They say the stock market is going through a correction. It was at levels that were unsustainable, so it is correcting itself, and that can be healthy for the market. There are many triggers causing this correction: China’s falling market, economic uncertainty, growing lack of confidence in government policies (Obama-nomics) – “They have built a house of cards,” etc., etc.

I believe we are about to enter into a “faith and morals” correction. Will the run-up of “record high” infanticide, promiscuity, infidelity, divorce, sodomy, rampant secularism, and overt desecration come crashing down soon? Will we be returning to 1950s levels of faith and morals? I believe so. You can call me a “Pollyanna” or naive, but I remain confident that God, in His great love, is about to “spank His kids” … precisely because He loves us!!

 

Triggers for a God Correction

This past Sunday, I was watching the Green Bay Packers, and I got busy with some work that captured all of my attention. So, I barely knew that the game had ended, and I left the same channel on. Moments later, I looked up and I was paralyzed in my shock. The TV show, “Glee” was on. I know enough about this show that it’s story line is about the “world of teenagers.” And, it’s not just about teenagers, but about the “cool and good looking teenagers” … in other words, it is billed as “what cool teens do.” What I was watching was a very sentimental song being sung about love, as each of the teens paired off to go into their respective hotel rooms. And, yes, this included two women “hooking up” with each other, and two men “getting it on.” This is a show that is going a long way to determine “what is normal for teens” in our culture. Again, in my shock, I could barely move.

Add to this that our country has just entered into full-on “Sodom and Gomorrah Mode.” With the redefinition of marriage, we have, in essence, spit in the eye of God. Recall that, in Genesis 19, this was the “trigger” that brought a severe “God spanking” from our Father in heaven.

Hollywood has been mocking God with every kind of symbol of satanism on full display. In the past, they were notorious for hiding these symbols here and there. Now, they parade their symbols with no fear of repercussions at all.

In recent weeks, a light has been shown on the horror of abortion, with the steady stream of videos emerging from the amazing undercover work done by the Center for Medical Progress. I find it more than interesting that the leader of this group is a man named “David.” After decades of actually naming Planned Parenthood a “Goliath,” a simple, young man named David comes along and nails Goliath right between the eyes. How will God respond if we don’t capitalize on this “bringing down” of Goliath, and finish him off?

Here is a glimpse of the casualties of this lopsided spiritual warfare (these 2002 statistics have only accelerated in the past decade):

“In 1965, only one percent of U.S. parishes were without a priest. Today, there are 3,000 priestless parishes, 15 percent of all U.S. parishes. Between 1965 and 2002, the number of seminarians dropped from 49,000 to 4,700, a decline of over 90 percent. In 1965, there were 104,000 teaching nuns. Today, there are 8,200, a decline of 94 percent. A 1958 Gallup Poll reported that three in four Catholics attended church on Sundays. A recent study by the University of Notre Dame found that only one in four now attend. Only 10 percent of lay religious teachers now accept Church teaching on contraception. Fifty-three percent believe a Catholic can have an abortion and remain a good Catholic. Sixty-five percent believe that Catholics may divorce and remarry. Seventy-seven percent believe one can be a good Catholic without going to Mass on Sundays. By one New York Times poll, 70 percent of all Catholics in the age group 18 to 44 believe the Eucharist is merely a ‘symbolic reminder’ of Jesus.”

A society increasingly disengaged from the Divine Life has no place to go but down. Definitely not progress, but a radical descent away from our greatest potential. Jeffrey Kuhner of the Washington Times sums it up:

“For the past 50 years, every major institution has been captured by the radical secular left. The media, Hollywood, TV, universities, public schools, theater, the arts, literature — they relentlessly promote the false gods of sexual hedonism and radical individualism. Conservatives have ceded the culture to the enemy. Tens of millions of unborn babies have been slaughtered; illegitimacy rates have soared; divorce has skyrocketed; pornography is rampant; drug use has exploded; sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS have killed millions; birth control is a way of life; sex outside of wedlock has become the norm; countless children have been permanently damaged — their innocence lost forever — because of the proliferation of broken homes; and sodomy and homosexuality are celebrated openly. America has become the new Babylon.”

 

When and How Will the God Correction Come?

I believe we need to prepare ourselves for a “trigger” that God will allow, and will “get the attention” of the world … something that will, quite literally, bring us to our knees again … like we once were a half a century ago. Why? Because history has shown that God has done this many times before. God does everything He can to “move us” to love Him and obey Him. Positive reinforcement is found in that inexplicable and amazing inner joy found in leading a life totally devoted to God. Negative reinforcement is found when folks feel that aching emptiness inside by living a life without God. St. Augustine once said, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.”

But, like any good parent, when these measures fail to “correct the child,” that good parent resorts to a kind of behavior modification that can be unpleasant for the child, but helps the child learn correct behavior. Of course we are talking about “punishment.” Again, parents who resort to this are VERY loving. Unlike bad parents who are content to let the child run wild. These good parents know the child has to learn appropriate behavior in order to live their life in happiness and fulfillment, and these parents are determined to instill the “best” in their children. And, God is a perfect parent.

I do not believe the sky is falling and the end is near. But, the signs seem to be pointing to a minor chastisement … a “God Correction.” When is this “God Correction” coming? Scripture says,

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father … Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” Matthew 24:32, 42-44.

 

Catholic Prepping

I’m not prepping, yet. But, I don’t have any money … so there’s that. But, I do believe we need to “make the house impenetrable” to thieves. Of course, I am referring to the “house of our soul.” I have been standing on this passage from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians for some time, and urging as many who will listen to do the same:

“Draw your strength from the Lord and His mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. Our battle is not against human forces but against the principalities and powers, the rulers of this world of darkness, the evil spirits in regions above. You must put on the armor of God if you are to resist on the evil day; do all that your duty requires, and hold your ground” (Eph 6:10-12).

GO TO CONFESSION!! FREQUENTLY!! You may not be a big ole mortal sinner, but we fall to multiple venial sins throughout our lives. These can begin to “open the door to the thief.” Satan is always at our doorstep, trying to find a way in. We can let a toe in, then a leg, then before we know it, the devil is eating popcorn on the sofa of our soul, as that dastardly red thief pilfers every ounce of grace we have.

PRAY OFTEN!! One of the most difficult “bad habits” we have today is complacency or a lack of discipline. How difficult it is for folks to develop a disciplined prayer life. It’s like pushing a boulder up Mt Everest for most. Fight through that, and get in that groove of a regular and sustained daily prayer routine.

FASTING!! Please add fasting to your prayer, as it adds to our determined petitions to God!

KNOW YOUR GUESTS!! Using the “owner of the house of your soul” image, be careful who you invite to your soul. Remember my story above about the TV show, Glee. Don’t watch stuff like that!! Stay away from internet porn. Be careful which folks you hangout with … if they have bought into the whole worldly thing – “The times have changed … pretty much nothing is sin any longer” – Stay clear of them!! They will wear you down, after a time, and you’ll buy the lie too!!

LEAN ON OUR LADY!! This unlikely teenage girl is folly for the world. Which fits God’s M.O. precisely. Mary was chosen to be the one who crushes the head of the serpent. Pray the rosary often, as our Lady of Fatima instructed. I’ll often use brief, little prayers throughout the day like, “Mary, cover me in your mantle!”

This is “Catholic Prepping.” About that day or hour no one knows when a possible “God spanking” may come. Now is not the time to make plans to hideout and remove ourselves from the world. Now is the time to “Draw our strength from the Lord and His mighty power.” We are “God’s helpers,” not His “Hiders.” Let’s accept the call to be His Champions!!!