Posted on 10/02/2017 7:10:52 PM PDT by lightman
Today is the 11th anniversary of the Nickel Mines Amish school shooting.
Just like eleven years ago, it is Monday the 2nd of October. Just like eleven years ago--and sixteen years ago on the 11th of September--the northeastern United States is swathed in deep azure cloudless skies. And, just like eleven years ago, on the Catholic calendar it is the Feast of the Guardian Angels.
Eleven years ago a milk hauler gone rogue backed his pickup truck the door of the one-room schoolhouse, heavily armed, and possessing implements for other crimes, intent on deflowering the innocent schoolgirls within. As police approached he killed five before turning the gun on himself.
Now this horrific tragedy will be forever overshadowed by the one inflicted by a gambler gone rogue in Las Vegas. The heavily armed gunman killed more than 10-fold, before turning the gun on himself as police approached.
Both evils were inflicted on the Feast of the Guardian Angels.
Angels are immortal, created beings. Demons are fallen, rebellious angels who have chosen perpetual warfare with God. They too are immortal, created beings.
The demon who possessed the Nickel Mines gunman could not--and did not--die when the rogue milk hauler turned his gun on himself.
Like a parasite, it had to find a new host.
And it found one in a gambler gone rogue.
And now it is once again homeless--temporalily.
Lord, have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy.
Which are intentionally omitted.
Ping.
I think someone has watched one too many fantasy horror movies. This reads like a synopsis for a bad Hollywood movie written by someone who only knows stereotypes about the Bible.
People assign causation to everything but their own hearts for these infestations of wickedness.
But that’s where either God or Satan operates depending on these hearts’ choice — for salvation or perdition.
Actually it takes the bible quite seriously.
Maybe it isn’t the very self same demon, but they’re all slaves of Satan.
People too often want to find a recipe for a nice life in the bible. That’s actually a kind of soft hell, rather than a portion in heaven. The bible says the kingdom of heaven advances forcefully (or violently) and forceful (or violent) men lay hold of it. The violence in this context is by the divine forces of good against the satanic forces of evil.
And you know what? Fantasy horror movies hint at a side of reality that many of us have hidden from in the soft hell of a nice life.
Ironically enough, outright wickedness and squalor is easier to deal with than the soft illusions of normalcy. The normal won’t want God very much.
But in the face of the bad news, we shouldn’t forget that we have stunning good news to claim — the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved — you and your household.” The more the merrier, literally.
Don’t pay TOO much attention when Satan says “Look at me.” Because he knows what God is doing and is reduced to trying to be a distraction until God has accomplished it. There is a kind of balance to be observed. We clean up trash, but we don’t spend our whole lives obsessing about trash. That would be to miss the point of what we do when the trash has been cleaned up.
Demons are mortal. They just haven’t filled the cup yet of Gods wrath and judgment. They will taste death in the future.
St.Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
AMEN!
St. Michael, the archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the malice
and snares of the devil.
We humbly beseech God to command him.
And do thou,
O prince of the heavenly host,
by the divine power
thrust into hell Satan andthe other evil spirits who roam through the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in praelio.
Contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium.
Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur.
Tuque princeps militiae caelestis,
Satanam aliosque spiritus malignos, qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo divina virtute in
infernum detrude. Amen.
(The Devil especially hates prayers in Greek or in Latin)
I live not too far from Nickel Mines and surrounding area. I hope one day I have in my heart the kind of forgiveness those families demonstrated towards that mass murderer. I am not there yet.
A true Christian example of forgiveness; the Amish community forgave the horrific crime.
Amen!
Are you familiar with how the Prayer of St. Michael came to be composed?
Fascinating — and frightening.
I remember that sad day all too well.
Very moving, lightman.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.