What Should We Expect?

Photo courtesy of Viktor Hanacek, Picjumbo

So much is happening in the news lately (the year is 2022) that is giving us evidence that the devil is attempting his last stand. What should we expect with parents not letting God into their homes, shutting Him out, and thinking they can do everything on their own?  When children have never stepped foot in a church, let alone known what one is? (I had a student ask me "What's that?" after seeing a picture of a church.) When children grow into adulthood without being able to take control of their feelings and work out their frustrations and anger, then take those feelings out on innocent people? 

Getting it Right

Following the school shooting in Uvalde, TX, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick hit the nail right on the head: "Evil will always walk among us...It's God that brings a community together. If we don't turn back as a nation to understanding what we were founded upon and what we were taught by our parents and what we believe in, these situations will only get worse." (The New Yorker) 

Sister Lucia de Santos (one of the Fatima visionaries) stated in a letter to Cardinal Carlo Caffarro of Bologna that the final battle between the Lord and the reign of Satan will be about marriage and the family. Do not be afraid, because anyone who operates for the sanctity of marriage and the family will always be contended and opposed in every way, because this is the decisive issue. (Rorate Caeli, Inside the Vatican, Aleteia) From the inception of the popularity (for lack of a better word) of artificial birth control in the 60's, we've been on a snowball course with the implications growing larger and larger until now we have school/mall/store shootings that seem to be unexplainable. Is restricting guns an answer or is that just a bandaid? 

Lack of Respect

I blame the lack of respect for human life on the fact that parents aren't taking their children to church. They aren't educating them about God. They're more concerned with extra-curricular activities, the latest video game, and material things. They've shoved God out of their lives and the devil is taking full advantage of his chance, of his crack in the door. He's pushing it wide open and is loving every minute. In my blog post What Has Happened to Respect? I discuss the lack of respect during Mass. Ignorance, just pure ignorance. Parents aren't making sure their children are attending Faith Formation (i.e., CCD) and, more importantly, aren't educating themselves. Parents can't teach their children the beauty of the Catholic Faith when they don't know it themselves. 

During a trip to Ireland, I took my husband by St. Mary's Well in Killarney. My SIL and I found it when we were there a few years before. On the previous trip, it was just beautiful but we commented on how sad it was that it was tucked away behind the buildings, in a parking lot. I was surprised when I went right to it with my husband. I was shocked at the unkemptness of it. There was trash, cigarette butts, and even some defecation on the steps. We didn't linger because of that, but what a pity. I sincerely hope that how we saw it isn't its normal state...we were there the day after St. Patrick's Day.  For heaven's sake...this is a destination of pilgrimages since the 1300s and a place of baptisms and cures!

St. Mary's Well, Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland 2017

The Bottom Line

What it all boils down to is the parents and their belief that they aren't the parents but are their children's friends. They refuse to parent the children; they refuse to put their foot down and tell them they're going to church. Maybe they're just tired and need Sunday to rest. That is certainly what God wants us to do, but only after we've given Him the worship and praise that He deserves. In order to be a practicing Catholic, one of the precepts is that we attend Mass every Sunday and on Holy Days of Obligation. But that's the minimum. 

I'm guilty of allowing my children decide if they wanted to attend youth group after making their confirmation. If I had to do it over again, I would have insisted on it. There are so many things I would do differently if I knew then what I know now. I feel that they have a good base with their faith, but that's another blog post. Getting back to the expectations of today's youth: it all boils down to the lack of God in families. I've heard the Catholic media blasting public education. Being a public educator, it makes my blood boil to hear the criticism of public education and the encouragement of homeschooling. I work with some very strong Christians who demonstrate their faith in the schools by being caring and kind to all students. 

What I'm saying is this: Don't blame the education system. Don't blame the guns. Blame the fact that God is not a part of these people's lives. How wonderful would our society be if we did return to the understanding of what this nation was founded upon. We have to stop pointing fingers at each other because our beliefs are different. We have to ask God to "cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the earth seeking the ruins of souls". (From the Prayer to St. Michael) We have to come together to fight the evil that is trying so desperately to destroy not only our nation but our earth. Maybe, just maybe if we did that, we'd have a fighting chance.