The Warrior Priest Podcast

Every bone broken, all the sticks, and stones that were thrown at you are because of Christ Jesus. All the moments when you feel so alone are because of Christ Jesus. That you only drink so you can try to cope is because of Christ Jesus. Every bloody nose and all the mud-caked clothes are because of Christ Jesus. When you feel like you're down inside a hole that's because of Christ Jesus.  Every single scuff and every single scab that makes you who you are are because of Christ Jesus. But why? How? What does that mean, "because of Christ Jesus"?

Today, there is little one can do without the state, or what Nietzsche called the “coldest of all cold monsters”, either taking its cut, dictating how it’s to be done, or at the very least, watching and recording our every move.

Why? Because we can't be allowed to live free. We can't be allowed to live like sheep to trust in Jesus as the only shepherd we need. We must be glued to our screens. We must be part of the machine. We must believe in science that contradicts the words of Christ. We must trust what we see on the news. It's not propaganda, it’s the truth, everything is exactly what it seems. So stay glued to your screens. Or, you can listen to and take serious the words of our Lord and Master who says, “Do not put your trust in princes or in a son of man, in whom there is no hope.”

“In Brave New World the soma habit was not a private vice; it was a political institution…” writes Huxley. “The daily Soma ration was an insurance against personal maladjustment, social unrest and the spread of subversive ideas. Religion, Karl Marx declared, is the opium of the people. In the Brave New World this situation was reversed. Opium, or rather Soma, was the people’s religion.”(Aldous Huxley, Brave New World Revisited) “I have found that, to make a contented slave,” writes Douglass “it is necessary to make a thoughtless one…He must be able to detect no inconsistencies in slavery; he must be made to feel that slavery is right; and he can be brought to that only when he ceases to be a man.” (Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass)

There's no "musts" or "shoulds" with Jesus. There's only his love that says: Come, and receive all you need for body and life from me. I will wash and feed you. I will bathe you in my blood that's supreme red, creates a new life for you, and raises the dead. I will do all this for you because I love you. I created you to love and be loved. I redeemed you to love and be loved. I sustain you in my love so that you can love freely, selflessly, without worry because I will always give you more of love and every good thing than you can imagine or will ever need.

“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety, Alan Watts

You can wish all you want. You can wish on shooting stars, or maybe they're just satellites. You can blow apart a million dandelions until they don't grow in your yard anymore. But your wishes will never come true. Instead, look to the Lord, and expect all you need from him. He gives you all you need in due season. He opens his hand and satisfies the desires of every living thing.

You need the strength to let go of your past and get back on your feet. You need the vision to see that the path that you walk is the one that you need. You need the courage to dream while you're still broken in half and there's nothing left deep inside. You need the patience to wait for the day that you pray for, and for God to give you a sign. You need help, so God comes to you to help in every need. How do you think you’ve made it this far? He is your health and salvation.

“…a totalitarian society is one in which an ideology seeks to displace all prior traditions and institutions, with the goal of bringing all aspects of society under control of that ideology. A totalitarian state is one that aspires to nothing less than defining and controlling reality.” Rod Dreher, Live Not by Lies

But, don't give up. Don't lose hope. Our God is strong, and the Holy Spirit is a consuming fire that will burn away all our sicknesses, diseases, and even death. And yes, the days are hard and the nights are long. But our God is a fighter, so when it's dire, the Holy Spirit burns brighter in the dark. Remember, you're baptized into Jesus Christ, and he is the light of the world; so you're more than just a survivor stumbling around in the dark. In Christ, you are a conqueror.