Demonic Evil in Las Vegas: Part of the Chastisement?

Las Vegas concernt goers run for cover.

What happened Sunday night in Las Vegas was demonic. There's no other way to describe it. The perpetrator, Stephen Paddock, described as a 64-year-old multi-millionaire who was a loner, was the trigger man. But can anyone doubt who was behind it? Like saints put a face on God, evildoers put a face on Lucifer. Love defines a Mother Teresa. Hate defines a Stephen Paddock.

There is still not enough information to explain the motive behind Paddock's demonic act, but it clearly was no random event. It was carefully planned. It appears that Paddock modified legally purchased rifles to transform them into rapid-fire machine guns. He also appears to have taken the time to move his numerous weapons (23 at last report) gradually over several days into his hotel room on the 32nd floor overlooking the concert site. He obviously wanted to kill as many as possible and to kill indiscriminately. The dead and injured cross the spectrum from young 20-somethings to grandparents. As one article described them:

They were school teachers and youth football coaches, real estate agents and local business owners. They were parents, siblings, husbands, wives, neighbors and friends [and a black off-duty police officer].

Las Vegas officer Charleton Hartfield
killed in shooting.

How can anyone make sense out of this kind of evil? It's impossible except from a spiritual perspective. Satan was a liar and murderer from the beginning. Every murderer displays his face. The acts of courage and rescue, on the other hand, display the face of Christ: the husband who shielded his wife and took a bullet in the back, the "guardian angel" police officer who guided a couple to safety. In one case a sister threw herself in protection over her brother saying, "I love you, Taylor; I love you!" Taylor Benge says he attended the concert as an agnostic, but is agnostic no more. Others described acts of kindness and generosity.

Sadly the horrific nature of the massacre didn't keep some liberals from cheering on the murders. A CBS senior lawyer was fired for social media comments that, "I’m actually not even sympathetic [because] country music fans often are Republican gun toters.” Wow! That reminds me of the Democrat strategist who tweeted "Hunt Republican Congressman." after Senator Steve Scalise was seriously injured at the Alexandria baseball field. And the com boxes are lighting up with inflammatory attacks on the victims who are presumed to be Trump supporters. 

Let's face it, folks. The face of evil doesn't just encompass the guy with the gun. The inflammatory hate-filled rhetoric helps to fuel the extremists among us.

We still have a lot to learn about the shooter, but I found this summary interesting.


Finally, I can't help thinking that the unleashing of evil is part of the chastisement. When we forget

Nineveh repents at Jonah's preaching.

God and turn abominations like abortion, gender ideology, blasphemy against sacred things, and other evils into secular sacraments...well...what do you expect to happen? And it's a fact that the innocent (or the less guilty) suffer along with the greatest evil-doers. Evil generally targets the best. Study Queen Elizabeth I and her assault against Catholic recusants who refused to bend the knee to her state religion. Think of being hanged, drawn, and quartered for no other "sin" than wanting to attend the Catholic Mass.

Last Sunday it was concert goers who were singing God Bless America shortly before the rampage. Who will be next? You can be sure that the best among us will be especially targeted. And the minions in the mainstream media will use whatever crisis it is to advance their evil agenda. Keep your hands on your rosaries and do penance to mitigate the evils that are coming. Remember Nineveh's salvation through repentance. [Book of Jonah]