Is the United States Diabolically Oppressed? - A Diagnosis Attempt - Part IV and the Hope
This is the Fourth Part in the Four-Part series discussing the
likelihood that, as exorcists have stated, our nation is suffering from
diabolical oppression. You can find PART I and PART II and PART III here.
New Societal Tools of Oppression
There are many tools of oppression which the diabolical can wield against those who serve Christ and Truth and seek goodness and right order.
Our society is geared toward the destruction of individuals who stray from the modern “acceptable” standards. The exact and merciless record-keeping of the modern era, fueled by the impeccable memory of the internet, and the watchful eye of technology and social media, watches to detect and expose anyone who crosses the lines which “they” have marked out for society. Any good man who has considered running for office knows the price he and his family would pay should he announce a bid for office. Every careless word or mistake, or seeming mistake, would be dug up, exploited, exacerbated, and weaponized to destroy or cripple him. (Here is a FoxNews discussion of this in the context of the story of Nick Sandmann)
Recall the shocking and shameful example of the treatment of Brett Kavanaugh, culminating in his passionate self-defense, necessitated to reclaim his honor and innocence, and that of those of many of his friends, after such treatment. (Video here)
Recall also the dangerous malignment of Nick Sandmann, treated in a vicious manner by the media, who trumpeted a lie which led to numerous death threats against him and his family. (Video here)
This is a tool of oppression today, a tool which can truly wound or ruin a person’s life for good. It leads to shame, fear and isolation, often more widespread than simply in the life of the individual affected. It’s a perversion of the expression “anything you say can and will be used against you,” for it is no longer concluded, “in a court of law,” but often ends “before the mob.”
The stark example of early Nazi Germany shows us that a nation, through the manipulation of the people, through riots, manufactured crises, and other forms of social upheaval, can be “flipped” into a nation under strict totalitarian and socialist rule, where the Church and those who oppose the violent oppression of the society, will be restricted and prohibited from free living, and eventually killed, for the supposed “greater good” of the society. (Excellent homily from a priest on this here)
We are in a situation, as areas attempt to deal with the Virus, where governors encourage others to spy on Churches to ensure compliance with restrictions, where singing is banned, threats are made to permanently close Churches, and Navy troops are banned from indoor religious services, among others. And all the while, destructive and riotous protest gatherings face zero restrictions. (Stories here, here, here, here, and here)
One
of the tools of diabolical oppression can be that of a corrupt State.
Our Lady of Fatima warned that Russia would spread her errors of
Communism throughout the world if we did not heed her instructions and
turn away from sin and consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart.
Despite small efforts to fulfill her requests, it was not done, and WWII
was sent as the punishment. Since then, Russia has indeed spread her
errors throughout the world, now settling into the United States in a
very clear way.
Our Lady warned at Fatima that these errors would lead to the provoking of wars and the persecution of the Church. The famous vision of Pope Leo XIII, of Satan being granted more time and power to influence mankind away from God, coincided with the timing of the Fatima message. Did this turn toward anarchy all start in 1917, when Russia was not thwarted from spreading her errors, and when Satan was granted more power to sway the world to serve him? Even if Satan was granted just 100 years to do so, and if that time has passed, he has successfully torn down so much of what had stood in his way in the time that was allotted to him. Now, even if those 100 years are up, he has successively designed the world to follow him with much less effort on his part.
The Devil’s Ultimate Goal
The Devil seeks to erase goodness, sow discord, collapse morals, break up families, inflame pride and all vices, and lead mankind to despair and death. He seeks to attack, hinder, and block the activity of the Church in order to halt the flow of grace. As we have just examined, he is successfully doing so.
In my book, Slaying Dragons and, in Spanish, Matando Dragones, I reference St. Alphonsus, from his excellent work, Preparation for Death, whose quote is relevant here:
“Remember that now more than ever you must prepare yourself for conflicts, because your enemies, the world, the devil, and the flesh, will arm themselves now more than ever to fight against you in order to deprive you of all that you have acquired.”
Ecce Crucem Domini!
Toward the beginning of the traditional Rite of Exorcism, the priest prays, “Bestow on me steadfast faith and power to attack this cruel demon with assurance and fearlessness fortified by the might of Thy holy arm.” He is then instructed to utter the following words “with constancy and firm faith”:
What is fascinating about these words is the fact that they are carved into the base of the obelisk in St. Peter’s Square, which was erected by Pope Sixtus V in front of the Basilica. Any who approach this great and central Basilica of Christ’s Holy Church are faced with this command against the diabolical.
Perhaps, as the riotous waywards among us are tearing down our statues and attacking our Churches, this great prayer should be exalted, beneath the Cross of Christ, in every public space we can find. Set up more sacred monuments! Sanctify the earth with the power of Christ!
Re-Converting a Nation
What we face, now, is the effort of re-converting a nation that once believed in Christ. This is not a simple task, and is not as easy as winning over souls from ancient paganism. As Our Lord has taught us in Sacred Scripture, and as Our Lady, great saints, the Church, and exorcists all teach and observe, when a sinner, after repenting, turns again to his former sins, the second state is worse than the first.
Let us heed the warning that Our Lord Himself gives:
Note, too, that Our Lord applies this teaching to the generation to which He is speaking, to the children of Israel living at the time, who will reject Him and crucify Him, and suffer a tremendous punishment as a result. Our Lord loves all mankind, and all nations, and His wisdom is eternal. If, then, He said this to Israel, woe to us if we do not heed His call to holiness!
A nation that has heard and heeded, and then rejected, the Truth of salvation, is less likely to return again to follow the Way of Christ. To reject the evils of paganism and idolatry, in which a man was born, in favor of the Truth of Christ, is much less complicated than it is for a man to return to Christ after having abandoned Him for a life of sin. “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool that repeats his folly” (Proverbs 26:11). What the dog ate first was food, but what he ate second was foul. As Our Lord described above, the second state of that man is seven times worse, and greater still, for the new demons are more powerful than the old.
The Hope
If we look at this country as suffering under a diabolical oppression, it is not a sign that the End is upon us, though that could be the case. It could also be a moment where, God willing and the Church working, the people of the country will wake up from the Hell they have permitted, and which has been inflicted upon them, and seek deliverance.
It may be the case, though, that it actually has to get really bad before it gets better. This is prophesied to occur, for the end times will be horrific for the world and for the faithful. This could be the case also for a natural reason. Often, we just don’t get it, don’t believe or understand enough, to see what will happen when we make certain evil and selfish choices. However, the pain that comes last is the final finesse of the lesson: it alone drives home the truth of the matter and convicts us of the evil of our deeds.
Let us also recall the story of the plague of darkness from Exodus. When the darkness fell upon Egypt, so thick that it could be felt, “No man saw his brother, nor moved himself out of the place where he was: but wheresoever the children of Israel dwelt there was light” (Exodus 10:23). We often recall Abraham’s conversation with God, petitioning Him to spare Sodom for the sake of the righteous who were there – but there were none. Let us also recall Egypt, when the Lord protected the faithful of the land, who obeyed Him, giving them light and protection in the midst of the darkness.
Further still, we have hope because we have weapons to fight and remedies for recourse when we are burdened, ill, or in sin. Holy Mass, Confession, penance, fasting, Rosary, holy water, sacramentals, blessings, prayer, hymns and canticles, saints and angels enrich our lives and lift us up in hope and joy. Remember the matryrs who sang as the lions and the fires consumed them. As in my book, remember what St. Thomas said, that “the demons are held off by the good angels, lest they hurt as much as they would” (Summa 1, Q. 113, A 4).
Let us heed the Church and seek out these divinely provided balms, that we may continue to stand fast in these evil days. Let us acquire from our dedicated priests holy water, blessed salt, blessed oil, blessed candles, and blessings upon our Crucifixes and Rosaries. Even more so, let us call the priests to visit our homes and bless them! The blessing upon our homes is powerful, invoking the presence of angels and the joy of Our Lord.
All the while, let us be wise and prudent, watchful and alert, and take to heart the words of St. Peter:
There are many tools of oppression which the diabolical can wield against those who serve Christ and Truth and seek goodness and right order.
Our society is geared toward the destruction of individuals who stray from the modern “acceptable” standards. The exact and merciless record-keeping of the modern era, fueled by the impeccable memory of the internet, and the watchful eye of technology and social media, watches to detect and expose anyone who crosses the lines which “they” have marked out for society. Any good man who has considered running for office knows the price he and his family would pay should he announce a bid for office. Every careless word or mistake, or seeming mistake, would be dug up, exploited, exacerbated, and weaponized to destroy or cripple him. (Here is a FoxNews discussion of this in the context of the story of Nick Sandmann)
Recall the shocking and shameful example of the treatment of Brett Kavanaugh, culminating in his passionate self-defense, necessitated to reclaim his honor and innocence, and that of those of many of his friends, after such treatment. (Video here)
Recall also the dangerous malignment of Nick Sandmann, treated in a vicious manner by the media, who trumpeted a lie which led to numerous death threats against him and his family. (Video here)
This is a tool of oppression today, a tool which can truly wound or ruin a person’s life for good. It leads to shame, fear and isolation, often more widespread than simply in the life of the individual affected. It’s a perversion of the expression “anything you say can and will be used against you,” for it is no longer concluded, “in a court of law,” but often ends “before the mob.”
The stark example of early Nazi Germany shows us that a nation, through the manipulation of the people, through riots, manufactured crises, and other forms of social upheaval, can be “flipped” into a nation under strict totalitarian and socialist rule, where the Church and those who oppose the violent oppression of the society, will be restricted and prohibited from free living, and eventually killed, for the supposed “greater good” of the society. (Excellent homily from a priest on this here)
We are in a situation, as areas attempt to deal with the Virus, where governors encourage others to spy on Churches to ensure compliance with restrictions, where singing is banned, threats are made to permanently close Churches, and Navy troops are banned from indoor religious services, among others. And all the while, destructive and riotous protest gatherings face zero restrictions. (Stories here, here, here, here, and here)
Our Lady of Fatima's Warning
Our Lady warned at Fatima that these errors would lead to the provoking of wars and the persecution of the Church. The famous vision of Pope Leo XIII, of Satan being granted more time and power to influence mankind away from God, coincided with the timing of the Fatima message. Did this turn toward anarchy all start in 1917, when Russia was not thwarted from spreading her errors, and when Satan was granted more power to sway the world to serve him? Even if Satan was granted just 100 years to do so, and if that time has passed, he has successfully torn down so much of what had stood in his way in the time that was allotted to him. Now, even if those 100 years are up, he has successively designed the world to follow him with much less effort on his part.
The Devil’s Ultimate Goal
The Devil seeks to erase goodness, sow discord, collapse morals, break up families, inflame pride and all vices, and lead mankind to despair and death. He seeks to attack, hinder, and block the activity of the Church in order to halt the flow of grace. As we have just examined, he is successfully doing so.
In my book, Slaying Dragons and, in Spanish, Matando Dragones, I reference St. Alphonsus, from his excellent work, Preparation for Death, whose quote is relevant here:
“Remember that now more than ever you must prepare yourself for conflicts, because your enemies, the world, the devil, and the flesh, will arm themselves now more than ever to fight against you in order to deprive you of all that you have acquired.”
Ecce Crucem Domini!
Toward the beginning of the traditional Rite of Exorcism, the priest prays, “Bestow on me steadfast faith and power to attack this cruel demon with assurance and fearlessness fortified by the might of Thy holy arm.” He is then instructed to utter the following words “with constancy and firm faith”:
Ecce Crucem Domini!
Fugite partes adversae!
Vicit Leo de tribu Iuda,
Radix David! Alleluia!
~~translated as~~
Behold the Cross of the Lord!
Be gone all evil powers!
The Lion of the tribe of Judah,
The root of David has conquered! Alleluia!
Fugite partes adversae!
Vicit Leo de tribu Iuda,
Radix David! Alleluia!
~~translated as~~
Behold the Cross of the Lord!
Be gone all evil powers!
The Lion of the tribe of Judah,
The root of David has conquered! Alleluia!
What is fascinating about these words is the fact that they are carved into the base of the obelisk in St. Peter’s Square, which was erected by Pope Sixtus V in front of the Basilica. Any who approach this great and central Basilica of Christ’s Holy Church are faced with this command against the diabolical.
Perhaps, as the riotous waywards among us are tearing down our statues and attacking our Churches, this great prayer should be exalted, beneath the Cross of Christ, in every public space we can find. Set up more sacred monuments! Sanctify the earth with the power of Christ!
Re-Converting a Nation
What we face, now, is the effort of re-converting a nation that once believed in Christ. This is not a simple task, and is not as easy as winning over souls from ancient paganism. As Our Lord has taught us in Sacred Scripture, and as Our Lady, great saints, the Church, and exorcists all teach and observe, when a sinner, after repenting, turns again to his former sins, the second state is worse than the first.
Let us heed the warning that Our Lord Himself gives:
“When
the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless
places seeking rest, but he finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to
my house from which I came.’ And when he comes he finds it empty,
swept, and put in order. Then he goes and brings with him seven other
spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the
last state of that man becomes worse than the first. So shall it be also
with this evil generation” (Mt. 12:43-45). (cf. also John 5:14)
Note, too, that Our Lord applies this teaching to the generation to which He is speaking, to the children of Israel living at the time, who will reject Him and crucify Him, and suffer a tremendous punishment as a result. Our Lord loves all mankind, and all nations, and His wisdom is eternal. If, then, He said this to Israel, woe to us if we do not heed His call to holiness!
A nation that has heard and heeded, and then rejected, the Truth of salvation, is less likely to return again to follow the Way of Christ. To reject the evils of paganism and idolatry, in which a man was born, in favor of the Truth of Christ, is much less complicated than it is for a man to return to Christ after having abandoned Him for a life of sin. “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool that repeats his folly” (Proverbs 26:11). What the dog ate first was food, but what he ate second was foul. As Our Lord described above, the second state of that man is seven times worse, and greater still, for the new demons are more powerful than the old.
The Hope
If we look at this country as suffering under a diabolical oppression, it is not a sign that the End is upon us, though that could be the case. It could also be a moment where, God willing and the Church working, the people of the country will wake up from the Hell they have permitted, and which has been inflicted upon them, and seek deliverance.
It may be the case, though, that it actually has to get really bad before it gets better. This is prophesied to occur, for the end times will be horrific for the world and for the faithful. This could be the case also for a natural reason. Often, we just don’t get it, don’t believe or understand enough, to see what will happen when we make certain evil and selfish choices. However, the pain that comes last is the final finesse of the lesson: it alone drives home the truth of the matter and convicts us of the evil of our deeds.
Let us also recall the story of the plague of darkness from Exodus. When the darkness fell upon Egypt, so thick that it could be felt, “No man saw his brother, nor moved himself out of the place where he was: but wheresoever the children of Israel dwelt there was light” (Exodus 10:23). We often recall Abraham’s conversation with God, petitioning Him to spare Sodom for the sake of the righteous who were there – but there were none. Let us also recall Egypt, when the Lord protected the faithful of the land, who obeyed Him, giving them light and protection in the midst of the darkness.
Further still, we have hope because we have weapons to fight and remedies for recourse when we are burdened, ill, or in sin. Holy Mass, Confession, penance, fasting, Rosary, holy water, sacramentals, blessings, prayer, hymns and canticles, saints and angels enrich our lives and lift us up in hope and joy. Remember the matryrs who sang as the lions and the fires consumed them. As in my book, remember what St. Thomas said, that “the demons are held off by the good angels, lest they hurt as much as they would” (Summa 1, Q. 113, A 4).
Let us heed the Church and seek out these divinely provided balms, that we may continue to stand fast in these evil days. Let us acquire from our dedicated priests holy water, blessed salt, blessed oil, blessed candles, and blessings upon our Crucifixes and Rosaries. Even more so, let us call the priests to visit our homes and bless them! The blessing upon our homes is powerful, invoking the presence of angels and the joy of Our Lord.
All the while, let us be wise and prudent, watchful and alert, and take to heart the words of St. Peter:
Humble
yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he
may exalt you. Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you.
Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a
roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. Resist him, firm in your
faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your
brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little
while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in
Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you. To him be
the dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 5: 6-11)
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