by David M. Carollo –
A People in Defiance Once Again
Reading and hearing biblical stories growing up Catholic, I would look at people such as those in Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the masses in the time of Noah and think of them as “they” – the poor people who chose evil and were destroyed as a result. Far removed in time from these occurrences, it is easy to think we are superior in some way and not like them. They must have been very evil, and God destroyed them and their cities for offending Him. There is truth in such thought, but human history has been one of repeated defiance and repentance. We are repeating history today; we are like them and perhaps even worse as we have been given the fullness of truth. Our Lady came to Fatima 106 years ago to warn us that we are again on the road to destruction if we continued to pursue our course of sin and defiance of Divine Law.
Bargaining with God
Abraham bargained with God, asking if He would spare Sodom and Gomorrah if there were 100, then 50, down to 10 just inhabitants of the city. There were not, and the destruction of the region was a statement that actions have consequences and, although merciful, God has limits to His patience. The punishment of the flood reduced humanity to its origins. As the author of life, He can correct the course as He sees fit. Perhaps, however, there was great mercy in the destruction of evil to keep people from falling deeper into sin and certainly to keep the evil from proliferating further. Hopefully, many of those destroyed made a great act of contrition and attained mercy.
This is what we must ponder. Asking God to spare us without an intent to amend our ways is a vain request. It is for this reason that we must pray for people to receive and then respond to grace.
We see more and more the redefinition of our culture. Under the guise of correcting the discrimination of certain groups, the entire construct of Christianity must be destroyed in the eyes of the godless to bring about a more “just” society. The laws of God certainly cannot be considered in this redirection, despite the obvious proof in front of them that our society is built and has flourished because of Mosaic and Christian law. We are witnessing the dismantlement of the Judeo-Christian culture and are acquiescing to a new paganism. Immersed in material satisfaction, we are happily progressing down this road to perdition and sadly, few truly understand the peril we are in.
Seeking to Replace a Christian Society
Societies deteriorate for many reasons. Evil becomes normalized not only because of the actions of evil people, but mostly because of the lack of action and the tolerance of others. Indifference is the condition of the 21st century. It was the condition a century ago when Our Lady came to Fatima with a warning and a message of hope. The “live and let live” mentality of the present day has brought us to crossroads of choosing between temporal comfort and righteous living. The evil of the cancel culture is more than ever forcing us to make these choices. People of evil intent have always attempted to move their agenda forward. Only push back from those who wish to defend Christian culture stand as a firewall against this. We are given a better understanding of Divine expectations not to set on a lofty perch of indignation, but to roll up our sleeves and be a light that people want to emulate.
The proponents of the anti-culture of paganism have moved their agenda ahead with a ferociousness not seen in recent history. Their goal is to replace Christianity as the guiding force of society. In fact, they have succeeded in this to a great degree, not unlike Julius Caesar when he crossed the Rubicon River with his army in defiance of the edict of the Roman Senate and declared that there was no turning back in his quest to take power and transform the Empire. He proceeded to take down the Republic and replace it with an authoritarian monarchy. Have the forces of paganism crossed the point of no return? They believe that they have, and that now nothing stands in the way of a total redefinition of the culture. Are we now doomed to live in the “Dictatorship of Relativism” that the late Pope Benedict XVI referred to and the continual diminishment of Christian culture, which would lead to the eventual elimination of it?
The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail
The Church will ultimately survive this onslaught and flourish as it has for 2,000 years. The promise is that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Our nation, however, might not be so fortunate if we do not stem the tide of anti-God behavior. We cannot rightfully call ourselves one nation under God anymore. In fact, there are those in government who are actively proposing that “under God” officially be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance. The West, in general, is now in the same position, the European nations being even further along the path of extinction than we are. Rejection of our Christian roots and the society that it produced under the guise of correcting the ill actions of a few individuals is the cause.
Abraham asked God if He would spare Sodom for the sake of a few just people. We can ask Him to spare us from earthly destruction, but if it only allows us to continue down the road to eternal destruction, it is not a proper request. Is being spared in the overall best interest of the people? If we are spared to continue in sin, we will suffer a fate worse than physical death. As an apostolate of prayer, we ask God to mercifully save us in the best way for our overall good. God chastises for our own good, not unlike a parent who corrects children for their benefit. With Our Lady as our guide, we must work to bring true Catholic values to our nation and pray for the conversion of those who work to redefine it.
God bless you and Mary keep you in her Immaculate Heart.
David M. Carollo is the Executive Director of the World Apostolate of Fatima USA/National Blue Army Shrine. He wrote this for his Voice of Fatima column.
