That last paragraph, Mr. Archbold, is gold.  The rest of it’s all great, too, but that last paragraph, especially.

Yeah, indeed, this last paragrah is prophetic. I just understood suddenly the good that is presently happening, hidden by the spreading of darkness.

“Tuesday night was a rough night.”  Yes, but not for the reason that will first pop up in most people’s minds; not primarily because of the outcome of the presidential race, but rather because of the outcome of various state referenda, such as the decisions of Maine, Maryland, and Washington to pretend that two men (or two women) can have a real marriage with each other.  As for the presidential race—we lost that months ago, when we were left with the choice between active enmity and a “friend” who was distancing himself from social conservatives (“It turns out Romney’s not opposed to contraception at all!”) and emphasizing only the rather small economic differences (like the distinction between giving bailout money to businesses and giving tax cuts to businesses) between himself and Obama.

I thank God for this article and all the uplifting articles and comments I’ve seen on NCR since the election. I can’t imagine the future of politics in our country right now, but I can imagine the future of our Church which is infinitely more important. We need to pray hard, stand by our beliefs, and articulate them with bravery and compassion. This culture of death and self-interest is leaving people spiritually broken. We need to show them the light of Christ, so they can come to Him to be healed.

And thanks for the Gandalf quote. In most ways we’re fortunate to live in this age. We could be getting fed to lions by Romans right now. And we’re extremely fortunate to live in the US and not a place like China or the Middle East. We should be thankful for the time and place we were born, and do our best in the here and now.

Thanks for putting things in perspective.  Exactly what I needed to hear.

Wonderfully said.

I wish to thank Catholic democrats for assuring (barring a miracle from God) that the Supreme Court will be anti-life, ant-marriage and anti-freedom of religion (e.g. re: health care mandates) for a generation.

I wish for the Catholic democrats to enjoy the thirty pieces of silver (or more) from their pet social programs.

By the way, my parents (penniless immigrants) DID build their business-as well as the roads and bridges (thru their taxes). And I am in the lower half of the economic ladder, which means I will suffer the most from the economic collapse brought about by the votes of the Catholic democrats’ “compassion”. Some social justice!

mike robertson ,
Agreed.To enjoy social justice one first has to have a right to be alive.Sadly, Democrat Catholics haven’t put the logic together, yet.

Great article, Matthew; Thank you, very much :D

DOes anyone know how much we are all contributing to the success of the Democrats with church donations?  CCHD and community organizing are HUGE in the Catholic church (and many others), and it gets filtered dodwn to the Democrats through the networking that progressive non-profits do.  Even Occupy, as nasty as they seemed, networked with them, and together they 20 year hairball in the drain networking paid off—all working toward Organizing for America (formerly Obama for America).  If your church is involved in IAF, DART, PICO, Gamaliel, either stop giving, or go somewhere else.  You can try talking to the pastor—a few are naive, but most are pro-Obama.  It is a sad, strange world we live in.  www.johntwo24-25.net has lots of information on community organizing and CCHD.  Please get off the couch and start networking with Conservatives! We’re going to have to suck it up and work with others. We can’t do it alone.

In no way does this reflect the teaching of Jesus.  No man was His enemy.  And we are taught to turn our cheek to the slaps of our enemies.

And, most especially, this is not a way to change the world.  Make a man your enemy, as the Republican party has done to obviously millions of voters, and you drive them away from your message.

Make a man your friend, and you will have the chance to talk with him and possibly change his beliefs.

Hatred and intolerance is not the way to bring God into the hearts of man.  Telling them that they are your enemy, that you hate them, is a certain way to drive God out of their hearts, most especially if you espouse to them that you represent God.

Thank you!!!! That was really awesome!

I have been thinking of that Tolkien quote for a few weeks now. I can’t escape it—I have it framed and hanging on my wall. It’s a very good reminder of what we really have to do, every day.

Just another thank you.

Good article. I feel better today after reading many good articles like this one. Jo the Housewife, I tore my envelope for the Compaign for Human Development a long time ago and will not give to Catholic Relief Services until they get rid of some of the liberal staff.  I’m even cutting my donation to the diocese.  That part I will give directly to my local maternity shelter because my diocese doesn’t do much to promote pro-life activities and neither does my parish.

@ Julia : I don’t think that, for the author, the “enemy” is a democrat or a republican, or even a human per se for that matter. It simply reminds us that this World hates Jesus, and thus will hates those who follow Him.

Logically, one can say as the author that all human should consider themselves as living in a fallen World.  We are leaving in it, but we don’t belong to it as Saint-Paul reminds us too. This fallen World is enemy territory.

You’re right to point to a possible confusion between “enemy territory” and anyone who don’t think or vote like oneself.

But while it would be wrong to point at someone and call him/her an “enemy” because he/she voted for a different party, think differently etc., it is also Jesus’ teaching that when someone is tempting a soul away from God’s will, this person becomes His enemy.  So we have to understand the difference between being God’s enemy in Divine affairs and being one’s enemy in daily affairs.

Indeed, Jesus teach us to love our enemy, but that suppose that we do have enemies in the first place ... They could be of 2 sorts : human affairs (business for example) or divine affairs (Salvation and Love of God). The first one are our brothers and sisters with whom we may have a conflict of a purely human nature. Jesus not only ask us to settle with them peacefully but to consider this as a show of Love. This was clearly lacking in the first Century Christian World…  St. Paul fulminated when he wrote that it was scandalous that Christians couldn’t settle their conflicts without having to go before a judge.

But then too, Jesus teaches us that there are “real” enemies that we should not fear because - with God’s grace - they couldn’t kill our soul, only our body. He asked us to have faith, to show courage and to resist temptation and corruption. Caesar was one of this kind.

While it is true that Jesus asked us to turn our cheek when slaped in the face, it is true that he violently expelled the Temple merchants because they were desecrating His Father’s Sanctuary… Pacifism was not his religion! Clearly, for him, this second sort - the one who desecrate, attack the Salvation plan or act as temptors to others - are the real enemies. True enemies. Enemies He will personaly attack without mercy until they converted and repent. Remember the quote about the destiny of those who attack children. There is very little mercy in store for them.

Thus, Jesus teaches us that we could and should call “enemy” “divider” (or dia-bolos in greek)each one - including oneself! - that is clearly in the way of Salvation, act as a temptor or desecrate the Temple (including our body, the Holy Spirit’s Temple…)

Jesus did’nt hesitated a second to call his friend Peter “Satan” when Peter’s reaction was a refusal of God’s will upon Jesus’ destiny. This does’nt mean that suddenly Jesus was hating Peter personally. He was just awakening him to the Truth. Anything, anyone that stands in the way of Salvation is His enemy. The rest has no importance.

Strangely, later it was this “enemy Peter” - but contrite and repentent - that became the stone upon which Jesus built His church. Let us be reminded then, that we are His enemy when we sin. We could also, if we don’t awake to the fact that we live in a fallen and corrupting World, become His real enemy when we tempt ourselves or others, desecrate our soul and body or others’.

Hence the need for liberty of conscience…

But we also know that God loves us all and is merciful to the contrite and repentent soul.

Hence the need for the liberty of religion.

Obama or Romney, Democrats or Republicans, this is not important.

In the end, the bottom line is that religious liberty and liberty of conscience - our liberty to accept the plan of Salvation upon ourselves and act accordingly - are now the main target of the forces of Darkness. 

Our enemy is within us first.

Secondly our enemy is also creeping around us to tempt us into despair and cowardice. He makes us fearful of losing material things or even our life,

Thirdly, the Fallen World will try to break us into submission to his will.  He want us to sacrifice to him as God-Caesar asked of every soul in his Empire.  It was precisely because Christians refused to recognize him as God that the Empire persecuted them. It was not because they refused to love him and respect him as God’s designated leader of the country. Indeed, early Christians, inspired by St.Paul, prayed for their emperor and were ready to obey to his will for the common good.

We are all at this point and need to understand that. As elected, Obama is now the appointed head of state. That’s God’s will.  But, when the head of states will ask you to choose between his will and God’s will and, then his will is clearly not God’s will, then he lose his legitimity and you’ll have to disobey to Caesar and obey - at any price to you and your loved ones - to God.  You’ll need enlighted spiritual leaders to show you the difference between Caesar’s will and God’s will. Pray God that he continue to give you the Bishops you need. He already is giving you some and calling the sleeping ones to awake, fight and suffer.

This is not a fight for the coward or the feeble. Be strong and prepare to suffer for the sake of your and the World’s salvation. Maybe not with your blood - that is for our brothers and sisters dying presently by the thousands in the Middle-East especially - but with your financial security, your honor, your job. 

As a Canadian leaving in Quebec, I all too well know the hatred that could and surely will be directed toward the US Church. The oppression of the mind that the author describes, how often did I feel it! It’s suffocating at time. But I accept that the time as come to stand and fight were God put me.

When it is written in the Quebec most read french speaking daily that a prominent journalist whishes to Cardinal Ouellet of Quebec City to die a long and painful death just for having said that abortion is a crime…

When this spark of hatred was multiplied a thousand time in all medias to the point that bodily arm seemed around the corner for anything catholic, you know that anyone who will oppose the culture of death will have to pay the price. For now, they just wishes us to die. Not far away they will arrest us and put us on trial. And then what? 

I relax and remember that Jesus told us “Don’t fear for I have overcome the World”. Jus pray that we don’t fall. Pray for the Holy Father. Pray for the Bishops and the religious. Pray for the Church. Pray for Humankind. Pray for all Americans - whatever their denomination or political affiation. And smile ! We’re loved by God, the most fantastic news since the World fall !

@Julia: you missed the whole point of the article.

If that is so, who is the enemy that owns the territory that we are in?  Surely the enemy is the one who owns the territory that we are in.  That makes us “us,” and them “them.”  A stridently antiChristian position to take. And again, having just gone through this election and reading, hearing, and seeing how people made others their enemy and openly wanted to defeat them, it’s just not a way of teaching that God loves them.

God chose Saint Paul.  Jesus ate with prostitutes and tax collectors. 

We are not taught to judge anyone else.  Quite the opposite, and whether you like it or not, the term, enemy, is a stated judgment.

The quote from “The Lord of the Rings” has always resonated with me.  Thank you for the reminder, it brought a measure of comfort.

Thank you.  I know you are right.  But I still don’t feel up to shaking hands with the gay couple n the pew behind me right before receiving the Eucharist.  I’m not strong enough.

Julia, the “enemy” is the devil.  The fallen world we live in the territory.  This world is not our home.  We are just passing through, Heaven is our home.

Julia, I think you missed the mark.

Kathy, I’m sorry, but that is not what the Lord’s Prayer teaches us.  On Earth as it is in Heaven.  It is our responsibility to bring God to Earth.  Man by man, woman by woman.  And the devil cannot own territory, he cannot rule this territory.  A territory is a geographic area.  Geography is an Earth-bound concept.  And even if you want to believe that the devil has the reins of this territory, who lives there?  Clearly humans.  Clearly certain kinds of humans live in the enemy territory, and are thus made our enemies.  And again (and again and again), making anyone at any time our enemy is to drive God out of his heart and his soul into the hands of the devil.  You cannot change another through hate.  Just ask the Islamic terrorists.

Julia, I have not read ANY endorsement of “changing people through hate.”  I recommend taking a deep breath, and reading the article again.

Beautiful.  Worth sharing……I too really think all of the article great but the last paragraph is golden !
Keep on inspiring.  We need it !

I have friends who have completely written me off for voting for Romney.  I refuse to do the same to them for voting for Obama.  In some ways, Julia has it right.  If so many of you want to frame this as warfare, I would then ask what type of tactics we are going to use to win.  Obviously, many of you want the armed-to-the-teeth, knock-down-drag-out version.  I think I’ll opt for stealthier tactics such as breaking bread with “the enemy” and sharing ideas openly and honestly while being an example of living faith (that is where Mr. Archbold and I agree) and defending it as necessary.  As for the “we live in enemy territory” outlook, if that’s the case we might as well make ourselves at home here and get to the know the neighbors.

As people get more and more perverted through false doctrines, and further unsettled through mass migration, familial and financial instability, and environmental corruption, we can’t expect the light of Christians to shine more brightly. Imagine a thick fog settling on Times Square or Las Vegas: would you shine a light in order to get people’s attention? How loud is your voice? How do we spread the Gospel in a world that has too much light, too many words, too much outreach? Hide it?

The “Angry White Guys” (like Mr Archbold?) who the Republicans have relied on were outvoted by others.

The Angry White Guys also put off more moderate swing voters as being unpleasant, dangerous and unchristian.

Thank you for your article, Matt! Keep it up!

Remember that democracy is that form of government which says, “Give us Barabbas.” That’s what that country, that we used to know as America, asked for on election night.

You did a great job with this, Matt. Very helpful.

Peter Kreeft does a good job in this article identifying The Enemy:
http://bit.ly/Tz3HrD

Thanks for the article I enjoyed it very much.

@Jean-Paul
I think you hit the nail on the head. That was a great overview of the spiritual war we are in here on earth. I believe it was Pope Pius XII that said there were three bodies of the church;
1) the Church Triumphant = Souls in heaven
2) church suffering = souls in purgatory
3) church militant = souls on earth. Waging a war for our souls.

If we are baptized, then we were made for spiritual combat. The tactics can be varied but the Truth must always be proclaimed. As Catholics we have an immense responsibility.
Jesus said the ” gates of hell shall not prevail against it” referring to the church established by Him and built by St Peter.
This refers to us as Christian attacking those gates and not us huddled behind ours.

Excellent column.  For the Catholics that voted for those referendums (false compassion) and the President, thinking there will be more freebees, anything that comes from the government has “strings” attached.  There is no free lunch.  I think that the next thing the Churches should do (and lay people can organize this) is help for the poor through us, not through CCHD or Catholic Relief Services.  There are enough Catholic organizations such as “Food for the Poor” and others that we can donate our money too.

I too think we are in for some dark times.  Maybe now the Lord is separating the sheep from the goats.  Somehow we have to inform our fellow Catholic cafeteria friends that this vote may be the end of our religious freedom, and I believe too that the whole catechization methods should be changed.  If necessary, go back to the Baltimore Catechism for the kids, and maybe we should go door to door like the Mormons do.  Hope you are listening Bishops!

I am so disappointed that all the snark and negativity of the Obama campaign worked, but I’m even more amazed that people then turn around and accuse *Republicans* of being nasty, divisive, hateful, etc. etc.

In case you want to see the data, search for the Wesleyan Media Project report on the Presidential race. They found that over 73% of pro-Obama ads were negative vs. 36% of pro-Romney ads. “Furthermore, pro-Romney attacks have almost universally focused on policy (96 percent) whereas the pro-Obama attacks have been using a mix of policy focused critiques (56 percent) and a combination of policy and personally focused critiques (44 percent).”

In other words, even the Romney 2012 “negative” ads almost always focused not on personal attacks but on issues. In contrast, Obama 2012 “negative” ads were personal attacks almost half the time.

Mr. Archibold,
I have been thinking that last paragraph all week. Thank you for putting it into such fine wording.

I hate to break it to you, but we’ve always been in enemy territory. 

Pax,
Jason

Maybe you should leave if you feel everyone is against you. You obviously don’t want to live in a free country where the government can control every move and thought.

If you REALLY want to defend traditional marriage, work to make divorce difficult and remarriage afterwards impossible.

Otherwise, you are merely working to preserve a status quo, which is special rights for heterosexuals.

There is no question whatsoever that our temporary life on Earth must be considered from the truly Christian perspective a passing and unpleasant exile. Jesus Himself said that who wants to save his life will lose it and who wants to lose it will save it. Meister Eckhart considered disinterest or detachment (“abgescheidenheit’) the highest Christian virtue, surpassing even love. Thomas a Kempis couldn’t stress enough the importance of the “contemptus mundi” in his wonderful “De Imitatione Christi”. Even St. Teresa of Avila, that robust and down-to-earth saint, said that this life is like a night spent in a bad tavern. Gerard de Nerval put it more eloquently: “This life is a hovel and a place of ill-repute. I’m ashamed that God should see me here.” The Salve Regina prayer calls us “poor banished children of Eve”, exiled in a “valley of tears”. And so on and so forth. In our 21st-century exuberant naivete we may consider such obvious statements to be “depressing” or “negative” but we reject this fundamental truth at our peril. At the same time, however, we have to endure and defend this lost post for God. What matters is not winning but fighting the good fight.

Humanity Deprives God of Children to Redeem.  Enemy territory is where you think it ought not to be:

Consider the serious effects of the following:
10% of teachers in parochial schools accept the teachings of Holy Mother the Church in regards to birth controlling,
53% of teachers in parochial schools believe Catholics can have an abortion and remain in good standing;
65% of teachers in parochial schools believe that Catholics may divorce and remarry. 
  Statistics from:  “Tumultuous Times” by Father Dominic Radecki and Father Francisco Radecki, page 496.

The following is from a Christmas letter by Archbishops (later Cardinal) Hayes in 1921:

‘Heinous is the sin committed against the creative act of God, Who through the marriage contract invites man and woman to cooperate with Him in the propagation of the human family. To take life after its inception is a horrible crime; but to prevent human life that the Creator is about to bring into being, IS SATANIC (my emphasis). 

In the first instance, the body is killed, while the soul lives on; in the latter, not only a body but an immortal soul is denied existence in time and in eternity. It has been reserved to our day to see advocated shamelessly the legalizing of such a diabolical thing.’
http://www.cfnews.org/Hayes-Christmas.htm

I pleased (and surprised) that the “Death with Dignity” amendment failed to pass in Massachusetts.

So aren’t our youth in enemy territory who attend the U S bishops’ schools.  They are enticed towards vices and concupiscence.  Beginning in kindergarten students are led to become enemies of God.  With sexualized catechetical instructions, youth become trapped in worldliness unable to seek the Kingdom of God.  Innocent youth are captives in classrooms and CCD programs that expose them to pornographic materials that will interfere with their human natural growth and development.  Sexualized catechetics such as the “Growing In Love” series with an imprimatur gives information beyond the natural curiosities of youth.
 
http://www.motherswatch.net/content/view/12/6/ - Part 1                         http://www.motherswatch.net/content/view/15/6/ - Part 2

Posted by Lynne on Thursday, Nov 15, 2012 11:26 AM (EDT):I pleased (and surprised) that the “Death with Dignity” amendment failed to pass in Massachusetts.
*****************
Some thanks can be given to Ted Kennedy’s widow who opposed it & wrote a newspaper article stating her opposition.