No time to spare

Carlos Caso-Rosendi

I have read several times this post by Fr. Regis Scanlon, Will the Pope and Bishops save us from a coming chastisement? In my humble opinion, this is perhaps one of the most important short articles written lately. I can add nothing of substance to Fr. Scanlon’s exposition and yet some of my readers found some of my “themes” in his article. I prefer to reinforce the general argument with words showing we are running out of time. Sacred history shows us how the people of God were liberated from critical situations in the past. The only global example is Noah’s Flood, all the others are local in nature, i.e. the Exodus from Egypt.

Ever since the days of Adam’s sin, our nature has been falling. History is long enough to detect the trend and now we see the full consequences of sin. The fall seems to have a twofold nature, one personal, and one that is collective. Christ came to save the whole thing but he took care of our personal salvation first. Jesus stands in the center of history as a firm rock emerging in the midst of a raging sea. He is our calm, our refreshing break in a world awash in the madness of mortal sin. The Heavenly Jerusalem, the Church Triumphant is resting on Him.

Curiously enough, that “Rock” is also the meaning of St. Peter’s name: Petros Kepha, “a rocky promontory” we can hold on in this turmoil until Christ returns. The Church Militant was founded on Peter, “upon this rock” to face the assault of the demonic horde. Holding the foundations of the Church there is one promise, two simple words uttered by The Word: “Non praevalebunt.” In that mysterious way both the celestial and terrestrial Church are held firmly by Christ.

Because the Church on Earth is connected to the Heavenly Church in that way, we can say confidently that she is a reality much harder than all the nations of the world put together. As history progresses the Church has remained miraculously there while empires, nations, and peoples turn into dust. And yet, Christ said that “the powers of the Heavens will be shaken.”

Since evil cannot reach Heaven, the attempt to shake the heavenly powers will take place here on Earth. The Church will be attacked in an attempt to disconnect Earth from Heaven in such a way that our home planet becomes a part of Hell. That is the origin of all persecution against Christians of every age. Our time is no exception: globally, we are the most persecuted, most martyred group of Christians of all ages. In this the final age, our Lord has bestowed upon us that unfathomable grace: to suffer for Him and receive his crown even in our still sinful nature.

It is quite evident that the long assault has now succeeded to an extent never seen before. Evil has climbed to the top of the earthly citadel and its hoofs are threading holy ground. We hear its ugly utterances resonate through the whole world. Our Lady of La Salette predicted it: “Rome will become the seat of the Antichrist” and there is nothing we can do about it but pray for divine assistance. When everything seems to be lost, when we are fighting with our backs pressed against the altar, the presence of Our Mother will end the combat. Our mission is to fight courageously until the very end. They will not prevail completely. In the end, they will not prevail at all.

In his article, Fr. Scanlon uses the upcoming October synod to anchor his hypothesis. I expect signs from Heaven to increase as we approach October. We must not fear but confidently await to see how God deals with growing evil in the world. The grass has to grow thick before being mowed. Evil will enjoy its fifteen minutes of fame before coming to an ignominious end. If everything seems to be lost for the Christian cause, do not fret. God has guaranteed our victory and He won’t fail.

More on the next post.