For the Love of Truth (2Thess.10)
Fr. Campbell
Those
who love the truth love the One who IS Truth, Jesus Christ. Those who
love Jesus Christ love the Church He founded, the Holy Catholic Church.
The Church, the Bride of Christ, loves the Bridegroom, and is in
obedience to Him in all things. The Church changes nothing of
what she has received from the Lord. At the same time, the Church reads
the “signs of the times” spoken of by Our Lord that will be wars and
rumors of wars, and a great persecution of His followers. And these are
the signs that will precede His coming:
“There
will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth
distress of nations bewildered by the roaring of sea and waves; men
fainting for fear and for expectation of the things that coming on the
world; for the powers of heaven will be shaken” (Lk.21:25,26).
We
must love the truth. Because she is the guardian of truth, the Church
understands the true meaning of present events. She sees that millions
of Catholics have fallen away from the true faith, because they no
longer believe what the Catholic Church has always taught. She sees that
the leaders of the novus ordo church have fallen from grace, and are
like the blind leading the blind, so that both they and those who follow
them are heading straight for the pit of Hell. She sees that modern
governments have no validity or authority, because they contradict the
Laws of God and permit perversions of the worst kind to be practiced
openly. They even promote such perversions, and require everyone to
honor those who practice them. No wonder that the earth is shaking and
wobbling on its axis!
The
True Church sees that Francis Bergoglio betrays the truth by placing
God’s revealed Word on the same level as the false religions, practicing
an ecumenism that betrays Jesus Christ and His Holy Church.
He
dares to joke blasphemously about the Holy Trinity: “Inside the Holy
Trinity they’re all arguing behind closed doors, but on outside they
give the picture of unity” (Austin Iverleigh, Crux, Mar. 25, 2017, as quoted in Novus Ordo Watch).
Only a few days later came these horribly blasphemous words about Our Lord Jesus Christ, as quoted in the Vatican newspaper, Osservatore Romano:
“the memory of him who made himself sin, who has made himself the
devil, the serpent, for us…”
St. Paul predicted that before the end there would be a great apostasy, a great falling away from the true faith:
“Let
no one deceive you, for the day of the Lord will not come unless the
apostasy comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of
perdition, who opposes and is exalted above all that is called God, or
that is worshipped, so that he sits in the temple of God and gives
himself out as if he were God” (2Thess.2:3,4).
St. Paul also reveals the reason for the apostasy:
“And
his coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and
signs and lying wonders, and with all wicked deception to those who are
perishing. For they have not received the love of truth that they might
be saved. Therefore God sends them a misleading influence that they may
believe falsehood, that all may be judged who have not believed the
truth, but have preferred wickedness” (2Thess.2:9-12).
So
now we know the real reason for the great apostasy, the great falling
away from the faith in these times. They have not received “the love of
truth” because “they have preferred wickedness”! They do not love the
truth! This should give us a good scare, and set us all to thinking
seriously about where we stand with regard to the truth. God has
revealed the Truth to us through His Divine Son, Jesus Christ. Are we so
ungrateful as to prefer wickedness to God’s revealed truth? Are we so
much in love with this world that we have given up the love of truth?
Those
who love the truth must love Jesus Christ, who is “the Way, and the
Truth, and the Life” (Jn.14:6). Those who do not love Jesus Christ will
find themselves deceived by the devil, wandering in the swamp of sin and
corruption that characterizes these times. It is impossible to drift
away from the Truth and find your way to Heaven at the same time. The
path of this world leads only to destruction, as Our Lord explains:
“Enter
by the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that
leads to destruction, and many there are who enter that way. How narrow
the gate and close the way that leads to life! And few there are who
find it” (Mt.7:13,14).
We
live in a world full of liars, since there is no love of truth. All
liars will end up in “the pool of fire”, Christ the King himself
declared:
“But as for the cowardly and unbelieving, and abominable and murderers, and fornicators and sorcerers, and idolaters and all liars, their portion shall be in the pool that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Apoc.21:8).
But Our Lord will say one day to those who love the truth and have believed in Him:
“Behold
the dwelling of God with men, and he will dwell with them. And they
shall be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. And
God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. And death shall be no
more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more,
for the former things have passed away” (Apoc.21:3,4).
