In concentration camps, diabolical methods of torture abound. Besides the various forms of physical abuse, prisoners are also subjected to harrowing psychological pressures.
Imagine that after a week of torture, a languishing victim receives a visit from a physician. After checking him over, the doctor declares the poor captive to be in excellent health, well-nourished, possessing the energy levels and fitness of a youth!
What would the prisoner think of this diagnosis? Surely that it was another act of psychological torture perpetrated by his captors…perhaps to make him continue with his ‘labor’. Clearly, such a doctor could only be considered one of the prisoner’s worst enemies.
The sufferings Holy Mother Church is currently enduring are shared by many Catholics. Many are concerned about the lack of religious and priestly vocations, the decline in the number of practicing Catholics around the world, and the generalized neglect of the Sacraments. The faithful see popular piety suppressed and the family recitation of the rosary considered a thing of the past, and they are shocked at the conduct of so many even Church authorities. They are aware that Catholics are being persecuted and slain in Muslim countries, and that the use of religious symbols and images and the very name of Jesus is being banned even in former Catholic nations.
In light of all of this, Catholics have come to hinge their hopes solely on the promise Christ made guaranteeing the immortality of the Church, without which many would ask themselves whether the Church would survive the present crisis. The tragic situation does not succeed in making them doubt this promise, but rather unites and rallies them to better combat the evils at hand.
However, when we hear from the mouth of the Shepherd, at this juncture in history, that ‘the Church has never been better’… we can’t help remembering the prisoner of war’s ‘clean bill of health’. Truly, worse than the evils themselves is the declaration, by the very one who could remedy them, that all is well.
Once again, if it weren’t for unshakable faith in God and trust in the Blessed Virgin Mary, it would be enough to drive anyone to insanity. Nevertheless, God has never abandoned his Church; He always sends saintly souls who come forward to lead her to victory. Enter here for more…
