The times are bad, so strive for holiness!

I frequently remind myself of a quote that's attributed to either St. Thomas Aquinas or St. Thomas More:

"The times are never so bad that a good man cannot live in them." 

St. Thomas More certainly knew evil times. So many martyrs died for the "crime" of being Catholic. And the cruelty of those executions shocks the senses. Think of being hanged drawn and quartered like so many of the holy Jesuit martyrs and faithful laymen.  Executed for saying or hearing Mass, for hiding priests? Think of Margaret Clitherow being gradually crushed under a door covered with heavy stones while a pointed rock dug into her back. Man's capacity for torturing and killing his fellow man staggers the heart!

And what of today? Are we more civilized?  We see the burning of churches and the murder of Christians all over the globe. I'm reminded of Hitler asking, "Is Paris burning?" The city was preserved then, but now? The violence all over the country is out of control and expanding to other European nations. Much of the violence has grown from the invasion of Islam. 

Before you sputter and call me a racist read these:

France’s riots are no ordinary protests — they’re an intifada in the heart of Europe

France Riots 2026: How Palestine Became a Rallying Point for the Radical Left and Political Islam

Rioters torched Jewish shops, skipped Muslim

I wonder. After today's election, which I expect to be a disaster, will we see the violence and rioting of Europe come here? We had our prelude after George Floyd's death when major cities collapsed in chaos. Was that just a warning? Will the chaos spread everywhere in the United States? Is that the chastisement we'll see for celebrating abortion and excusing and justifying the murder of already born children? How soon before we have death clinics to eliminate useless eaters so we can save the planet? Kill the babies to save the planet! That was the argument of a Democrat I engaged with when we went to the early voting site in Woodstock. Are we going to see a dystopian future of death and destruction? It seems increasingly likely. 

How do we live in evil times? There's only one answer. Be holy! Keep the faith! Pray the rosary! Practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy! Refuse to hate anyone! Respect those who have the hard job of protecting us! Celebrate the glory of God in his creation. Flee the cities!

Today I'll be going to a cemetery to pray for the poor souls. These days I think often of Mary's message at Akita saying the living would envy the dead: 

“As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by My Son."

Underline that IF..."IF men do not repent!" The answer to the future lies in our hands. Let us repent and persevere in prayer and fasting for the salvation of the world. And may God have mercy on us! Remember, "No time is so bad that a good man cannot live in it." Look around you and thank God for the beauty of the earth, the smiles of the innocent, and the love you find all around you. God will never leave us orphaned!