{"id":33636,"date":"2018-03-29T13:20:22","date_gmt":"2018-03-29T19:20:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/?p=33636"},"modified":"2018-04-02T23:46:21","modified_gmt":"2018-04-03T05:46:21","slug":"the-shaking-of-the-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-shaking-of-the-church\/","title":{"rendered":"The Shaking of the Church","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-33639\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/TheBetrayers_499_636-803x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"918\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>FOR<\/b> two weeks after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, a warning continually rose in my heart that the Church was now entering into <i>\u201cdangerous days\u201d<\/i> and a time of <i>\u201cgreat confusion.\u201d<\/i> <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_33636_1('footnote_plugin_reference_33636_1_1');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_33636_1('footnote_plugin_reference_33636_1_1');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_33636_1_1\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">[1]<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_33636_1_1\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Cf. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/2015\/09\/26\/how-do-you-hide-a-tree\/\"><i>How Do You Hide a Tree<\/i><\/a><\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_33636_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_33636_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script> Those words greatly impacted how I would approach this writing apostolate, knowing that it would be necessary to prepare you, my readers, for the Storm winds that were coming.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>And what has been coming? <i>The Passion of the Church<\/i> when she must pass&#8230;<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"color: #040166;\"><b>&#8230;through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers\u2026 The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection.<\/b><\/span> <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">\u2014<i>Catechism of the Catholic Church<\/i>, 675, 677<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Today, the same confusion and pain that hung in the Upper Room at the Last Supper also pervades the Church at this hour. The Apostles were <i>shaken<\/i> by the words that Jesus must suffer and die; <i>shaken<\/i> that His entrance into Jerusalem was not the triumph they were anticipating; <i>shaken<\/i> to find that one among them would betray their Master.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;\">Then Jesus said to them, \u201cThis night all of you will have your faith in me shaken, for it is written: \u2018I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be dispersed\u2019&#8230; (Matthew 26:31)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>On <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/2016\/10\/14\/on-the-eve-2\/\">this eve of the Church\u2019s Passion<\/a>, so too, we are being shaken and in much the same way: through the striking of the shepherd, that is, the <i>hierarchy<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>THE ASS<\/p>\n<p>The sexual scandals that continue to surface have struck the priesthood so deeply that, in many places, the Church has lost her credibility altogether. It\u2019s as though she too now rides an \u201cass of humiliation\u201d into Jerusalem.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><b>As a result, the faith as such becomes unbelievable, and the Church can no longer present herself credibly as the herald of the Lord.<\/b> \u2014POPE BENEDICT XVI, <i>Light of the World, The Pope, the Church, and the Signs of the Times: A Conversation With Peter Seewald<\/i>, p. 25<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>At the same time, Pope Francis has, in often very strong language, challenged the priesthood to embrace a state of life in closer imitation of Our Lord\u2019s humility: to greater simplicity, transparency, and availability.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;\">Behold, your king comes to you, meek and riding on an ass&#8230; (Matt 20:5)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The shunning of everything from the standard papal headquarters, to limousines, and even papal dress has caught the attention of the world. They too have cried out a kind of \u201cHosanna\u201d as they perceive something admirable appearing.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace; font-size: 10pt;\">&#8230;when<\/span><span style=\"font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace; font-size: 10pt;\"> he entered Jerusalem the whole city was shaken&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>But just as the people\u2019s perception of Jesus was misguided\u2014seeing Him still as a mere prophet of their false messianic hopes\u2014so too, the message of mercy of Pope Francis has been misunderstood by many as somehow permission to remain in sin.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;\">\u201cWho is this?\u201d And the crowds replied, \u201cThis is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>THE BETRAYALS<\/p>\n<p>The shaking did not end with Christ\u2019s entrance, but continued to reverberate in the Upper Room when He announced that one of them would betray Him.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;\">Deeply distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another, \u201cSurely it is not I, Lord?\u201d (Matthew 26:22)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>One thing is certain of the pontificate of Francis: it is leading to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/2017\/07\/20\/when-the-weeds-begin-to-head\/\"><em>great sifting<\/em><\/a> at this hour, one in which the \u201cfaith\u201d of each of us is being tested to one degree or another.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><b>\u2026as Christ told Peter, \u201cSimon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat,\u201d today \u201cwe are once more painfully aware that Satan has been permitted to sift the disciples before the whole world.\u201d<\/b> \u2014POPE BENEDICT XVI, Mass of the Lord\u2019s Supper, April 21st, 2011<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The spontaneous style and unfamiliar ambiguity of this pope has led to not only sharp differences in interpreting papal documents, but to various camps claiming that <i>they<\/i> are the ones who are most faithful to the Gospels.\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;\">Peter said to him in reply, \u201cThough all may have their faith in you shaken, mine will never be.\u201d (Matthew 26:33)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In the end, it was not only Judas, but Peter who betrayed Christ. Judas, because he rejected Truth; Peter, because he was ashamed of It.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>JUDAS AMONG US<\/p>\n<p>What we are witnessing today is something akin to the Last Supper where Judases are now emerging. Bishops and priests who had been somewhat in the shadows are now, like Judas, feeling emboldened by the program of Pope Francis, playing upon the ambiguities that his leadership style has brought about. Rather than interpret these ambiguities as they should\u2014through the lens of Sacred Tradition\u2014they have risen from the Table of Christ and sold the Truth for \u201cthirty pieces of silver\u201d (that is, hollow and empty hopes). Why should this surprise us? If it was in the context of the Holy Mass that Judas would rise to betray the Lord, so too, it will be those who share the Divine Banquet with us who will also rise to betray the Lord <i>in the hour of our Passion.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<p>And how are they betraying the Body of Christ?<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace; font-size: 10pt;\">There came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him; but Jesus said to him, &#8220;Judas, would you betray the Son of man with a kiss?&#8221; (Luke 22:47-48)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Yes, these men have arisen to \u201ckiss\u201d the Body of Christ with a false and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/2018\/01\/16\/the-anti-mercy\/\"><i>Anti-Mercy<\/i><\/a>, the casuistry of words that appear as \u201clove\u201d, \u201cmercy\u201d, and \u201clight\u201d but are darkness in reality. They do not lead to that truth which alone sets us free\u2014to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/06\/the-authentic-mercy\/\"><i>Authentic Mercy<\/i><\/a>. Whether it is entire bishop\u2019s conferences twisting Tradition, Catholic universities giving platforms to heretics, Catholic politicians selling out, or Catholic schools teaching explicit sex education&#8230; we are seeing a deep betrayal of He who is Truth on nearly every level of society. <\/p>\n<p> In fact, many Catholics feel abandoned most especially by Pope Francis for <i>seemingly<\/i> ignoring the apparent crisis. Questions remain for some as to why he has gathered many of these \u201cliberal\u201d men around him; why he permits these Judases to operate freely; or why he does not explicitly answer the Cardinals\u2019 \u201cdubia\u201d\u2014their request for clarification on matters of marriage and objective sin. I believe one answer is that <i>these things must happen as the hour of the Church\u2019s Passion has come<\/i>. It is Christ, ultimately, who is permitting this since it is He\u2014not the Pope\u2014who is \u201cbuilding\u201d His Church. <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_33636_1('footnote_plugin_reference_33636_1_2');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_33636_1('footnote_plugin_reference_33636_1_2');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_33636_1_2\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">[2]<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_33636_1_2\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Cf. Matt 16:18<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_33636_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_33636_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, while Judas was betraying Him and the Apostles were drawing swords to stop all the nonsense, Jesus was preoccupied with showing mercy to the very last minute\u2014even to those who would arrest Him:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;\">Jesus said, &#8220;No more of this!&#8221; And he touched his ear and healed him. (Luke 22:51)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>PETER\u2019S DENIAL<\/p>\n<p>Sadly\u2014perhaps even more sadly than Judas\u2019 inevitable betrayal\u2014are the Peters among us. I have been deeply struck this past week by the words of St. Paul:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;\">Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>It is not the heretical priests or progressive bishops rising into the night that have surprised me; it is those whom have turned against the Church with the same anger and denial that Peter unleashed on that sorrowful night. Recall when Peter first objected to the notion that Jesus would \u201csuffer and die\u201d:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;\">Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, \u201cGod forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.\u201d He turned and said to Peter, \u201cGet behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.\u201d (Matt 16:22-23)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>This is symbolic of those who cannot accept a Church not made in their own image. They are disgruntled with the confusion of this present pontificate, the impoverished post-Vatican II liturgy, and general lack of reverence (all of which is true). But rather than remain with Christ in this Gethsemane, they are fleeing the Church. They are not thinking as God does, but as human beings do. For they do not perceive that the Church must undergo her own Passion as well. They cannot see that this present distress is actually a test to see if their faith is in Jesus Christ&#8230; or in the past glory of an institution. They are ashamed, as Peter was of Jesus, to see the Body of Christ in such poor estate.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace; font-size: 10pt;\">At that he began to curse and to swear, \u201cI do not know the man.\u201d And immediately a cock crowed. (Matthew 26:74)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><b>We too find it hard to accept that he bound himself to the limitations of his Church and her ministers. We too do not want to accept that he is powerless in this world. We too find excuses when being his disciples starts becoming too costly, too dangerous. All of us need the conversion which enables us to accept Jesus in his reality as God and man. We need the humility of the disciple who follows the will of his Master.<\/b> \u2014POPE BENEDICT XVI, Mass of the Lord\u2019s Supper, April 21st, 2011<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Yes, I love chant, candles, cassocks, icons, incense, high altars, statues, and stained-glass windows as much as any sedevacantist. But I also believe that Jesus will strip us completely of these in order to bring us again to the center of our Faith, which is the Cross (and our duty to proclaim it with our lives). The fact, however, is that many would rather celebrate the Mass in Latin than they would preserve the unity of the Body of Christ. <\/p>\n<p> And His Body is being broken all over again.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>JOHN\u2019S FIAT<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><b>For us, the empty places at the table of the Lord\u2019s wedding feast\u2026 invitations refused, lack of interest in him and his closeness\u2026 whether excusable or not, are no longer a parable but a reality, in those very countries to which he had revealed his closeness in a special way.<\/b> \u2014POPE BENEDICT XVI, Mass of the Lord\u2019s Supper, April 21st, 2011<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Brothers and sisters, I say these things on this somber evening, not to accuse, but to awaken us to the hour in which we are living. For, like the Apostles in Gethsemane, many have fallen asleep&#8230;<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><b>It\u2019s our very sleepiness to the presence of God that renders us insensitive to evil: we don\u2019t hear God because we don\u2019t want to be disturbed, and so we remain indifferent to evil&#8230; the sleepiness\u2019 is ours, of those of us who do not want to see the full force of evil and do not want to enter into his Passion.<\/b> \u2014POPE BENEDICT XVI, Catholic News Agency, Vatican City, Apr 20, 2011, General Audience<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><i>\u201cSurely it is not I, Lord?\u201d&#8230;. \u201cWhoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p>According to the Gospels, when the time of sifting came, all the Apostles fled the garden. And so, we might be tempted to despair saying, \u201cWill I too, Lord, betray you? It must be inevitable!\u201d <\/p>\n<p> Yet, there was one disciple who did not ultimately abandon Jesus: St. John. And here is why. At the Last Supper, we read:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;\">One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was lying close to the breast of Jesus. (John 13:23)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Even though John fled the Garden, he returned to the foot of the Cross. Why? Because <i>he had been lying close to the breast of Jesus.<\/i> John listened to the heartbeats of God, the voice of the Shepherd that repeated over and over again, \u201c<i>I am mercy. I am mercy. I am mercy\u2026 trust in Me.\u201d<\/i> John would later write, <i>\u201cPerfect loves drives out fear&#8230;\u201d<\/i> <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_33636_1('footnote_plugin_reference_33636_1_3');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_33636_1('footnote_plugin_reference_33636_1_3');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_33636_1_3\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">[3]<\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_33636_1_3\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">1 John 4:18<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_33636_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_33636_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script> It was the echo of those heartbeats that guided John to the Cross. The song of love from the Savior\u2019s Sacred Heart drowned out the voice of fear.<\/p>\n<p>What I am saying is that the antidote to apostasy in these times is not a mere strict adherence to Sacred Tradition. Indeed, it was the legalists who arrested Jesus and the Pharisees who demanded His crucifixion. Rather, it is the one who comes to Him like a little child, not only obeying everything He has revealed, but more than anything laying their head upon His breast in a constant communion of prayer. By this I do not mean simply rote words, but <i>prayer from the heart.<\/i> It is not just to pray to God, but to have a <i>relationship<\/i> with Him&#8230; a close sharing between \u201cfriends.\u201d All this takes place, not just in the head, but most especially in the heart.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><span style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif; color: #030361;\"><b>The heart is the dwelling-place where I am, where I live&#8230; the heart is the place &#8220;to which I withdraw\u201d&#8230; It is the place of truth, where we choose life or death. It is the place of encounter, because as image of God we live in relation: it is the place of covenant&#8230;. Christian prayer is a covenant relationship between God and man in Christ. It is the action of God and of man, springing forth from both the Holy Spirit and ourselves, wholly directed to the Father, in union with the human will of the Son of God made man&#8230; prayer is the living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is good beyond measure, with his Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit. The grace of the Kingdom is &#8220;the union of the entire holy and royal Trinity&#8230; with the whole human spirit.&#8221; Thus, the life of prayer is the habit of being in the presence of the thrice-holy God and in communion with him.<\/b><\/span> \u2014<i>Catechism of the Catholic Church<\/i>, n. 2563-2565<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As we enter now into the Easter Triduum, I leave you with Our Lord\u2019s own alleged words regarding the \u201cpassion, death, and resurrection\u201d of the Church, given on Pentecost Monday of May, 1975 in St. Peter\u2019s Square in the presence of Pope Paul VI:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><b><i>Because I love you, I want to show you what I am doing in the world today. I want to prepare you for what is to come. Days of darkness are coming on the world, days of tribulation\u2026 Buildings that are now standing will not be standing. Supports that are there for my people now will not be there. I want you to be prepared, my people, to know only me and to cleave to me and to have me in a way deeper than ever before. I will lead you into the desert\u2026 I will strip you of everything that you are depending on now, so you depend just on me. A time of darkness is coming on the world, but a time of glory is coming for my Church, a time of glory is coming for my people. I will pour out on you all the gifts of my Spirit. I will prepare you for spiritual combat; I will prepare you for a time of evangelism that the world has never seen\u2026. And when you have nothing but me, you will have everything: land, fields, homes, and brothers and sisters and love and joy and peace more than ever before. Be ready, my people, I want to prepare you\u2026<\/i><\/b> \u2014given to Ralph Martin at a gathering with the Pope and the Charismatic Renewal Movement<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">RELATED READING<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/2014\/01\/10\/francis-and-the-coming-passion-of-the-church\/\"><b><i>Francis, and the Coming Passion of the Church<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/27\/the-dipping-dish\/\"><b><i>The Dipping Dish<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/2017\/07\/20\/when-the-weeds-begin-to-head\/\"><b><i>When the Weeds Begin to Head<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/2011\/04\/23\/will-i-run-too\/\"><b><i>Will I Run Too?<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/2017\/08\/31\/hanging-by-a-thread\/\"><em><strong>Hanging By a Thread<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/2016\/10\/14\/on-the-eve-2\/\"><b><i>On the Eve<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><b>Bless you and thank you<br \/>\n <\/b><b>for your almsgiving this Lent!<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/donations\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Donateovalbtnonbeige.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"112\" height=\"48\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\">To journey with Mark in\u00a0<strong><em>The <\/em><\/strong><em><strong>Now Word<\/strong><\/em>,<em><br \/>\n <\/em>click on the banner below to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/subscribe\/\">subscribe<\/a>. <br \/>\n Your email will not be shared with anyone.<br \/>\n <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/subscribe\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-25916\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/now-word-banner.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"469\" height=\"153\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/now-word-banner.jpeg 850w, https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/now-word-banner-300x98.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/now-word-banner-768x250.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 469px) 100vw, 469px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"speaker-mute footnotes_reference_container\"> <div class=\"footnote_container_prepare\"><p><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_reference_container_label pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_33636_1();\"><h5>Footnotes<\/h5><\/span><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_reference_container_collapse_button\" style=\"display: none;\" onclick=\"footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_33636_1();\">[<a id=\"footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_33636_1\">+<\/a>]<\/span><\/p><\/div> <div id=\"footnote_references_container_33636_1\" style=\"\"><table class=\"footnotes_table footnote-reference-container\"><caption class=\"accessibility\"><h5>Footnotes<\/h5><\/caption> <tbody> \r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_33636_1_1\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_33636_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_33636_1_1');\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_plugin_link\" ><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>1<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Cf. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/2015\/09\/26\/how-do-you-hide-a-tree\/\"><i>How Do You Hide a Tree<\/i><\/a><\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_33636_1_2\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_33636_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_33636_1_2');\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_plugin_link\" ><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>2<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Cf. Matt 16:18<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_33636_1_3\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_33636_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_33636_1_3');\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_plugin_link\" ><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8593;<\/span>3<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">1 John 4:18<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n <\/tbody> <\/table> <\/div><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> function footnote_expand_reference_container_33636_1() { jQuery('#footnote_references_container_33636_1').show(); jQuery('#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_33636_1').text('\u2212'); } function footnote_collapse_reference_container_33636_1() { jQuery('#footnote_references_container_33636_1').hide(); jQuery('#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_33636_1').text('+'); } function footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_33636_1() { if (jQuery('#footnote_references_container_33636_1').is(':hidden')) { footnote_expand_reference_container_33636_1(); } else { footnote_collapse_reference_container_33636_1(); } } function footnote_moveToReference_33636_1(p_str_TargetID) { footnote_expand_reference_container_33636_1(); var l_obj_Target = jQuery('#' + p_str_TargetID); if (l_obj_Target.length) { jQuery( 'html, body' ).delay( 0 ); jQuery('html, body').animate({ scrollTop: l_obj_Target.offset().top - window.innerHeight * 0.2 }, 380); } } function footnote_moveToAnchor_33636_1(p_str_TargetID) { footnote_expand_reference_container_33636_1(); var l_obj_Target = jQuery('#' + p_str_TargetID); if (l_obj_Target.length) { jQuery( 'html, body' ).delay( 0 ); jQuery('html, body').animate({ scrollTop: l_obj_Target.offset().top - window.innerHeight * 0.2 }, 380); } }<\/script>","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; FOR two weeks after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, a warning continually rose in my heart that the Church was now entering into \u201cdangerous days\u201d and a time of \u201cgreat confusion.\u201d [1]Cf. How Do You Hide a Tree Those words greatly impacted how I would approach this writing apostolate, knowing that it would [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-journal","category-the-great-trial"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Shaking of the Church - The Now Word<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.markmallett.com\/blog\/the-shaking-of-the-church\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Shaking of the Church - The Now Word\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&nbsp; FOR two weeks after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, a warning continually rose in my heart that the Church was now entering into \u201cdangerous days\u201d and a time of \u201cgreat confusion.\u201d [1]Cf. 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