Dr. Ralph Martin: "Spiritual Warfare: The Truth Will Set You Free"

let me say a word and defensive reason in dialogue with it because faith is that true faith unites us to that substance the reason in order to realize its full potential meets the horizons revealed by and truths contained in the faith and not just any sense but the Catholic [Music] well chapter six the sighting revelation of what's really going on in the world sometimes our our eyes get focused on the here and now where we think it's just about oppressive government policies or we think it's just about the next election or we think it's just about persecution from governments or corruption from a post-christian culture but in Chapter six we see that the veil is drawn back and we see the big picture but before I I talked exactly about that I'd like to share with you a quote that a friend just sent me from CS Lewis CS Lewis was commenting on the spiritual apathy and indifference in England during his time and he said it's more or less a good thing now why would he think that this apathy and a difference was more or less a good thing this is what he said at the very worst it makes the issue clear the fog of religion a conventional piety has been lifted the positions and number of both armies can be observed and real shooting is now possible that's an interesting view of the situation isn't it I would say that there's a dawning awareness in the church that what we're dealing with is not just contemporary culture and not just governmental policies but something more profound that's going to continue to assault us no matter who's elected or what government policies are in place recently pope benedict xvi made some interesting comments to a group of Cardinals he says today the word ecclesia militants the church militant is somewhat out of fashion I should say so but in reality we can understand ever that it is true that it bears truth in itself we see how evil wishes to dominate the world and that it is necessary to enter into battle with evil we see how it does so in so many ways with the different forms of violence but also masks with goodness the devil is like an angel of light he disguises himself as an angel of light masks himself with illusionary goodness and precisely by this way destroying the moral foundations of society the Pope continues San Agustin said that the whole of history is a struggle between two loves love of oneself to contempt of God and love of God to contempt of self in martyrdom we are in this struggle and in this struggle it is very important to have friends and in my own case I am surrounded by the Friends of the College of Cardinals they are my friends and I feel at home now it's entirely possible that one of these friends has betrayed him we don't know yet what's going on with all the vatic and scandals but one of Jesus's friends betrayed him too didn't it we just have to set ourself for occasional betrayals and keep on going anyway but one of the things that happens at the applied biblical studies conference and all the stupid conferences is that friendships in Christ deepen and develop and we really need to have friends in the spiritual battle ok well where we've been talking about Sacred Scripture we've been talking about the Word of God and sometimes we can get engaged with the Word of God where we're so fascinated with the resonances with the Old Testament and the deeper levels of meaning that we can drift a little bit into forgetting that this is an urgent message from God about how we can find salvation and and and not end up damned that this there's like a there's a cry in the whole of scripture to come to the love of God and be saved now I think that one of the most important issues in the Catholic Church today is whether we believe the Word of God or not I think the the doubt that's been cast on Scripture the confusion that's been cast on it whether we can possibly understand it we're all afraid that the next scholarly article is gonna make us look like fools kind of has given a certain tentativeness to the preaching and teaching in the church or maybe we we use Scripture as something that's inspiring or devotional but we're really not what sure what to make out of it is this all metaphor as this poetry is this literature you know or is there something here that's utterly reliable completely true and absolutely urgent that we pay the closest attention to and follow now a lot of people really aren't aware about the high view that the Catholic Church has concerning the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture we all have benefited so much from what Scott and Kimberly have done and incidentally I thought that was one of the best talks I've ever heard on Ephesians 5 I'm gonna get copies for all my 5 Mary children but one of the contributions that Scott has made that most people aren't as completely aware of is because it's more on the academic level is defending the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture and leading a group of scholars to articulate this and I think that's one of the most important thing that needs to happen in the church today so what does the Catholic Church really say about Scripture this is from de verbum Section 11 from the Second Vatican Council and we're coming up on the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council which would be celebrated in in October okay what does it say since therefore all that the inspired authors or sacred writers affirm should be regarded as affirmed by the holy spirit we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly faithfully and without error teach that truth which God for the sake of our salvation wish to see confided to the sacred scriptures so when we're we're seeing an assertion by a sacred author and you know this this could get I don't want to get off the track too much it's being asserted by the holy spirit and it's teaching firmly faithfully and without error those truths which God wish to consign to the Scriptures for the sake of our salvation this confidence in the truthfulness of God's Word this confidence that when there's a clear assertion we can consider it to be asserted by the Holy Spirit is one of the most important thing that needs to be restored to the church was if we're cut off from confidence in God's Word we won't be able to act with boldness we don't be able to think clearly and we won't be able to live the kind of life and carry out the kind of mission that's absolutely essential for our times now where does the Catholic Church get this teaching well listen to what Paul says in 1st Thessalonians chapter 2 we to give thanks to God unceasingly that in receiving the Word of God from hearing us you receive not a human word but as it truly is the Word of God which is now at work and you who believe just the other day we we read in scripture on a daily Mass readings mark chapter 6 verses 3234 it talks about the disciples coming back to Jesus and reporting to him all that they had done and all that they had taught what's consigned here in Sacred Scripture was guided by Jesus as he explained the scriptures to the disciples many times both before and after his resurrection when they went out on mission they came back and they not only reported about the demons being subject to them but their Reporter and what they taught and I'm sure Jesus said hey a little bit more humility there or hey come on don't think out you got to tell him about this - you know repentance is part of the message you know you know so Jesus guided them in shaping the message and shaping their preaching and this is what's consigned to Sacred Scripture assisted by the remarkable and effective and powerful work of the Holy Spirit after Pentecost where it all came together for them okay that's why one of the gravest sins that we never talk about is the sin of unbelief not to believe God not to believe his word is a grave sin Jesus says if you believe you'll be saved if you don't believe you're already condemned the the the obligation we have to ascend to the revelation that God makes first John chapter 5 verses 8 to 12 if we received the testimony of men the testimony of God is greater for this is the testimony of God that he has borne witness to his son he who believes in the Son of God has the testimony himself the testimony of the holy spirit the witness of the holy spirit he who does not believe God has made him a liar what a incredibly horrible thing to do because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne to his son and this is the testimony this is what God the Father is giving witness to this is what the son is giving witness to this is what the Spirit is giving witness to this is what the sacred scriptures are giving witness to this is what the church is giving witness to God gave us eternal life and this life is in his son he who has the son has life he who has not the Son of God has not life that's the Word of God I mean there's all kinds of questions there and I'm not gonna go into a booth they need to get to Ephesians 6 but when we when we read the Word of God when we hear the word of God we're hearing testimony testimony that God Himself is given through through the word through his son through the spirit father Francis Martin who has also taught here at Franciscan University when he's commenting on the proper interpretation of that text in John chapter 16 about the Holy Spirit convicting the world of sin he says there's two possibilities of what's being spoken about here one possibility is that the world is being convicted of its own sin or the second possibility is that we are being convicted of the sin of the world we are being shown that the world is being convicted of sin two believers he said it has to be the second option because if the first option the world would no longer be the world it would be the kingdom they would be repentant this is what he says basically it must be the second if the world were able to acknowledge its sin it would no longer be the world that is a place which despite the fact that there is still room for freedom and choice is nevertheless at its depths a demonic universe of refusal and reject the route sin of the world is refusal to believe in Jesus and the place he holds next to the father as a revelation of the Father the roots in is to reject the truth and then he quotes John chapter 3 whoever believes in the son has eternal life whoever disobeys the son will not see life but must endure God's wrath something's really at stake when when God's Word has spoken when God's Word is read when God's Word has taught when God's Word is spoken in conversations speaking God's Word is a form of spiritual warfare its combating darkness of mind and and various other things that we'll talk about shortly now what does God's Word reveal to us about the big picture what's really going on what kind of situation are we living in what what are the choices what are the options what what are the important issues first John chapter 5 verses 19 to 21 we know that we are of God and the whole world is in the power of the evil one and we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding to know him who is true and we are in Him who is true in His Son Jesus Christ this is the true God and eternal life little children keep yourselves from idols not a lot of us today make little objects and bow down before them but a lot of people today have fallen into another kind of idolatry creating a God and a religion to suit themselves when I read some of these texts sometimes to people and other texts I've had people come up to me and say well my Jesus would never say that how sad how tragic how awful the human mind constantly wants to tell God how he should do things the human mind constantly set standards for God to meet a lot of times there's an accusation made against God about that's not fair well we know from the prophets the Lord said the Lord knows we said you say that to him he says no the actual fact is is that your ways are not fair and as high as the sky is above the earth so my thoughts are my ways are above your waist every single one of us has to come to the place that job came to job was wrestling with fairness job was wrestling with justice Joe job was resting with suffering and finally he had to blurt out and ask God what the heck's going on you know what God basically said I am Who am the job said oh excuse me you know he said where were you when I created the universe where when you when I put the constellations in the sky tell me if you're so smart Joe said I've spoken foolishly once I won't speak foolishly again and he covered himself in sackcloth and ashes the Lord gives the Lord takes away blessed be the name of the Lord all his ways are just all his words are true we have to come to the point of surrender where we believe without seeing sometimes we obey without completely understanding because we trust him and we trust his word first John chapter 2 verses 15 to 17 Ephesians is coming next I'm gonna actually approach the Ephesians text as an occasion for getting clearer about what's being revealed to us about the big picture first John chapter 2 verses 15 to 17 do not love the world or the things in the world how often have you heard that preached if anyone loves the world love for the father is not in him for all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world and the world passes away and the lust of it but he who does the will of God abides forever of course we know that God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son but the world in its state of rebellion and darkness and arrogance and blasphemy and immorality isn't something that we can love we can't love it's blasphemy we can't love it's darkness we can't love it's arrogance and if we're a friend of contemporary culture in that way another place the scripture says he who is a friend of the world is an enemy of God and that is literally true he who loves this culture in its rebellious aspects in its dark aspects in its blasphemous aspects becomes the enemy of God even though they think they're a god-fearing person remember Jesus himself said people will kill you and think they're serving God you know we can see in our own church these days Catholics who think they're serving God by opposing the teaching of the church and supporting measures to undermine our ability to carry out our mission ok Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10 to 20 what this really is is a tremendously helpful exhortation and teaching to help us continue to live in the power of baptism baptism was understood in the early church as delivering people from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the beloved son freeing them from the power of the devil taking away original sin and if they're baptized as adults any sin that committed their entire life introducing them to divine life having Trinitarian indwelling and all kinds of other things opening the door to heaven this is Paul's exhortation to continue to live in the fervor and fire of baptism it also relates very much to the Second Vatican Council one way of looking at the Second Vatican Council it was a rediscovery of baptismal spirituality and baptismal theology what do I mean by that when recent Popes have described the fundamental purpose of the Second Vatican Council they talked about it often like this it was a rediscovery of the universal call to holiness which is profoundly linked to the universal call to evangelization baptism and this is true for every single Catholic and most Catholics don't understand this and it's our job to apply our biblical studies to them baptism isn't a ritual or ceremony it's a sacrament it's a sacrament that brings us into living union with God that God Himself is dwelling in us and this is a living God he's not a God of the Dead he's a God of the living and he's alive Jesus Christ is living in us what is he doing in us what is he doing right now in the core of our being he's fiercely loving God the Father zeal for the father's house is consuming him how many times did he say I'm only passing on to you what I received from the father another thing that's happening is the love of the father is being poured out into his heart in an absolutely super abundant way and Jesus wants to lead us into loving the father with him and receiving the father's love with them because we're one with him in mind and heart and spirit one body one spirit one place in John's Gospel he says the world must see that I love the father why did Jesus want the world to see his love for the father because that's what he's inviting us into what else is going on in the Heart of Jesus in our heart a fierce love for human beings no greater love does a person have then he gives us life for his friends and Jesus gave his life for his enemies as burn of Clairvaux said Jesus and never would have had a friend if he didn't love his enemies that's how Jesus made friends that's how we make friends and Jesus wants to continue whose mission us of seeking and saving those who are lost so the call to holiness in the call to evangelization is of the essence of what it means to be a baptized Catholic okay Ephesians chapter 6 finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might put on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil if we are not contending against flesh and blood it's not just about elections it's not just about laws it's not just again about those things but we're contending against principalities against the powers against the world rulers of this present darkness against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places now people read that and because it's a familiar text they say yeah I guess this is just poetry this is just like a flight of literary imagination or something important being revealed to us about the dimensions of the universe the dimensions of the creation the realities that are affecting us in our daily life well if you know about the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture something is being asserted here that's true and that's real and that's important therefore because this is what the situation actually is because there's spiritual powers and principalities that are seeking to destroy the work of Christ in the souls of Christians and to seeking to block people who are unbelievers from ever coming to belief and are seeking to send societies into downward spirals this is what we got to do because this is the situation we're living in therefore take the whole armour of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand stand there for you get there just stand your ground you know how can you stand your ground without an immense fortitude that the Holy Spirit works in our soul how can you stand your ground without an immense courage that the Holy Spirit works in our soul how can you stand your ground without an utter confidence in the truth of what you're standing for this is how the early Christian martyrs lived they took their strength from God and they stood their ground in the confidence of who it was they believed in and the truthfulness and reliability of his word we won't be able to face the pressures that are already unfolding in our society unless we're standing strong in union with Christ strong and knowledge of his word and strong in the confidence of the truthfulness of it all stand therefore having girded your loins with truth the importance of the revealed Word of God truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness holiness and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace mission besides all these taking the shield of faith with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one now there's a battle raging for our souls most Catholics don't know that if you don't know there's a war going on there's a fair chance you've been captured and now you're safely out of the battle and a prisoner of war camp you may not yet be in hell but you're in a holding pen hoping for more significant things later most Catholics aren't in the battle most Catholics aren't aware there is a battle most Catholics don't know how to defend themselves against the the flaming darts of the evil one because they don't know there are flaming darts of the evil one what what a sorry situation we can get into if we don't understand what's being revealed to us about our situation so what is the shield of faith that defends us against the flaming darts of the evil one what are the flaming darts of the evil one the flaming darts of the evil one is the constant bombardment that were under with false values with lies Jesus in John's Gospel chapter 8 identifies Satan as the father of lies and a murderer Jesus reveals to us that the motivation of these evil powers is death they want to wreck our life as much as possible here on this earth and that's what's happening in so many marriages and families isn't it and that's why a teaching that Kimberly gave today is so important the way they work is through lies now there's even a place in scripture that says the doctrines of demons are infiltrated into the church through plausible liars so there's a profound distinction between the church and the world but unfortunately you need some discernment to discern that because the world has gotten into the church because we're in the church and the world has gotten into us and lies of the evil one have gotten into us so we need to kind of make sure that we've now we're in the process of taking every thought captive to Christ so that we're no longer living our life under the influence any of the lives of the evil one what kind of lies does he use he wants us to believe false things about God he wants us to believe false things about ourselves he wants to believe us to believe false things about right and wrong he wants to believe false things about heaven and hell you know and and all those things are flooding through the airwaves the airwaves of the church in the airwaves of the world and lots of Catholics are taking it in now very few people take these lies in without some kind of culpability so it isn't like we're dealing with all these poor innocent victims of our culture because Jesus knew what was in the heart of man and the heart of man is revolved in Scripture the Apostles warned us of false preachers and false teachers jesus warned us about false preachers and false teachers many times the apostles did those sad words of Paul people followed the Apostle Paul around trying to undo his work how frustrating I mean he'd get some converts to get people baptized that people would literally devote themselves to trying to unravel it all by telling them no no actually you have to get circumcised or you know actually Jesus is already raised again so you know it's all over for you no forget it you know our actually morality is now transcended you don't have to really live a moral life because you know you're in Christ you know all these things were going on you know and in the early church how frustrating but the sad thing Paul was there to correct it Paul was there to teach about all these false things that is all there in the epistles the sad thing is one day he said my departure is near and I know that after my departure when I'm no longer here to be able to correct these things myself wolves are going to decimate the flock and they're going to come amongst you with false teaching so we have to knowing the Word of God as it comes to us as scripture and tradition of teachers is absolutely essential to not be deceived and in another place in Scripture Paul says people in those days will seek out teachers to tell them what they want to hear with itching ears there's deep decisions of the human heart that we sometimes don't even want to avert for to where we think we're just kind of innocently believing the better opinion when we're actually in our fallen flesh inspired by demonic lies are choosing to believe things that deep in our heart we know are false but tickle the flesh make it easier so how do the flaming darts of evil one come to us in our thoughts and what we watch on television and what we hear in conversation is what we read in newspaper what political candidates say all those ways we're completely plugged into an electronic culture we're constantly being bombarded that's why discernment is necessary discernment comes in two ways by objectively knowing the truth and by becoming accustomed to the voice of Jesus so we know when the voice of Jesus is speaking and when the voice of the enemy or the flesh or the world is speaking my own know me and they recognize my voice that comes from growing and deep union with the Lord and that comes from study of the Word of God and the teaching of the church what's the shield of faith the shield of faith is turning back the darts of the evil one the false teaching the the temptation that comes to our mind and heart st. Catherine of Siena I said we fight the spiritual battle with a two-edged sword one edge of the sword is hatred for sin and the other edge of the sword is love for virtue if we had time we'd do a little chant here where this I would say I hate sin the illnesses I love virtue but any we won't do that yeah you say hey yes hey what it means to grow in holiness is to grow into union with God's will to love what God loves - the desire what God desires and to hate what God hates what does God hate God hates what's destroys his plan for human beings God hates sin God hates what blocks us from the happiness he has for us God blocks us from the fulfillment that he has for us on this earth and in eternity he wants us to hate sin - the minute of thought comes into our mind that we know it's not from the Lord because our faith tells us it's not true or are accustomed to the voice of the Lord warns us in the Holy Spirit we have to say that's wicked I don't want it that's not true or I feel uneasy about it I'm gonna check it out the shield of faith is utilized by our objective knowledge of the faith and by our union with Jesus out of which the Sermon also comes and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God this isn't just to protect ourselves this is to participate in the mission of Jesus to seek and to save those who are lost now I'm gonna briefly mention two big lies that the devil has succeeded in sowing wide and deep in the lives of many Catholics which the sword of the Spirit has to demolish if I were to describe how many Catholics look at the world today I describe it like this broad and wide is the way that leads to salvation and almost everybody is traveling that way but narrow is the door and difficult the road that leads to hell and hardly anybody's going there maybe Hitler now I know we're not quite in a Bible Belt but this is the apply biblical studies conference so what's wrong with this picture it's backwards what did Jesus say Matthew chapter 7 verses 13 and 14 broad and wide is the way that leads to destruction and many are traveling that way and that roads easy and wide but narrow is the door that leads to life and few there are who are finding it now Jesus didn't say this because this is how he wants it to be we know first Timothy chapter 2 God wills that all human beings be saved by coming to a knowledge of the truth we know Jesus isn't happy that this is the situation we know he wept one of the few times the scripture says he wept he was looking at where the city he said oh I see what's gonna happen to you because you're rejecting salvation the Roman armies are gonna arrive and not leave a stone standing upon a stone because you've missed the hour of your visitation we also know that just because someone is on the Broadway now they don't have to end up on the Broadway that we can we can help them get off and this is where mission comes in this is where evangelization comes in this is where accepting the biblical revelation of reality comes in that people's eternal destinies are really in the balance it is a perilous thing to close our hearts to the Word of God it is a perilous thing to respond with indifference to the sacrifice of Christ when Jesus described what how things were gonna be when he came again he said it's gonna be just like it wasn't a day enola people gonna be buying and selling marry and giving in marriage until the flood came and destroyed them all he says so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man business-as-usual indifference unprepared to meet the Lord not living in faith not living in charity not living in union with God not believing that's why it's so important that we help people get free from being slaves to sin jesus said only the son is free and only those who are in the son are free and of course the Pharisee said what do you mean we're not free we're children he says no no no your father's the devil your father's the devil rather than repenting rather than reflecting rather than being shocked as saying what is he saying they picked up stones to throw at him there's a battle going on there's a hostility that that has taken root in human hearts but we shouldn't be afraid of the hostility we should speak the truth in love and be willing to accept the consequences like Jesus was the second lie that's really really huge and it's been widely received is about sin there's been a huge silence about sin for many many years and many Catholics are living in a haze about sin and when you live in a haze about sin you usually commit it you usually rationalize it you usually justify it you usually drift into it you usually live in a haze of sin maybe we've heard about environmental sins maybe we've heard about social justice but maybe we've also heard things like it doesn't matter so much those little personal things that people do God's not so concerned with that well this is what the Word of God says first Corinthians chapter 6 do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God like Paul says are you idiots don't you know that if you do these things you won't enter the kingdom of God don't be deceived so already deception was at work amongst the first Christians already deception on this particular point was at work do not be deceived neither the immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor homosexual offenders nor thieves or robbers or mises the greedy the revilers will inherit the kingdom of God this is a clear assertion of the inspired inerrant Word of God we neglected at eternal peril and it is not being loving to people not to tell them the truth it is not it is not to gloss over behavior and beliefs that could lead people to destruction in this life and in the next life it is worse than false compassion it is evil it is evil not to tell people the truth about what could save their souls yes we have to use wisdom yes we have to pray yes we have to be led by the Holy Spirit but yes we have to have in our heart an ongoing intercession for the salvation of souls if we really care about our children our families our relatives our neighbors our Coporation errs our church we're not just going to need to be praying for them to get good jobs and good healthcare and get healed of their illnesses although we need to pray for all those things certainly - but we're going to be primarily praying for salvation we're going to be primarily praying for to be delivered from the kingdom of darkness and liberated from the lies of the Evil One in embracing the Savior Jesus Christ and repenting and believing and being baptized if they're not becoming part of the the body of the church the good news though is in the next verse and such were some of you hey you can get free of these sins you can be delivered from these sins you were washed you were sanctified you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the spirit of our God real change is possible through the blood of Christ through the BET waters of baptism through the power of the sacraments through the healing of the Eucharist first Peter chapter 4 the season of judgment has begun and it's begun with God's own household I believe this applies to us right now if it begins this way with us what must the end be for those who refuse obedience to the gospel of God if the just person is saved only with difficulty what's to become of the godless in the center this is gut check time for the Catholic Church we're gonna have to decide who we believe and where our loyalty is and what's the truth about human life and what's the truth about reality and the only way we could discover that is by listening to the Word of God and receiving it humbly and wholeheartedly and giving it our trust and faith there's gonna be a division there already is the divisions already there one one one last whatever there's so many great last whatever's but we'll do one last whatever we'll do it from Ephesians pray at all times in the spirit is verse 18 Ephesians 6 with all prayer and supplication to that and keep alert with all perseverance making supplication for all the saints and also for me that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in Chains that I might declare it boldly as I ought to speak orthodoxy is really important correct belief is really important correct understanding of the sacred scriptures is really important but it's not enough that living abiding relationship with God and the power of the Holy Spirit is essential here the message after the spiritual warfare passages pray at all times in the spirit continually be communing with God whether you're with people whether you're with with not people now one of the one of the things that catechism the Catholic Church says he says it says the goal of the Christian life is to pray always but it's really helpful to pray sometimes in order to pray always so if you don't have a daily prayer time get a daily prayer time you need daily prayer as much as daily study of Scripture you need that deepening union with Christ that comes in prayer as well as in studying his word and then one last passage which I find shocking and important and very illuminating second Thessalonians chapter 2 let no one seduce you no matter how here again warning against deception warning against confusion keep your bearings stand solidly and what's revealed since the mass of pasta has not yet occurred nor the man of lawlessness been revealed there were rumors that Jesus had already come and Paul says no Jesus hasn't come because the mass apostasy has not yet occurred or the Antichrist hasn't really been manifested so then he goes on and says at a certain point the restrainer on the evil one will be removed at that point the lawless one will work with unimpeded restraint now I don't know if what we've been going through for the last several hundred years in the last forty years the last couple of years in particular counts as the removal of the restrainer or not but one thing we could certainly say is that we are seeing unrestrainedly Ville that people couldn't even imagine would ever be true in our society we're seeing active hostile aggressive repudiation of our judeo-christian heritage with shameless boldness a parading of immorality and a parading of mockery of God parades in our cities celebration on our TV programs that we would hardly ever believe we also know that there's been something like a mass apostasy of the traditional Christian countries hundreds of millions of baptized Catholics have drifted away from the faith and a very small percentage go in many many countries of the world just in the last 10 years there's been a radical falling off in many Catholic dioceses and Archdiocese and infant baptism and Catholic marriages okay the restrict whether whether this is the mass apostasy or not I don't know with a lot of Biblical prophecy you don't really know until after it happens whether that was it or not but at least he kind of heads up at a certain point the lawless one will appear as part of the workings of Satan accompanied by accompanied by all the power and signs and wonders at the disposal of falsehood Satan falsehood false spiritual phenomena by every seduction the wicked can devise for those destined to room Wow every seduction every deception every trickery the wicked can devise and Jesus says you know the sons of this age are smarter sometimes than the sons of God there's going to be immense intelligence placed into the service of the sea even the elect if that were possible by every seduction the wicked can devise for those destined to room wait a second destined to run who's destined to room I mean we know that God wills the salvation of the whole human race the Catholic Church has ruled out as a heresy the doctrine of double predestination double predestination which says that God has created some people for damnation and some people who are salvation the Catholic Church says no God wills the salvation of the entire human race so who's destined to Rome because they have not opened their hearts to the truth in order to be saved to say no to the offer of salvation Destin's us to room if we die in that no if we die in that rejection we're ruined there's more therefore God is sending upon them a perverse spirit which leads them to give credence to falsehood so that all who have not believed the truth but have delighted and evildoing will be condemned this reminds me of Romans chapter 1 Romans chapter 1 is the very best analysis of what we're living through right now it talks about the downward spiral of individuals and societies they refuse to honor God and worship Him so God turned them over to their own disordered desires their own darkened minds and as a consequence they became foolish in their thinking and they became perverse in their behavior and it's particularly singles out sexual confusion and and perversion Cardinal Biffy just publishes biography and one of the things he says is why does nobody talk about Romans 1 this is the most relevant applicable divine explanation of what we're seeing happen all around us and he says the fear of talking about the consequence of the rejection of God being sexual perversion is is widespread he said there is one question that we ask in particular of theologians Bibb lettuce and pastoralists why on earth in this climate of almost obsessive exultation of Sacred Scripture is the Pauline passage of Romans 1:21 to 32 never cited by anyone why on earth is there not a little more concern to make it known to believers and non-believers in spite of its evident timeliness let's pray Lord we thank you for the great light you're giving us we're absolutely amazed at how much is being revealed to us how much you're sharing with us your secrets how much you're sharing with us what's really going on in the world and what we can do to stand firm din the midst of it and not fall and actually help others get off the broad way and onto the way that leads salvation father we thank you for this immense ye help us to treasure it help us to carefully meditate on it help us to carefully respond to it in our lives not as a literary discovery but as words that come from you words of life words of salvation words of help rescue and mercy amen [Music] you [Music] you

Channel: Franciscan University of Steubenville

Views: 63,590

Rating: 4.8493724 out of 5

Keywords: Franciscan University, Steubenville, Ohio, Catholic, college

Id: nIFTEtRky_0

Length: 49min 37sec (2977 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 18 2013