The world hates you and me.

I am visibly upset with anti-Catholic and anti-Christian governments and religions, i.e. China and Islamic nations. The amount of persecution in this world is saddening.

I also choose to defend the Faith when others attack it.

Here's some scripture for you: 1st John 2: 15-17. (Douay-Rheims)

Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world. If any man love the world, the charity of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, is the concupiscence of the flesh, and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life, which is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the concupiscence thereof: but he that doth the will of God, abideth for ever.

OK. It doesn't say to hate the world, but I don't. All the world is God's creation. We can't hate it, but if we love it more than we love God. If we seek worldly pleasures like being strung out on crack or having orgies, we greatly impair our relationship with God to the point of mortal sin and separating ourselves from the Love of God.

The world will pass away, and its sin with with it. And those of us who remain faithful to the end will rejoice in paradise with Christ forever. (see Matt. 24:13)

Meanwhile, the world continues to hate me. You say that's not me? They are Christians. They are my brothers and sisters. We are all members of the body of Christ. (see 1Cor 12ff) If they hate Christians, they hated Christ first, (John 15:18ff) since they did not know Him or the One who sent Him. (John 16:3) They also hate you and me since they know neither the Son nor the Father. Thankfully we have Matthew 10-12 to console us.

And I will continue to pray that, "for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, [Lord,] have mercy on us and on the whole world."

I invite those of you who aren't already praying the chaplet of Divine Mercy to try to pray it at 3pm (the hour of mercy) or at any other time. Only through prayer and God's Mercy and Love may we bring the world to Christ.

Am I bitter? I don't think so. Am I perturbed by all the evil in the world? Yes I am, and I will pray daily to stop it.

Trust in Jesus.

-Andrew