INCONCEIVABLE!

With the current massive deployment of U.S. Naval forces into the Middle East we are precariously straddling what well could be the brink of World War III. And the distinction here between liberal and conservative, Democrat or Republican has little bearing on this issue since warmongering has become a profitable policy for both sides of the aisle in D.C. these days. Our entire political class, left and right, seem to be diabolically enamored by the prospect of more slaughter at the expense of the peoples in other nations. We have watched helplessly as Washington’s bi-partisan lies and distortions have inflicted countless casualties in Ukraine and Gaza over the past four years alone, but apparently the empire’s lust for blood has still not been fully satiated. Never forget that it was American supplied munitions that have murdered over 70,000 civilians in Gaza alone, maiming countless others, the majority being defenseless women and children, and I fear what these widely publicized horrors are doing to jade the souls of the American people.

History has long demonstrated that leaders can be grossly dishonest and bereft of common human decency. But what has been severely eroded within my lifetime is the public’s expectation that our leaders should at least exhibit a nominal degree of honesty and decency. Sad but true, after decades of corrupt behavior we no longer expect the least modicum of integrity from our elected and non-elected officials, primarily because we have seen time and again that high moral character is no longer a prerequisite for high office. The Clintons and Epstein class elites have successfully bred a widespread cynicism among the populace who no longer see real statesmen but only back door vacuum cleaner salesmen guiding the ship of state.

I am often reminded of actor Wallace Shawn’s most enduring line from that classic movie The Princess Bride. It was but a single word hilariously uttered in supposed astonishment, “INCONCEIVABLE!” Shawn marvelously stitched together a few syllables into a colorful absurdity bent on denying or looking past something that was patently obvious – like whistling past a graveyard. Within the context of that highly entertaining film it became a brilliant device which exposed the comic vanity of Shawn’s character who flattered himself to be the smartest man on earth. (A premonition of Donald Trump perhaps?)

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Charlie Kirk and the State of Evil

“The mouth of the just man shall meditate wisdom; the law of his God is in his heart, his steps do not falter. (Ps. 37: 30-31)

Within the space of a week or so Americans have witnessed three despicable acts of public violence: one taking the lives of two innocent children in Minneapolis, then a young Ukrainian woman fatally stabbed on a Charlotte bus (both acts indiscriminate and random), and culminating in the deliberate and heinous murder of popular pod-caster Charlie Kirk in Orem, Utah. Kirk was outspoken about his Christianity and fearlessly proclaimed the Kingship of Jesus Christ. Fewer than two months before his death he was urging fellow Evangelical Christians to engage in a deeper understanding of and reverence for Mary, the Mother of God. He is reported to have been attending Mass with his Catholic wife and children at least twice a month. He had become both mentor and role model to millions of millennials and generation Z kids deeply searching for something more than what this superficial hedonistic culture was offering.

Kirk was known for cheerfully engaging his left leaning opponents in honest debate on campuses around the country while convincing many that social conservatism, not the prevailing DEI and transgender madness, represented the real hope for the future of his generation. Just shy of 32 years old, Charlie was ruthlessly slain simply for defending truth as he understood it. What those who continue to despise Charlie Kirk, even after his death, seem unable to grasp is that Kirk genuinely loved the sinner even as he hated the sin. He was the proverbial good shepherd seeking to bring back any lost sheep. In this Kirk was the antithesis of Satan, the ‘accuser,’ who loves the sin yet hates the sinner. Even if one did not agree with everything Charlie expressed, you had to admire the man for his vitality, integrity, and raw courage. Another good shepherd, Bishop Joseph Strickland, has rightly pointed out we must not forget to pray for the repose of Charlie’s soul because he was human just like the rest of us. Likewise we need to pray for a repentant heart and timely conversion of Kirk’s alleged assassin, Tyler Robinson, a young man grossly deceived by the demoniacal culture which incessantly radicalizes and alienates the young from truth and common sense.

Of course the predictable and tedious commentary about why a good God did not prevent such a tragedy will be spewing forth from social media ad nauseam. Why does God regularly allow evil to afflict good people? That question continues to mystify modern man, I believe, because our culture has adopted such a shallow understanding of the very meanings of good and evil; truth and falsehood. What is good anyway, and who are the “good people?” In the Gospel our Lord makes a seemingly odd reply to this question, “Why do you call me good? There is only One who is good.” (Mt. 19:17) Did Christ mean that only his Father is good and therefore everything else must be evil? Of course not! It was his way of teaching that goodness emanates not from ourselves but from God alone. So in order to make any sense of evil, one must first understand “the good” in its proper context.

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