In 1996 Justice Robert Bork wrote a best-selling book entitled, Slouching Towards Gomorrah. The synopsis on the book jacket reads, “In this New York Times best-selling book, Robert H. Bork, our country’s most distinguished conservative scholar offers a prophetic and unprecedented view of a culture in decline, a nation in such serious moral trouble that its very foundation is crumbling.” I often wonder whether the concept of Bork’s title is outdated—not because the arguments in his book don’t still apply, but because we have already reached Gomorrah
. Case in point:
WorldNetDaily.com has an article posted today about a new Colorado law that it says will levy penalties against people who criticize homosexuality outside Church walls (http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=66829)
In the article Focus on the Family analyst Bruce Hausknecht makes an excellent point when he states that one of the goals of laws such as these is to marginalize the Church: "They'll say, 'It's just a church.' It will allow gay activists to continue to marginalize Christians. They'll say, 'Keep it within your four walls. That's all.'" Hausknecht also acknowledges that "there are those who simply by publishing Christian materials could find themselves charged with a violation of this statute," he said.
Christ made it clear to His disciples that “You shall be hated by all men for my name's sake” (Luke 21:17). As Christians our very beliefs are anathema to society. And according to how the world judges victory, we are fighting a losing battle. Things will only continue to get worse as is made clear in The Catechism of the Catholic Church: “Before Christ’s second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers.” (The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 675) Why is this so? Because since it is Christ’s Church, it must endure the same persecution, death, and resurrection that He suffered: “The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection” (The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 677)
Nevertheless, despite the inevitability of the persecution we face, our responsibility as Catholic Christians is to defend the Word and win as many souls back to Christ as possible before the Final Judgment. For as Christ says, “It is impossible that scandals should not come: but woe to him through whom they come.” (Luke 17:1) The reality that evil is unavoidable in this world does not absolve us from battling against it. Yes, we are fighting a losing battle as the world defines victory, but our goals are different than the world’s goals. We seek to rescue souls for eternity, and each soul saved is a victory that is celebrated in Heaven.
Let’s persevere and focus on evangelizing one soul at a time.
Donald Tremblay
