Western society has been overcome by a flood of anti-Christs. Everywhere we look, we see a social war of anti-Christs persecuting Christians, in our neighborhoods, marketplace, and workplace, an anti-Christ mainstream ending what is left of Christendom.
Whether that is the radical Left oppressing freedom speech to speak the Truth, and the freedom of Christians, greedy liberal capitalists oppressing the struggling economic classes, minorities using the political machine to get even with white, Christian, patriarchal society, an abortion industry murdering 100 million + innocent babies, narcissists oppressing ordinary people, or the New World Order Church, masquerading as the Catholic Church, subverting Traditional Catholics...this is another Dark Age.
And in my opinion, the last Dark Age. By all reckoning listening to past popes, bishops, priests, and approved apparitions of Our Lady, these are the End Times, and the Anti-Christ is already establishing his reign before he comes, if he is not already here.
So where does this place us in relation to society? If history teaches us anything, we know that the early Christians, the Martyrs, were in no position to wage a crusade against the all-powerful pagan Roman Empire, that such a dynamic would apply to a time just like ours. The persecution now is no different, in fact much worse.
The Empire of the New World Order is everywhere, and considers you Enemy #1. They do not want to just ostracize you, or worse kill you, they want your existence and what at heart makes you what you are--a child of the Good God--to be wiped off the face of the planet. We have become enveloped by the City of Anti-Christ, which is a culture--as a whole--in total darkness.
So I see no valid argument that this is a time for a temporal, political kind of counter-revolution against the Powers-that-Be. I entertained that idea somewhat at times, up until the Globalists stole the election from Trump the People, and created a de facto communist Banana Republic.
Christendom has been destroyed. Only a few stones remain scattered, a remnant, and most importantly us the "living stones" as Christ called us, remain on the margins. This is another age of Martyrdom, for now a soft martyrdom that is social and economic.
We have examples of how to act, in relation to this situation. Christ when arrested, rebuked Peter for defending him, when he cut off the soldier's ear. On the natural order, Peter had a right to defend the Savior from unjust arrest and imminent death. But on the supernatural order, this was not God's will. God willed humble sacrifice, accepting martyrdom.
When Christ was brought before the Sanhedrin, he only spoke a few words proclaiming the Truth of who He was, while otherwise remaining silent without self-defense.
The early Church met somewhat in secret, were quiet publicly about their persecution, which they generally accepted. But when tested publicly, they--the Martyrs that is--did not burn a grain of incense to the idols, and were martyred, gaining instant entry into Paradise. In the 20th century, after Communist revolutions in Russia, Eastern Europe, and China, the Church went into hiding and suffered in a similar meek, quiet kind of way.
The underground Church in China still continues in persecution, keeping the Faith in secret, despite not only being betrayed by the CCP, but now by the Francis-Vatican of all things.
This may be a hard pill to swallow, but the data seems strongly to indicate this is the course, generally speaking, God wants us to take. To establish our small TLM communities, domestic church sanctuaries gathered around the family altar, to wear our crucifixes and scapulars, and be prepared to refuse any sin, even if it costs our jobs, and in the long term damages our livelihoods.
Consider the Holy Family, when Herod went after the Holy Innocents. God led them to flee to Egypt, to relative safety, St. Joseph having to uproot and replant his family, leave behind his workshop and local clients, to find work in a foreign land.
However, at the same time, I am convinced we are called to fight this society, this anti-Christ, spiritually and morally head on--that is a RELIGIOUS CRUSADE--and not just in secret prayer. This includes prayer and sidewalk counseling outside of abortion clinics, old-fashioned evangelization door to door like the Legion of Mary still does.
And under certain circumstances, I think we are called to act like the crusaders, especially the men ready to fight any legal battles at work or to guard the home if necessary with lethal force if it comes to it, to defend one's family's life.
In conclusion, my sensus Catholicus, my Catholic sense, tells me these are the End Times. That while there are a few times we must fight back like the crusaders, in general we must respond like the martyrs, and accept soft martyrdom in all its current forms, while professing the Faith of Christ publicly, and preserving it within our homes and parishes/chapels.
Praise be to Jesus Christ.
Questions, constructive feedback, or to say hello, email me at:
JosephOstermeir@gmail.com