Today, we hear the Passion of the Christ from the Gospel of Mark. We are living in an interesting time to hear this. Many years ago, we may have heard these words and we might have looked back at them differently than today. Maybe, it might have seemed to be a more calming time as then Archbishop Chaput and now Cardinal Chaput told us of times gone past in a world more conducive to faith. Maybe, we might have looked at these words and wondered how could anyone act in the manner that we see in the Gospel. We might have fantasized of being braver than Peter and announcing that to those who questioned us if we were with that man, an affirmative answer. “Yes, I was with that man, and what are you going to do about it?”

But that was then, we are looking at this account in today’s environment and is is clearly different than when we grew  up. This past week, there was an Atheist rally in Washington, DC. Even atheists are different, they once considered themselves enlightened and did indeed show a sort of knowledge that reflected some form of enlightenment. However, just this past week at the rally, TheBlaze.com showed one singer giving a vile and vicious attack on the Pope using what we call in polite company the F word 75 times. Meanwhile, at the same rally, famous agnostic Richard Dawkins called for the mockery of Catholics.

Go back and imagine in a Roman pub someone who hated Jesus singing something similar (and yes a variation of the word existed back then) against our Lord. How would you react if you were there. Let me ask you something differently what would you consider the source of that song back then.

As I watch that video of the singer using the f-bom I believe that actually what you do see in the video is the manifestation of the demonic, not that the singer is a demon, but the scene is a manifestation of the demonic, that is what such a manifestation looks like. If  you were to watch that video, you would see the man is applauded as he begins the song. Something that might shock you and me was applauded by those in at that place.

Similarly, if you were watching the actual passion of Christ you might be shocked by those who would be cheering on Jesus’ executioners. Cheering on those whipping Jesus, cheering on His torturers. But Church tradition has taught for centuries that the demonic was behind His crucifixion.

When you go to other Catholic churches, look at the stations of the cross and invariably, you will see stations where Jesus is clearly suffering as He carries his cross, but others beside the scene are screaming for Him to move on forward to His death. Their emotions have blinded them to the humanity of the scene.

The passion of Christ appears to be the success of total chaos. Everything is turned upside down and torture and murder becomes the order of the day. However, when you see the reality in the eyes of the spirit, you recognize that Jesus at every step of the way is in total control. He is allowing this execution to happen, for your salvation and mine. Every step He takes leads us closer to Heaven, but also becomes light shining in darkness that reveals the presence and face of evil.

What was underground comes to the surface. What appears to be the enemies of Jesus condemning our Lord to death, becomes an arena where evil itself is revealed, condemned and defeated. It is a process where God always wins.

We are living in a time, that you and I maybe never thought we would see. Someone singing the F word about our Pope to cheers in front of the Holocaust Museum in our country in Washington, DC. But again if you are in the spirit you can see something deeper there. You can see that darkness is being brought to light. That what was hidden is now being revealed.

This is not a time of chaos, it is not a time of the triumph of evil, it is a time of judgement on those who have rejected Christ. The evil that they chose is growing within them and can not be hidden. Their motives and their intentions are all being laid bare.

It may appear to be a time that God is absent, no longer in control, but in fact look carefully, that is hardly the case. Just as in the Passion God is in total control. Yet, now those who are seeking Christ can see what those who have embraced darkness cannot. The evil and all its reality making itself present, because it cannot help itself anymore.

There is a powerful principle in dealing with evil that is quite effective, Jesus even talks about it in the Sermon on the Mount, although he does not mention it by name. That principle is that at times you have to let your opponent win. You draw him into a point where if he wins, he actually discovers he loses.

If you allow someone to rob you, you have just helped make that person more of a robber and an evil doer. If you do it correctly, being robbed draws him into a trap where he becomes completely defeated.

This is what Jesus does with the Devil through His passion. This is what God is doing now. Stay close to the Christ who gave His life for  you and you will be like one standing on a hill able to see all your enemies’ camps and positions. He will be none the wiser.

I told you of the time at one of the protests against us, someone said that what we were dealing with was the demonic, and I responded that this works in our favor because we know how to deal with the demonic.

The demonic is defeated. Jesus, Our Lord, defeated Him for us. We stay close to Jesus and as chaos rises we will see not only revealed more and more, but the Glory of God more powerfully than ever we have before. Be patient for that  time is coming.

God Bless You,

Fr. Robert J Carr

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