In these troubling times we must always remember that Christ looked to Peter and said: “And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Despite this assurance from our Blessed Lord, Saint Paul stated in our Epistle that there “are enemies of the cross of Christ.”
Sadly, these enemies of the cross of Christ can come from within the church and thus they give us scandal and possibly rock our faith. These people want to fashion a church which comes independent from the cross. In other words they want to do away with practices such as sacrifice, repentance, dying to self, and taking up the cross in order to follow after Christ. If the church is to be fashioned in such an image it becomes important to change the church and her teachings.
Nevertheless, this is something which is impossible. As Saint Paul would warn: “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.”
Let us never be led astray to follow after such false prophets. Let us never allow these false prophets to chase us away from the Church of Christ. It is important that we continue to faithfully live out the teachings of the church in the midst of this world. We must continue to offer sacrifice, to repent, to die to our self, and to take up the cross in order to follow after the Lord. Let us also pray for all shepherds of the church especially our bishops and the Holy Father in order that they may be persevered and never be led astray from the truths contained within the Gospels. Let us never be led astray nor scandalized by “enemies of the cross of Christ.”
