Posted on 03/01/2023 4:37:21 PM PST by Ennis85
Father David Wilton C.P.M. of the Fathers of Mercy at the Chapel of Divine Mercy in Auburn, Kentucky laid out in a homily how “wokeness is as old as the Bible itself” while also detailing the remedy on how to fight it.
Father Wilton began, “If we knew our history we would know that wokeness is as old as the Bible itself as portrayed in today’s first reading, a reading from the Book of Genesis. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah had become so depraved that they looked upon depravity as good and traditional, virtuous behavior as bad. Sounds kind of familiar doesn’t it in today’s society?”
He continued, “Abraham couldn’t even find 10 virtuous people to save the city of Sodom. And yet God was willing to save it if those people would only turn to him. That we must never forget.”
“Lot and his family had to literally run for their lives not only because God was going to strike Sodom and Gomorrah, but also because it was dangerous living in Sodom and Gomorrah. At one point some of the citizens wanted to abuse the two visitors, the two angels who were visiting Lot and his family, and they were willing to beat down the door to get at him. The situation was not good,” he preached.
“We live in a society, a culture where everything has been turned upside down,” Father Wilton asserts. “The obvious example is abortion. How many people out there today are clamoring about how important abortion is to this country, that we need it, that it’s good, that it gives women freedom?”
He continued, “And yet, on the other hand, they’re attacking the existence of crisis pregnancy centers. That they should all be shut down. Why? Because they’re giving help to pregnant ladies? They are providing for their education? They’re giving them money to help them buy food and medicine? They’re giving them daycare, whatever they need? Why should they be burned down?
“And yet in today’s society we hear prominent politicians in the United States that these crisis pregnancy centers must be close,” Father Wilton reiterated. “Because they mistreat women? Abortion doesn’t? This is all crazy.”
Moving to a different topic, he said, “Or what about if I consider gay marriage as not being good? Do I set myself up for a hate crime charge? Or what about if I’m anti-crime? I’m anti-arson. I don’t want to see innocent people lose their business to arson. Am I proclaimed a racist? Yes, in today’s society I would be.”
Father Wilton then cited Archbishop Fulton Sheen, “Bishop Sheen said that one of the signs of the times was that basic dogmas in our modern world are disintegrating before our very eyes. And they are being replaced by other things. 1. There is no other function for man in life than to acquire wealth. Wealth is number one. 2. Man is naturally good meaning there is no need for God-given rights. There’s not even a need to be saved. We don’t need a savior because man has it all. 3. The main goal of life is not to seek one’s soul, but rather devise new technical advances.”
“People today owed their allegiance to social media, not sacred scripture or the Catechism of the Catholic Church,” he continued. “For many people social media is their moral compass. Public opinion is what’s most important to people nowadays. Mediocrity and compromise characterize the lives of many Christians today in our world.”
He then went on to quote Bishop Sheen again, “‘With the family disintegrating with one divorce after every two marriages in 35 major cities in the United States, with five divorces for every six marriages in Los Angeles, there is no denying that something has snapped. Anyone who has anything to do with God is hated today.’ 1947. I thought those were the golden years. What would he say today?”
Father Wilton then began to turn his attention to the solution, “Yes, we are in a crisis, but should our response be despair, despondency, discouragement? Of course not. Perhaps we as Christians, perhaps we as Catholics should look at the present crisis as an opportunity rather than getting in front of the computer, and looking at the blogs, and complaining about everything that’s happening in the world.”
He goes on to cite the example of the Prodigal Son returning to his father following a plague. He comments saying, “There was an opportunity for grace right there.” He also mentions the thief who dies on the cross next to Christ in the same vein.
Father Wilton then posits that a solution will not come from the likes of men, “We’ve been trying for years comping up with human plans to turn everything around: politics, elections. I can’t tell you how many times every four years. ‘This is the most important election we’ve ever experienced. If we don’t do it now it’s not going to survive.’ And then four years later it’s the same thing. Four more years of the same nonsense.
“Human solutions don’t work when it comes to such a crisis. The only way out of this crisis is spiritual,” he declares.
He goes on to relay the steps of a spiritual recovery that need to take place, “First and foremost, we priests need to be priests. We priests must fight against wokeness. How do we do that? By being watchmen. By preaching the truth in season and out of season. As one author says, ‘That does not mean that we go out finding fault in other people to enjoy the delight of criticism, but it does mean we must never present evil as something but evil. We must never pretend that arsenic is mere flower or sugar. If you consume arsenic it doesn’t matter what your opinion of it is, it kills. If you do the evil it does not matter what you have worked up as a justification for it. It does spiritual harm nonetheless.’ It can kill.”
Father Wilton goes on to detail what priests should be doing during this crisis specifically making the sacraments more available to the laity and increasing the hours of Eucharistic Adoration.
Next, he explains the second step, “It’s time to not be ashamed of being identified as a practicing Catholic. For too many years I’ve watched people be ashamed, hiding their Miraculous Medal, going into a restaurant and refusing to make the sign of the cross for the blessing of the food because people might see that I’m a Catholic. That’s awful. That’s awful.
He continued, “You can go into some Catholic homes and they look like sports museums with sports paraphernalia all over the walls and everything. But where’s the crucifix? Where’s the statue of Our Lady? Where’s the religious art? Is there any sign at all that this is a house of God? That the people in this house actually put God first before anything in their lives? These are all things we have to ask ourselves.”
Moving on to number three he says, “Prayer. … Without prayer we will die. How did Abraham confront the wokeness of Sodom and Gomorrah? Prayer. Because that’s what the first reading was all about in the Book of Genesis. Abraham was praying. He was having a conversation with God. That comes first before anything.”
“The entire history of salvation is God wooing us back to Himself,” he continued. “In other words, it’s important for us to once again to become intimate with God Almighty. He wants intimacy with us. That’s what the Blessed Sacrament, that’s what the Holy Eucharist is all about. The miracle of the Eucharist is the fact that God Almighty can touch us as Catholics 365 days a year. We can literally, physically touch God Almighty.”
Finally, Father Wilton recommends, “You want to be more Christ-like? Go in a quiet place and pray. That’s what Jesus himself did. To be alone and intimate with his Father. As St. Theresa of Calcutta used to say, ‘God speaks to us in the silence of our hearts.'”
Not to be boringly universalist, but all religious leaders in the Judeo-Christian need to refresh contact with the Almighty and get to good old-fashioned rabble rousing.
Bkmk
Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen was an outspoken critic of Communism and wrote a fine book I own Communism and the Conscience of the West and spoke out on his TV show about the attempt to substitute the State for God and to destroy the family and freedom of thought in education and the press.
Fun fact: Charlie Sheen’s dad Martin Sheen chose the stage name to honor Fulton J. Sheen whom he admired.
Good words! I would only add that we don’t stay in the close or isolate ourselves. We are called to engage the world that has always been hostile to God’s Word.
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Matt. 6:6
Matt. 16:15 Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature…
Matt. 10:16 Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
Growing up in Chicago, watching his TV show was a must. They are all on you tube.
Sheen....
Thanks, I didn’t know that.
Bkmk
I wonder where the Puritans went?
As a young girl watching his TV shows, was my first experience seeing someone with charisma. Charisma and courage.
Or a Chesterton said, “The problem with Christianity is not that it has been tried and found wanting, but that it has been found difficult and left untried.”
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