible military conflict.  Regan understood the nature of the battle.  He called the former Soviet Union 'the evil empire."

From his deep religious faith, Reagan well understood that the battle at hand was a battle between good and evil.  He also understood that the Communism of the former Soviet Union, because of its erroneous principles, would eventually collapse.

Although Communism is still a serious problem in China, North Korea,  Cuba and Venezuela;  a new, far more serious enemy is attempting to destroy our nation and our way of life. Radical Islam presents a greater threat than any other form of totalitarianism known to modern history.  

Radical Islamic fundamentalism is much more dangerous than any form of Communism, precisely because Islam is a religion whereas communism, although it has religious overtones, is an ideology.  There is a difference between the two systems. 

Communists organize riots and protests.  Communists engage in subversive activity.  Communists enslave nations and deny people their most fundamental rights.  Communism has armies and weapons of mass destruction.  All of this is true of the radical Muslims, except for one very important difference: Communists do not blow themselves up; Islamic terrorists do. 

Reagan was able to win the Cold War precisely because Communism is an ideology.  But, how will we win the war on terror?

Although it is true that our nation must have a strong military and our borders need to be secure, we will not win the war against radical Islamic fundamentalism the way we won the Cold War.  The enemy is different. 

Radical Islamic fundamentalism can only be overcome through Jesus Christ. 

Everyone recognizes how the Islamic fundamentalists see America:  a decadent nation, spreading immorality all over the world.  Let's be honest, the fundamentalists do have a point.  We have become decadent and we do spread our decadence all over the world. 

Travel the world and talk to people from other countries and you will come to find that American TV shows, American movies and American Internet pornography are all over the globe. 

We will only be able to win the war against radical Islamic terrorism if, as a nation, we turn our hearts over to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  The Bible is clear on this point when it says:

"If my people who bear my name, humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I myself will hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land" (Second Book of Chronicles: 7; 14).

Will we turn away from killing the unborn?  Will the propagation of immoral filth on television, movies and the Internet ever come to an end? 

How patient can God be with a nation that turns to the abomination of homosexual 'marriages"?

What about the millions who offend God every Sunday by failing to offer the worship that is due to our creator or by working unnecessarily on his day?

British historian and philosopher Arnold Toynbee (1889-1975) once said: "Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder."

Let's face it: we are in a state of emergency.  What is the solution? 

The solution is not what; it is who. 

As a people, we need to leave aside our wicked ways and turn to the Lord.  Only when this happen, as the Bible tells us, will the Lord heal our land and give us the gift of peace. 

Unfortunately, many simply do not want to hear the truth of the Gospel.  Many reduce Catholicism to their own criteria and purposely ignore fundamental aspects of our Catholic Faith.  Regrettably, many are frequently deafened by pride.  Many allow themselves to hear only what we want to hear.

Nevertheless, the increasing number of people, especially young people, earnestly seeking the truth is encouraging. For them the possession of the truth becomes a liberating experience because we no longer wonder what the truth might be. 

The solution to today's terrible challenges really rests with each of us.  Are we going to follow Jesus or are we going to live sinful lives? 

"If my people who bear my name, humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I myself will hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land."

As we remember the infamous events of September 11, we pray for the innocent victims, the soldiers that have given their lives for the cause of freedom, and the men and women of the military who each day put their lives at risk in order to defend our way of life.  We pray that our nation will turn back to God and we pray for all Muslims, that they too will turn to the Prince of Peace. 

May Mary, the Mother of Jesus, look upon this troubled world with her maternal gaze and comfort us with her presence.  She is the Queen of peace.

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Father James Farfaglia is the pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Corpus Christi, Texas.  Visit Father James on the web at http://www.fatherjames.org and purchase his new book Get Serious! A Survival Guide for Serious Catholics and his first book, Man to Man: A Real Priest Speaks to Real Men about Marriage, Sexuality and Family Life.  Father has a hard hitting blog called Illegitimi non carborundum.  You can contact Father James at fjficthus@gmail.com.  

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