From the Pastor:
Checkers and chess. Have you ever played these two games? Chess is a much more difficult game than checkers. It requires much more thought and concentration. Well, you might not realize it, but you are playing right now, only not with another person, but with Satan. However, Satan is playing chess and you might only be playing checkers. As my Catholic friend, who is a wife and mother, says: “Most people are focused on their efforts to be kinged, but before they can cross the board, it's checkmate!” Satan is playing the higher skilled game (checkmate vs. kinged) and, as a result, we are losing terribly at something much more serious than a board game.
Look at how evil has become increasingly bold. It is flagrant, aggressive, and unashamed. An example from this past week is Bill Maher, who is a well-known Liberal talk-show host and comedian. After admitting that abortion is “murder” and the “killing of babies” he went on to say: “I’m just OK with that. I am. I mean there’s 8 billion people in the world. I’m sorry, we won’t miss you. That’s my position on it.”
Wow! He publicly states the truth of abortion and that he’s fine with murdering other people. What does it say about our society when such things can be said publicly without negative consequences? It’s an indication, like the canary in the mine, that our society has reached a dangerous level of darkness. Evil is becoming more and more comfortable with publicly flaunting itself, no longer needing to hide behind deception.
Sadly, even Catholics, like our president, have allowed themselves to be outsmarted by Satan on abortion and other serious moral issues. They have fallen for the lie of the Devil in believing it’s possible to not suffer the same consequences as Adam & Eve if only one bite is taken from the forbidden fruit. The bite is what is deadly. It’s when we make the decision to be the arbitrators and determiners of truth, of right and wrong. It’s when we try to weave together a contrary way of thinking with God’s way of thinking. Jesus said the old wineskin and the new wineskin cannot coexist.
Satan is playing chess while we continue as if he’s playing checkers because we want an easy victory in an easy game. That is not our situation! Victory in Christ begins with taking the blinders off and setting aside pride, complacency, and hard-heartedness. If you are going to be your own source of moral truth, then you will also need to be your own savior! Jesus’ path of salvation is through His Church that He built upon Peter and his successor.
It’s time to put evil in its place. It’s time for us to “up our game” and start playing chess instead of checkers. We need to end our love affair with the world and renew our commitment to speaking, acting, and working for what is good, true, and holy. God has to be the center of our life, and nothing else. Let us diligently pray and work to put evil back in its place – hell! Christ gives us this mission, and with His assistance, we become powerful.
Sincerely,
Fr. Miller