Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory. This saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him we shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us. If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself. (2 Tim. 2:8-13)
Dear brethren, some of you are worried about the situation in the church, and about the strength of your own faith, feeling alone in your worries and anxieties; but it should not be so. It is now time to remember how the Lord was on the Cross. How is He every day in all of the tabernacles in the world? He is lonely. We always have Him there ready to keep us company. You shouldn’t feel alone.
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene (Jn 19:25). Where were the others? Remember what St. Paul said, “an athlete cannot receive the winner’s crown except by competing according to the rules” (2 Tim. 2:5). The Lord will help you to understand this in your particular situation. Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David. This is the good news that the Apostle preached, for which he suffered and was chained. But, the Word of God is not chained.
Continuing, the Apostle said, telling everyone, “Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory.” This teaching is worthy of faith: If we have died with Him, we will live with Him. The very same St. Paul tells us, and encourages us in our efforts to continue living the faith and to keep it alive.
The Lord gave us the freedom to do good or to do evil; it’s our choice. But it is true that He who only does good, and Who does it freely, is reproached, His teaching questioned, and He is put into doubt. This is the time to build what others have destroyed. The Lord’s teachings are living and actual, because He is unchanging.
You wonder, “Who strengthens me in the faith? I am alone.” You are strengthened in faith in the Tradition of the Catholic Church, the Sacred Scriptures, the Magisterium. The strength of the Word of God which condemns the sin of sodomy, or of adultery. The Lord our God said this. Was not St. Paul alone? Are you afraid? What do we have to be afraid of? No one can force our silence because the Lord is with us, because we preach His Divine Word, His Word of Eternal Life. The Apostles died out of love of God. Are we going to be afraid? Our time is not worse than St. Paul’s, and he condemned those who were living in sin. So will we be afraid in the face of a group of Shepherds who pretend to scare us?
We have to raise our voices to speak the Truth, each one in his particular state, and in the way that the Lord wants him to do. We have to evangelize. Evangelize? Yes. All that the Church teaches us in Tradition, the Catechism, the Sacred Scriptures. Because if not, we will only find the word of man and not the Word of God. We know the Word of God, the Lord shows Himself to us in the Magisterium of the Church that we have received, and He wants us to bring Himself to others.
Dear brethren, right now it seems as if the Lord has loosened the reigns on the Church, but He has never let them go. Our time is not worse than others. We cannot complain when our brethren die as martyrs for the Faith. We have to spearhead the fight with the Word on our side. And the we will find our strength in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The world and its fleeting powers should not matter to us, because the Lord is the One Who defends His Word and His Truth. He who is anxious is one who sees the world and not Heaven.
You wonder, “How do I know if I am acting according to the Will of God if I find myself alone and without help from anyone?” Well, because the Lord is with us, and even more, he warns us of the dangers. The Church perfectly tells us what is good and what is evil. TRADITION is the unquestionable authority. Here you have the answer. Follow the Faith that Tradition has passed on, and may the Lord be with you.
It is time to preach the Word of God, the teachings that we have received which, unalterable, are as relevant yesterday, as they are today, as they will be tomorrow. It is time to fight with the Word on our side; it is time to run our race without measuring our strength; it is time to think only about our final crown.
It is the time to build what others have destroyed.
Hail Mary Most Pure.
Fr. Juan Manuel Rodriguez de la Rosa
[Translation by Carolina Santos. Original article]
Posts
.jpeg)
