Religious Persecution

Our Lord never said it was going to be easy on earth.  In fact, he said that the world would hate us because of his name (Matt. 10:22, John 15:18) and that it hated him first.

The current administration’s policy requiring Catholic health insurance plans to cover contraception and abortafacients for women - as well as the so-called “compromise” to that policy - is government-sponsored persecution and an assault on religious freedom that is unprecedented in American history.  If history warns us of anything – it’s that the initial steps in the attack against religious liberty are just as crucial as the final steps.

Many people living in Germany in the 1930’s thought nothing of Hitler’s methodical attack on the Jews.  It wasn’t until the atrocities came to light that people cringed – and not until the end of the war that they saw the depth of the evil that was perpetrated on the Jews and others.

One of the most frightening commentaries about what happened during that time was encapsulated in the poem, “First They Came . . .” by German Lutheran Pastor Martin Niemöller, who suffered in the German concentration camp, Dachau.  It chronicles the downfall of society in Nazi Germany and begins with the list of who the Nazis went after - and the complacent attitude of much of the public:

“. . . then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak out because I was Protestant.

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.”
If all Catholics voted according to Christian ethics instead of a politically-correct, liberal agenda and stood up against this kind of governmental persecution and constitutional manipulation, we could put a stop to it.  If all Christians – Catholics and Protestants - took a stand against the atrocity of abortion, we could end it tomorrow.  If we all sit around and do nothing or continue to vote for those who proliferate these policies – we can expect more of the same or worse.  Scripture tells us that we will be judged for what we didn’t do – just as we will for the things we did do (Matt. 25:14-46).
There is an old saying that states, “The only thing necessary for evil to exist is for good men to do nothing.”  Unfortunately, we are living in a time of horrific change. How long can we simply stand by and do nothing?   What is it going to take before all Christians join hands and finally say, “Enough!”

Some Popular Catholic Myths Part 5

“The Church doesn’t do enough to help the poor.”

This is one of the most erroneous Catholic myths in modern times.  On the contrary – the Catholic Church is the LARGEST charitable organization in the WORLD.

Every day, the Catholic Church feeds, clothes, shelters and educates more people than any organization in the world – even more than many countries.  Charities run by the Church include:
-  5,305 hospitals including 1694 in the Americas and 1,150 in Africa.
-  18,179 clinics including 5,762 in the Americas and 5,312 in Africa 3,884 in Asia.
-  17,223 homes for old people, the terminally ill and the handicapped – most of them (8,021) in Europe and the Americas (5,650).
-  9,882 orphanages – a third of them in Asia.
-  Countless homeless shelters and food banks.

Indeed, most countries around the world don’t even come close to the charitable contributions of the Church.

“The Church has changed its position and no longer believes in Purgatory.”

This is patently false.  This is often confused with the Church’s position on Limbo, which was never a matter of doctrine but merely a way of trying to reason the fate of unbaptized children.

The doctrine of Purgatory, however, is rooted in Scripture and has always been a teaching of the Church. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it’s a “final purification of the elect” (1030-1032).

2 Macc. 42-46, Matt. 5:25-26, Matt. 12:32, 1 Cor. 3:12-15 all speak to the reality of Purgatory. Matt. 18:32-35 and Luke 12:58-59 are additional verses that support this doctrine.

“Catholics were prevented from reading the Bible During the Middle Ages.”

Nothing could be further from the truth.

During this period, the world’s illiteracy rate was close to 85%.  Most people couldn’t even read the Bible let alone own one.  Because they were handwritten, Bibles during this time were extremely expensive and hard to come by.  Churches would chain their copies to the pulpit.  This was not done to keep the Word of God from the masses – but to protect it from theft.

During this time, some educated heretics took to making their own translations of the Bible.  The result was inaccuracy and perverted doctrine.  Since the Church was the only place one could acquire an officially-translated Bible, they were kept from the general public.  This is no way means that the public was kept from the Bible – just from owning a copy so that they could distribute their own flawed translations.

Liberation Theology

Liberation theology is a theological movement that has its roots in Latin America in the late 1960s.  It posits that the Gospel message is intended to liberate the impoverished from their low station in life.  The problem is that it almost completely ignores the idea of s true sin

As we read in the Bible, Jesus was concerned with the needs of the poor and destitute and took pity on them.  He commanded that we care for them.  However, He was more concerned with leading us to the Father and to be with Him in Heaven.

Many people use the Gospel to further their socio-political agendas.  For example, the LGBT community is constantly alluding to Scripture to promote a misdirected view of “tolerance” for their sinful behavior.  The same can be said of those who promote other sinful ideologies such as abortion and artificial contraception.

Those in the Liberation Theology camp constantly blur the lines between legitimate Christian doctrine and secular politics to promote their agenda.  To proliferate the idea that true Christianity all boils down to promoting government entitlement programs does a great disservice to the Church – and to the poor.  Whereas, there are consistencies between serving the physical needs of the poor and Christianity – the idea that this is the ultimate goal of Christianity is not only incorrect – it’s a misrepresentation of the Gospel message. 

We must remember that our ultimate goal in life is faithfully serve the Lord and endeavoring to spend eternity in His presence.  This is done by faith, obedience and endurance - which are manifested through our service to God by serving one another.

We must also remember that Jesus came to free us from the clutches of sin – not to increase our worldly wealth.

Voting the “Non-Negotiable” Issues

During an election year, discussions tend to become very heated – especially when the subject includes matters that one cares very deeply about.

Many issues like the death penalty, war, immigration, health care, education, etc. are debatable matters for Catholics.  There are pro and con arguments for all of these issues.  For example, whereas, the Church doesconsider healthcare and education to be basic rights – it does not go so far as to say that they must be paid for by the government.

By contrast, issues like Abortion, Euthanasia, Embryonic stem cell research, Cloning, and Same-sex “marriage” are non-negotiable issues for Catholics because they are intrinsically evil.  There are never acceptable reasons for any of these abominations.

For example, education is an important issue – but it does not trump abortion.  There may be just reasons for war but there is never a just reason for euthanasia.  The economy and how we approach the solutions for making it better are important issues – but they are debatable.  Homosexual “marriage” on the other hand, is not debatable.  It’s always contrary to the will of God.

Another hot-button topic is illegal immigration.  Although we need to remember that there is a reason it is referred to as “illegal” immigration - there are arguments for both sides.  However, regardless of which side of the debate you stand on, it will never trump the proliferation of embryonic stem-cell research or human cloning which are direct affronts to the dignity of life. Our responsibility as Catholics is to vote for candidates who do not include these non-negotiable issues on their agenda.

Who we vote for is just as important as what we are in favor of.  If we purposely vote for a candidate because they stand for non-negotiable issues like abortion, then we are placing ourselves in a spiritually-dangerous position, even limiting our ability to receive communion.  However, we might be free to vote for a candidate, even if they are Pro-Choice – IF there are mitigating proportional reasons.  These could include the fact that the other candidate might be in favor of all five of the non-negotiable issues, whereas the only other candidate might only support the one.  It’s the “lesser of two evils” conundrum.

We must always remember our faith and conscience when voting and not just to concentrate on popular “cause celeb” issues. Our favorite celebrities are not always right – but God is right 100% of the time.  No celebrity or society as a whole is going to judge our eternal soul.  We will have to give an account to almighty God for everything we did, including those candidates and laws for whom we voted . . .

Clarity of Scripture

The Protestant doctrine of the Clarity of Scripture (also referred to as the Perspecuity of Scripture) posits that all things that are necessary for salvation are clearly understood by the educated as well as the uneducated.  It states that the Holy Spirit gives everybody an equal understanding about matters concerning salvation.

As Catholics, we understand that there are many things in Scripture that are indeed clear and straightforward.  However, like the Ethiopian eunuch on Acts 8:26-39, we understand that not all aspects of Scripture are as easily understood as others – or by all people. In the story of the Ethiopian eunuch, the Apostle Philip met him on the road from Jerusalem.  The eunuch was reading the Scriptures and Philip asked him if he understood what he was reading.  He told Philip, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” (Acts 8:31).

The story of the eunuch is the inspired Word of God – and we are explicitly told in that story that not everybody understands all of Scripture equally.  The Church is the guardian of the Holy Deposit of the Faith (2 Tim. 1:14).  According to the Catechism, Scripture must be read “within the living tradition of the whole Church.” Unfortunately, too many people over the centuries have read it with the intentions of starting their own “church”.

As St. Peter tells us under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit: “Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation, for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human beings moved by the holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God” (2 Pet. 1:20-21).

The main flaw of the doctrine of Perspecuity of Scripture is evident in the almost 50,000 disjointed and perpetually-splintering Protestant denominations that exist today.  If Scripture is so clear that anybody can understand it, then why are there so many denominations - ALL claiming to have the “truth”. 

The catechism tells us: 134 All Sacred Scripture is but one book, and this one book is Christ, "because all divine Scripture speaks of Christ, and all divine Scripture is fulfilled in Christ"

In short, the Bible is a Catholic Book – written FOR Catholics BY Catholics.  It is not something that is to be personally dissected and individually interpreted.  Because it is a Church book – it takes Christ’s Church to interpret it.

St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church and one of the greatest thinkers the Church has ever produce wisely stated, “I would not believe in the Gospel, had not the authority of the Catholic Church already moved me.”

L.G.B.Transgender?

Lately, there seems to be an epidemic in the media of those who are identifying themselves as “transgender.”  Many feel that God made a mistake and trapped their true persona in the body of the opposite sex. Did God really make a mistake – or is Moral Relativism once again at the heart of the matter?

Some think that the way they feel is what determines their “reality”.  Unfortunately for them, their feelings are not what determines reality, but they won’t let facts get in the way.  I may “feel” that it is okay to kill somebody because they wronged me or I might steal something from somebody because they have more than I do.  The reality, however, is that these things are intrinsically wrong.

There are those who identify themselves as “transable”, rejecting their lives as able-bodied people in favor of life in a wheelchair or on crutches - even though there is nothing physically wrong with them.  For some reason, they are labeled as “weird” - but not the transgendered.  Where was the Liberal Left when the head of the NAACP in Spokane, WA was recently forced to resign because she was white?  She identified herself as an African American – just as many so-called transgendered people identify themselves as the opposite sex.   Why wasn’t her case defended with the same fervor as that of Bruce Jenner?  The simply answer is that it’s not their turn yet - but that day will come as long as we continue to sink further into the mud of moral relativism.

We live in a very narcissistic and self-centered society whose only rule it seems, is to do whatever makes us “feel better".  It’s a good thing for us that Moses and the Prophets and the Apostles didn’t feel that way.  They were persecuted or murdered for doing the will of God.  They surrendered their own collective wills in order to serve the Lord.

Why are people in our society being hailed as “heroic” for coming out of the closet while refusing to live their lives according to the will of Almighty God?  His Word is absolute truth – and it condemns all sexual immorality – from adultery and fornication to homosexuality and sexual perversion (Gen. 19:1-11, Leviticus 18:22, Lev. 20:13, Judges 19:16-24, 1 Kings 14:24, 1 Kings 15:12, 2 Kings 23:7, Rom. 1:18-32, 1 Cor. 6:9-11, 1 Tim. 1:8-10, Jude 7).  The Bible is clear about what is naturally ordered and what is disordered. Those who stand up against the evil of ISIS and Al Qaeda and are being martyred for it are heroes.  The men and women in our military who fight for our freedom are heroes.  Refusing to live according to the will of God doesn’t make you heroic.

The Karolinska Institute in Sweden performed a 30 year study on hundreds who underwent gender “reassignment” (sex change) surgery.  The study found that the suicide rate was 20 times greater than that of non-transgender people.  These people need our prayers - not surgery, just as our society as a whole needs God - not moral relativism.