Gospel Reflection for The 22nd day of January in the year of Our Lord, 2026
Mark 3:7-12
7 But Jesus retired with his disciples to the sea; and a great multitude followed him from Galilee and Judea, 8 And from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and from beyond the Jordan. And they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, hearing the things which he did, came to him. 9 And he spoke to his disciples that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him. 10 For he healed many, so that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had evils.
11 And the unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him: and they cried, saying: 12 Thou art the Son of God. And he strictly charged them that they should not make him known.
Our culture is utterly opposed to the commandments of God. This may be more true now than at any other time since the advent of Christendom. Ancient Rome and Greece were horribly immoral nations before becoming Christian. Greece was especially hedonistic and Rome was especially violent. Much like our time, they killed unwanted children, exploited and abused those subject to them and did little more than seek to satisfy their lusts, passions and appetites. This, they did without the slightest trace of shame or humility. In fact, they were quite proud. They believed that the great power and excess they enjoyed was a sign that all the evil they did was right and that they were justified in their actions. Even the worst horrors of violence were celebrated as sport and the rape of slaves was commonplace. Wars were often genocidal. While the philosophers wrote of morality, there was no universally accepted moral law because all law comes from the one, eternal, true God.
After centuries of horrific persecution, Rome became a Christian nation. The Holy Roman Emperors decreed that their territories would be ruled with laws based on Christian morality. Pagan nations were civilized. Nearly all the known world became Christian. Compared to what came before and after, this was more than 1,000 years of relative peace. Catholicism was the civilizing element. The Church built schools, hospitals, orphanages, etc. Kings of nations generally submitted to the authority of the Church. For the first time in history, instead of warring tribes, much of humanity was united in the brotherhood of Christ. Human dignity and individual rights began to be recognized. Humanity, it seemed, was evolving into something truly humane. Art, architecture and music flourished. All was not as it should be, but it was certainly improving. Then, the serpent once more entered the garden.
To some extent, the philosophical movements of the educated and elite classes… the so called “enlightenment” thought leaders, did much to turn people away from the teachings and authority of the Church. But, the vast number of “common people”, the lower and middle economic classes, as well as the majority of nobles, remained faithful Catholics. Then, came the Protestant movement, led by Martin Luther. Luther and his followers led entire nations astray and suddenly there was great enmity between Christians. Catholics found themselves at odds with Protestant governments and many were persecuted and died for their faith. Protestants were at odds with Catholic governments and many left their native lands. The Masonic Order was founded in the early 1700s, with the stated goal of opposing the Catholic Church and all monarchies, and within a few generations had overthrown the Catholic government in France and fostered the American Revolution. The Body of Christ was divided.
Not surprisingly, most history textbooks tell this story as part of the great “Progressive” development of humanity. They teach that man threw off the bonds of repression for freedom. Such is obviously not the case. We stand here, in the ruins of Christendom having just witnessed the 1900s in which the Communist, Socialist, Nazi, Fascist and otherwise “Progressive” ideologies led to revolutions, World Wars, the Holocaust, genocides and the slaughter of millions. In that one century, more innocent people were killed for “Progressive” ideals than in all the wars during the previous thousand years. Now, our culture is ravaged by the fruits of this poisonous tree. Marriage is degraded to the point that most children are either born to unwed parents or their parents divorce soon after their birth… if they are not aborted. Crime and drug overdoses are at an all time high. Sexual deviancy is being normalized. Our cities are filled with the homeless. Our quality of life is getting worse, depression and anxiety are common place, our education system fails to educate and our life spans are growing shorter. Modern culture has failed.
We know the cause of our cultural despair and debasement, if we are honest. It is because our ancestors stopped following the commandments of God. The solution is both simple and one of the hardest things we can do – it is to return to the Catholic Church and follow her teachings. It is to accept the authority of God and His Church. It is to strive to be moral people who raise strong families and children who will have a chance at become saints. To live by God’s commandments means we will be hated, ridiculed and persecuted. We also have to insist that our Catholic leaders abide by the commandments of God – those so called Catholic politicians, professors and even priests who support homosexuality, abortion and are even facilitating slavery and prostitution through their support of illegal immigration must be stopped. We can do it… and frankly, if a whole lot of us don’t start doing it soon, America and all of western culture are doomed.
Judson Carroll is the author of several books, including his newest, A Daily Catholic Devotional, Reflections on the Daily Mass Readings January - June, 2026 It is Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GDK16N45
and
Confirmation, an Autobiography of Faith. It is also Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47Q1JNK
His podcast is The Uncensored Catholic https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-uncensored-catholic
Another great reflection Judson. God Bless!
Yes indeed! I agree!!!!!