May 25, 2015

“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s will. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.” Matthew 10:28 – 30

“So long as we are hated, we are worth troubling about. The church that would give only a moral tone to secular movements can die of its own inanition. If the pagan forces of the world left us untouched, if they did not calumniate (defame) us, seek to destroy us, set up rival claimants to the soul, it would mean that we would have lost our influence, that our touch was gone, our stars did no longer shine.” Fulton J. Sheen (1895 – 1979) “For All The Saints” volume IV (p. 27-27)

Fulton J. Sheen – Venerable Fulton John Sheen (born Peter John Sheen, May 8, 1895 – December 9, 1979) was an American bishop (later archbishop) of the Roman Catholic Church known for his preaching and especially his work on television and radio. “So long as we are hated, we are worth troubling about.” Fulton Sheen goes on to say “The Church can still make the evil forces of the world angry.” One way that we know that we are making a difference in spreading the Gospel of Jesus is how much evil tries to slow us down if not try to entirely knock us off course. Jesus is teaching his disciples the fact that being people of “the way” is not going to be easy sailing. And yet, the Father does not forsake us or forget about us. Now that does not mean that in the midst of the storms of our lives we may feel as if we are sailing all alone. But Christ is always with us – and when evil forces step forward to try to sink us, we have the pleasure of knowing that Christ has won the battle already.

Recently my wife and I experienced the presence of evil in the midst of a family emergency. The effect and the presence of evil was so noticeable we knew what was facing us in the process of trying to seek help for this family member. But as we persevered, we found that evil was defeated through the presence of peace, prayer, and love. Evil does not like peace, prayer and love. Be an agent of peace, prayer and love today and make evil angry.

Pastor Dave