EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
AUGUST 2, 2020
DURING THE MONTH OF JULY DESECRATION AND DESTRUCTION OF STATUES AND MONUMENTS ACROSS THE NATION. AND ACROSS THE WORLD, HAVE SHOCKED AND SADDENED NOT ONLY CATHOLIC CHRISTIANS BUT CHRISTIANS OF ALL DENOMINATIONS. HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT WE HAVE NOT SEEN MUCH COVERAGE OF THIS ASSAULT ON RELIGION IN THE NATIONAL PRESS? TOO BAD.
ON JULY 13 BISHOP RICHARD STIKA OF KNOXVILLE TENNESSEE, SAID: “WHAT A STRANGE TIME WE LIVE IN. OVER THE WEEKEND, AN OUTDOOR STATUE OF THE BLESSED MOTHER WAS BEHEADED AT ST. STEPHEN PARISH IN CHATTANOOGA. THIS IS OCCURRING AT VARIOUS SPOTS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES.”
IN THE DIOCESE OF ORLANDO, A MAN CRASHED HIS VAN THROUGH THE DOORS OF OUR LADY QUEEN OF PEACE CHURCH IN OCALA EARLY IN THE MORNING. ONCE INSIDE, HE SET THE INTERIOR OF THE CHURCH ABLAZE.
A STATUE OF JESUS CHRIST WAS DECAPITATED IN GOOD SHEPHERD CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE WEST KENDALL DISTRICT OF MIAMI, FLORIDA.
PARISHIONERS AT ST. BERNADETTE PARISH IN ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS, DISCOVERED THAT A CRUCIFIX AT A PARISH SHRINE HAD BEEN DESECRATED. SOMEONE HAD SMASHED THE CORPUS OF THE CRUCIFIX WITH A HAMMER.
AT OUR LADY OF THE ASSUMPTION CHURCH IN BLOOMINGBURG, NEW YORK, A MONUMENT TO UNBORN CHILDREN WAS KNOCKED OVER. THE MONUMENT CONSISTED OF AN IMAGE OF AN INFANT RESTING IN A PAIR OF HANDS.
IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES FIRE RAVAGED THE SAN GABRIEL MISSION, A 249 YEAR OLD MISSION FOUNDED BY ST. JUNIPERO SERRA. MARXISTS MOBS DESTROYED STATUES OF THE SAINT.
AFTER A STATUE OF SERRA WAS KNOCKED DOWN IN SAN FRANCISCO, CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP SALVATORE CORDILEONE ISSUED A STATEMENT THAT THE PROTESTS, WHICH HE BELIEVES BEGAN AS SINCERE CALLS FOR RACIAL JUSTICE, HAVE BEEN HIJACKED BY SOME, INTO A MOVEMENT OF VIOLENCE, LOOTING, AND VANDALISM.
OTHER CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS HAVE NOT BEEN SPARED. CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH IN SAN DIEGO WAS SET AFIRE ON A SUNDAY MORNING.
PROTESTERS OCCUPIED THE EXTERIOR OF ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH NEAR THE WHITE HOUSE. THE CHURCH WAS VANDALIZED AND DEFACED.
ALMOST 50 INCIDENTS HAVE BEEN RECORDED THUS FAR ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. AN AVERAGE OF THREE CHURCHES IN FRANCE ARE TARGETED EVERY DAY BY ARSONISTS AND VANDALS, AS ANTI-CHRISTIAN HOSTILITY SWEEPS ACROSS EUROPE.
PASTOR, BRIAN GIBSON, FOUNDER OF THE PEACEABLY GATHER MOVEMENT DENOUNCED ACTIVISTS TRYING TO REMOVE CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS AND MONUMENTS. REFERRING TO SHAUN KING, HE SAID: "THE CALL FROM BLACK LIVES MATTERS LEADERS TO DESTROY IMAGES OF CHRIST AND DEFACE HOUSES OF WORSHIP IS NOTHING LESS THAN A TERRORISTIC THREAT TO PEOPLE OF FAITH,"
THIS COURAGEOUS PASTOR ALSO SAID: CHRISTIANS ACROSS AMERICA MUST STAND AGAINST THIS VIOLENT RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION AND STAND TO PROTECT SACRED GROUND. HE SAID: "THIS THREAT PARTICULARLY TARGETS THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, AND EVERY CHRISTIAN, DESPITE DENOMINATION, AND EVERY PERSON OF THE GOOD BOOK, SHOULD STAND TOGETHER IN UNITY AGAINST THIS EVIL”
IN RESPONSE TO THE DESECRATION OF STATUES AND MONUMENTS, THE WHITE HOUSE ISSUED THIS POLICY STATEMENT:
IT IS THE POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES TO PROSECUTE TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED UNDER FEDERAL LAW, AND AS APPROPRIATE, ANY PERSON OR ANY ENTITY THAT DAMAGES, DEFACES OR DESTROYS RELIGIOUS PROPERTY INCLUDING BY ATTACKING, REMOVING OR DEFACING DEPICTIONS OF JESUS OR OTHER RELIGIOUS FIGURES OR RELIGIOUS ARTWORK.
AFTER A STATUE OF THE VIRGIN MARY WAS BEHEADED IN GARY, INDIANA THE PARISH PRIEST AT ST. ANN PARISH ASKED A QUESTION: HE SAID “WHAT DOES A PERSON GAIN BY COMING TO DESTROY A STATUE THAT HAS BEEN THERE FOR YEARS?” PEOPLE ALL OVER THE COUNTRY ARE ASKING THE SAME QUESTION. WHY ARE THEY DOING THIS?
YOU MIGHT THINK IT’S ABOUT FLOYD GEORGE. YOU MIGHT THINK IT’S ABOUT RACISM. OBVIOUSLY THESE ISSUES ARE IMPORTANT AND THEY ARE THE CATALYST THAT HAS SET THE COUNTRY ON FIRE. BUT THERE IS A WIDER ISSUE AT STAKE HERE. WE SHOULD NOT MISS IT.
YOU HAVE HEARD ME SPEAK MANY TIMES ABOUT JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN VALUES. WE SAID MANY TIMES THAT THESE VALUES ARE UNDER ATTACK. BUT WHAT DOES “JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN VALUES” MEAN?
JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN VALUES ARE PRINCIPLES THAT HAVE BEEN CAREFULLY PRESERVED IN WRITTEN FORM IN SACRED TEXTS OF THE JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN FAITHS.WE BELIEVE THAT THESE ANCIENT SCRIPTURES, KNOWN AS THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE NEW TESTAMENT ARE REVEALED AND INSPIRED BY GOD THE CREATOR.
THE JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW COMES FROM THOSE INSPIRED TEXTS AND FROM THE GRECO-ROMAN CONCEPT OF REASON. IF YOU HAVE A JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW THEN
YOU BELIEVE IN A SINGLE, ALL-POWERFUL, ALL-KNOWING, ETERNAL GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB.
YOU BELIEVE THAT GOD GIVES LIFE. THEREFORE ALL LIFE IS SACRED. HUMAN LIFE IS ESPECIALLY PRECIOUS, EVEN THE LIFE OF THE UNBORN.
YOU BELIEVE THAT THE FAMILY IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
THE TRADITIONAL FAMILY IS THE “BUILDING BLOCK” OF SOCIETY. PARENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR RAISING AND EDUCATING CHILDREN.
YOU BELIEVE MARRIAGE IS SACRED. MARRIAGE IS DEFINED BY GOD TO BE A LIFELONG UNION BETWEEN ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN. MARRIAGE CANNOT BE REDEFINED TO MEAN WHATEVER WE WANT IT TO MEAN. SEX IS INTENDED ONLY FOR MARRIAGE.
IF YOU HOLD THE JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW, YOU BELIEVE THAT ALL RIGHTS COME FROM GOD NOT FROM THE GOVERNMENT. YOU BELIEVE THAT ALL PEOPLE ARE ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATOR WITH CERTAIN UNALIENABLE RIGHTS SUCH AS FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND FREEDOM OF RELIGION.
OUR FOUNDING FATHERS USED THESE JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES AS THE BASIS FOR THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, THE CONSTITUTION AND THE BILL OF RIGHTS.
YOU CAN SEE FROM THIS BRIEF SUMMARY THAT THE JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW IS NOT WHAT IS BEING TAUGHT IN OUR SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES. DID YOU KNOW THAT THE GREAT UNIVERSITIES OF YALE AND HARVARD WERE ORIGINALLY STARTED TO TEACH THE JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW? WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR UNIVERSITIES?
FOR A LONG TIME, THE UNIVERSITIES HAVE BEEN PROMOTING THE PHILOSOPHERS OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION, AND THE ENLIGHTENMENT. THEY HAVE BEEN PROMOTING THE ARCHITECTS OF MARXISM AND SOCIALISM.
OUR YOUNG PEOPLE ARE BEING TAUGHT THAT GOD DOES NOT EXIST. HUMAN BEINGS ARE HIGHLY ORGANIZED ANIMALS WITHOUT A SPIRITUAL SOUL. THERE IS NO LIFE AFTER DEATH. HUMAN LIFE IS NOT EXCEPTIONAL. THE GOVERNMENT DECIDES WHICH LIVES MATTER. MARRIAGE CAN BE REDEFINED TO MEAN WHATEVER WE WANT IT TO MEAN. SEX IS PERMITTED OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE. ALL BEHAVIOR IS MORAL. ALL RIGHTS COME FROM THE GOVERNMENT. GUESS WHAT? GOVERNMENTS ARE NOW TAKING THESE RIGHTS AWAY.
NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV, PREMIER OF THE SOVIET UNION FROM 1958–1964, PROPHESIED THAT COMMUNISM WOULD EVENTUALLY TAKE OVER AMERICA WITHOUT FIRING A SHOT. HOW? BY PITTING US AGAINST ONE ANOTHER —THAT IS, BLACKS AGAINST WHITES, THE RICH AGAINST THE POOR, THE NORTH AGAINST THE SOUTH AND THE RELIGIOUS AGAINST THE NON-RELIGIOUS. THAT PUTS IT ALL IN PERSPECTIVE.
SOME OF OUR BEAUTIFUL YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WERE BORN INTO THE FREEST, AND MOST PROSPEROUS CIVILIZATION KNOWN TO MANKIND, ARE NO LONGER IMPRESSED WITH WESTERN CIVILIZATION AND THE JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW-- A WORLDVIEW THAT HAS GIVEN US A WAY TO THINK ABOUT GOD, ABOUT LIFE, ABOUT GOVERNMENT, ABOUT LAWS, ABOUT RIGHTS AND PROPERTY.
SOME OF OUR BEAUTIFUL YOUNG PEOPLE ARE MORE IMPRESSED WITH MARXISM THAN THE JUDAEO-CRISTIAN WORLDVIEW. THEY ARE BEING DUPED BY THE LIKES OF SHAUN KING, A LEADER IN THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT. SHAUN WANTS TO REMOVE ALL STAINED GLASS WINDOWS AND OTHER IMAGES OF A WHITE JESUS, HIS WHITE MOTHER, AND THEIR WHITE FRIENDS. TEAR DOWN EVERYTHING OF THE PAST AND START ALL OVER AGAIN. DOES THAT SOUND FAMILIAR?
IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS DRIVING THE MADNESS THAT IS GOING ON IN THE STREETS, READ THE HISTORY OF THE NINETEENTH AND TWENTIETH CENTURIES. READ THE THEORIES OF THE MAD PHILOSOPHERS AND ICONOCLASTS WHO DID EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO UNDERMINE AND DESTROY THE JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW.
HISTORY OFFERS MANY TRAGIC EXAMPLES OF THOSE WHO TURNED THEIR BACKS ON GOD AND HIS LAWS.
HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS HAVE DIED IN THE LAST CENTURY ALONE AS A DIRECT RESULT OF NATIONAL SOCIALISM IN GERMANY AND MARXIST COMMUNISM IN RUSSIA, CHINA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA. IDEAS HAVE CONSEQUENCES.
DO YOU KNOW A SIMPLE REASON WHY COMMUNISM AND SOCIALISM DO NOT WORK? LOOK IN YOUR CLOSET. PEOPLE WANT TO KEEP THEIR OWN STUFF. WHEN YOU TRY TO TAKE IT AWAY FROM THEM, THEY RESIST AND YOU KILL THEM. THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED IN GERMANY, IN RUSSIA AND IN CHINA.
WE MUST HELP BEAUTIFUL YOUNG PEOPLE UNDERSTAND NOT ONLY WHAT JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN VALUES ARE, BUT ALSO WHY THEY ARE SO IMPORTANT FOR FREEDOM, PEACE AND SALVATION.
FINALLY, ST. PAUL LIVED IN A CIVILIZATION AS MAD AND CONFUSED AS OUR OWN. LISTEN CAREFULLY TO WHAT HE SAYS IN TODAY'S READING FROM HIS LETTER TO THE ROMANS. CATCH HIS FIRE.
BROTHERS AND SISTERS: WHAT WILL SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST? WILL ANGUISH, OR DISTRESS, OR PERSECUTION, OR FAMINE, OR NAKEDNESS, OR PERIL, OR THE SWORD? NO, IN ALL THESE THINGS WE CONQUER, OVERWHELMINGLY, THROUGH HIM WHO LOVED US.
FOR I AM CONVINCED THAT NEITHER DEATH NOR LIFE, NOR ANGELS, NOR PRINCIPALITIES, NOR PRESENT THINGS, NOR FUTURE THINGS, NOR POWERS, NOR HEIGHT, NOR DEPTH, NOR ANY OTHER CREATURE WILL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD.
IT WAS THAT KIND OF CONVICTION, ENTHUSIASM AND FIRE THAT BUILT THE WESTERN JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN CIVILIZATION.
IN ALL OF THIS PRESENT MADNESS TRUST HIM. JESUS I TRUST IN YOU.