In a homily honoring the Vendee martyrs of France, Cardinal Robert Sarah dared the faithful to stand up to the modern persecutors of the family and to become the “joyful spearheads” of a revolt against this “new dictatorship of selfishness.”
The Catholic Herald is reporting on the inspiring homily given by the Cardinal at a Mass honoring the martyrs of Vendee. The war of Vendee, which lasted from March to December, 1793, was an uprising led by Catholic peasants against France’s revolutionary republican government. The rebellion was ultimately quashed and in the aftermath, tens of thousands of civilians were massacred by the so-called “Infernal Columns” of soldiers led by republican general Louis Marie Turreau. Many of the slaughtered have been beatified by the Church.
Cardinal Sarah pointed to this infamous column of murdering soldiers and said they are the equivalent of those who advocate for sterilization, abortion and population control, especially for Africa. These modern “columns of death” are relativism, indifferentism and contempt for God, he said.
“Once again today, more than ever, revolutionary ideologists want to annihilate the natural place of self-giving, joyful generosity and of love. I want to talk about the family! Gender ideology, and contempt for fertility and fidelity are the many slogans of this revolution.”
Just as in the time of the Vendee, today’s revolutionaries want to eliminate the family.
“These new revolutionaries are worried by the generosity of large families. They ridicule Christian families, for they embody all that they hate. They are ready to launch new Infernal Columns on Africa to put pressure on families and impose sterilization, abortion and contraception. Africa, like the Vendée, will resist! Christian families everywhere must be the joyful spearheads of a revolt against this new dictatorship of selfishness!”
He then asked the congregation, “Who will rise today for God? Who will dare confront the modern persecutors of the Church? Who will have the courage to rise up without any weapons other than the rosary and the Sacred Heart, to face the columns of death of our time? Who will say to this world that the only freedom worth dying for is the freedom to believe?”
The Guinean Cardinal then called upon the French people to live up to the reputation of their Vendean ancestors and stand up for traditional Christianity.
“Today in the East, Pakistan and Africa, our Christian brothers die for their faith, crushed by the pillars of persecuting Islamism. And you, people of France, you, people of Vendée, when will you rise with the peaceful weapons of prayer and charity to defend your faith?
“My friends, the blood of martyrs flows in your veins, be faithful to it! We are all spiritually sons of la Vendée martyre!”
May we all embrace the prayer given in 1996 by St. John Paul to youth while addressing the same subject of the heroic martyrs of Vendee:
“I pray that the martyrs of times past will guide you on your way, so that they will keep you free from all influence and power, and communicate to you their joy in believing and their courage in serving, after the example of Christ.”
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In The Rosary: Your Weapon for Spiritual Warfare, we are reminded that in the hands of the faithful, the Rosary is the most powerful weapon we can wield against the evils of our day. Click here to read more!
