The need for Catholics to understand the aspect of the Church being militant is greater than ever. With confusion, fear, deception and lies swirling about us we need clear voices and real action from Catholics, but instead of the Church Militant we too often get the Church Milquetoast.

The name of this blog is “Standing on My Head” because one of my aims is to stand people’s perceptions and biases on their heads, to take another view, to see things aslant, and here is today’s upside down vision: so often when we hear the battle cry and hear people repeat what I have just said, that the Church needs to be militant, it is said as either a direct or indirect attack on the clergy and bishops. I’d like to knock that on the head and tell the laypeople who are reading, “Stop blaming the priests and bishops. Why don’t you get on and be more militant and be soldiers in the Lord’s army as you should rather than blaming the priests and bishops all the time?”

Sure, there are plenty of priests who are wolves and thieves. The Lord said there would be false shepherds. Sure there are priests and bishops who are weak, incompetent, corrupt and immoral. It has always been so. Attack them if you must, but why not also be positive and support the many good and courageous priests and bishops during these difficult times? Furthermore, let’s turn our attention to ourselves. Perhaps, just maybe, it could be that the laity get the clergy they deserve. Are not the people in the pews also complacent, indifferent to the rigors of the faith, compromised with the world, locked in petty immorality, corruption, greed and the soft spinelessness that comes with affluence and comfort? When a good priest does come to a lazy, comfortable and liberal parish does he not, more often than not, receive persecution, exclusion, opposition and anger when he tries to pull things together and sharpen the weapons of battle?

The complacency and weakness of the church is not only with the prelates and priests.

Psalm 24 is one of my favorites and in the middle of the psalm is this reminder: “Who is the King of Glory? The Lord, mighty, the valiant, the Lord valiant in war”

The spiritual life is compared to battle all through the Sacred Scriptures, the teaching of the church and the lives of the saints. Find a saint and you will find a warrior. Even the most delicate little flower St Therese of Lisieux says, “Sanctity! It must be won at the point of a sword!” and on her deathbed cries out, “I will die with my weapons in my hand!”

You go girl!

This is the theme of my latest book Immortal Combat-Confronting the Heart of Darkness. One of the most insane things about the modern world is that the church leaders and the worldlings constantly downplay sin and pretend sin is no more than making a few mistakes and a few bad judgements and perhaps being a bit too selfish from time to time. This stupidity in the face of the twentieth century which saw the world plunged into the worst genocide, war, slavery, crime and bloodshed of any age. This in the face of today’s newspaper headlines screaming of rioting and looting in the streets, police brutality, open racism, rage and the sheer ugliness of the worst of humanity showing itself.

This is also why I am helping to host an online Catholic Men’s Conference July 7-9. Called Immortal Combat-Living the Victory it will include about 18 speakers giving short talks. I’ll be giving a keynote welcome and two talks: The Roots of Rage: Resentment, Rivalry and Revenge and Preaching Christ Crucified – the Power of the Cross. Other speakers are Fr Calloway, Fr Leo Patalinghug, Fr Larry Richards and many more.

There will be recorded sessions and live interaction with speakers. I encourage you to sign up and tell others. This new way of holding a conference during the pandemic will encourage, enlighten and strengthen us to be warriors not wimps. Early bird sign up (just $10.00) is open until June 24.

Take part and join the battle with joy! Learn more about the conference here.