From the Desk of Father Martin - February 3, 2019

Praised be Jesus Christ! By now most of you are familiar with the story of the high school students from Covington who were in Washington D.C. for the 46th Annual March for Life. Sadly, they found themselves in the midst of a media firestorm because of a short video of what appeared to be the students mocking a Native American who was playing his drum. People, as we’re wont to do, jumped to conclusions and said all sorts of very uncharitable things. When another, more accurate version of the story came out, some had the integrity to admit that they regretted not waiting until all the facts came out before thinking they knew just what had happened. Honestly, who of us doesn’t have a certain narrative running in our head about the way we think life should go... and then when something fits neatly into that narrative, we congratulate ourselves for being geniuses and for truly understanding life. As of this writing, the Diocese of Covington is investigating the event so that they can better determine responsibility and place the blame with the proper people. As Patrick Madrid pointed out on his show last week, the goal is similar to when a plane crashes. We have a duty to determine what went wrong and who is to blame so that it can be avoided in the future. We live in calamitous times and the reaction to the aforementioned event is a bit of a litmus test that demonstrates how emotionally unstable we are right now as a nation. Interestingly, when Cardinal Karol Wojtyla visited the United States in 1976, he already had more than an inkling that things might go this way. Here’s what the future Saint John Paul II wrote over 40 years ago: “We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through. I do not think wide circles of American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti- Church, of the Gospel versus the anti-Gospel. We must be prepared to undergo great trials in the not-too-distant future; trials that will require us to be ready to give up even our lives, and a total gift of self to Christ and for Christ. Through your prayers and mine, it is possible to alleviate this tribulation, but it is no longer possible to avert it... How many times has the renewal of the Church been brought about in blood! It will not be different this time.” You might be wondering, “What is the anti-Church?” Well, that would be any agenda that undermines the sanctity of human life or the beauty of God’s plan for marriage and family. It would be the irrational (and very unscientific) assault on the genetic reality of human beings falling into categories of male and female. And it would be the organizations that, in the name of tolerance, spew their lies with no tolerance for anyone who opposes them. These things are sadly becoming more widespread as the years go by. And wouldn’t you know it, just about the time we need the Church to be strong and to speak with credibility, she has been devastated by clergy abuse and the scandal of hiding it for years. But as a classmate pointed out recently, a poor, weak Church has always been a key part of God’s plan for rescuing all of us. As Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks pointed out years ago, “The Israelites had betrayed their mission by becoming obsessed with politics at the cost of moral and spiritual integrity. So taught all the prophets from Moses to Malachi. Every time you try to be like your neighbors, they said, you will be defeated by your neighbors. Every time you worship power, you will be defeated by power. Every time you seek to dominate, you will be dominated. For you, says God, are my witnesses to the world that there is nothing sacred about power or holy about empires or imperialism.” Wow, what a brilliant insight into the history of God’s Chosen People. And as Saint Paul puts it, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Hard times are coming and the Church is seemingly on fire, but might these be her finest hours?
May God teach us live the truth with courage so that the world might know true love!
Your friend in Christ, Father Martin 

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