9/15/99

     At the Folk Festival Anabaptists protested outside one of the Catholic churches in Cambria City. Down the street, another Catholic church has been gutted of its Catholic identity in the name of "Vatican II." Several years ago, homosexual activists broke into St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, disrupting the mass and desecrating the Eucharist. Strangely enough, despite these sacrileges I manage to smile.

     Disobedient priests defy liturgical law and deny moral teachings, and our diocesan spokespersons misrepresent the Church's position on central issues such as homosexuality or evolution. Our bishops allow pro-abortion politicians to speak at "catholic" functions while powerful cardinals try to suppress the worldwide ministry of a holy nun in Alabama because she calls a heretic a heretic.

     The media splashes the sexual crimes of Catholic clergy all over the front pages, ignoring the same among other denominations.

     East Timor is suppressed and persecuted by Indonesia, and few report that East Timor, settled by Portugal, is 80% Catholic while Indonesia is Muslim.

     The Russians, under Stalin, murdered over 10 million Ukrainian catholics, but the only holocaust we hear about is the other one. Atheists try to claim the moral high ground, pointing to the Inquisition or the Crusades, while failing to admit to the murder of over 200 million citizens by their atheistic governments over the last 100 years. Western proponents of population control and abortion call for the expulsion of the Vatican from the United Nations in retaliation for the Vatican's efforts against the Culture of Death. Despite all this, I smile.

     Few do evil thinking they are doing evil. Many do evil thinking they are doing good. Satan uses them, willingly or not, to deliver his message. Satan knows the right address, attacking the "pillar and foundation of truth, the Church of the Living God." (1Tim: 3:15.) His attacks on Christ's Church, coming from within and without, will never end. Our faith in Jesus Christ and His Church should never end either. That is why I keep smiling. Satan knows the right address. So do I.