The Gates of Hell

My friends came on the Podcast last night, John and Tammy, and shared a bitter story of their family. It ran for three hours, one hour over the live broadcast portion. You can hear it all in the archive here. In that final hour I left my friends with an image, not my own it's in the Book of Matthew, of the Gates of Hell. It particularly resonated with Tammy.

I reminded her that the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against us. Us, the Church, of course, but us. It is a mistake to believe that we of the Church are besieged by evil. It is the Church that has the field! Even now evil is barricaded behind its battlements and we, we, are at the gates. Evil loses in the end.

Those Gates of Hell shall not prevail against us.

Let me tell you that her family took a hit, a terrible blow from the evil behind those gates. A rain of arrows came flying out and struck each of them, wounding them all. Amen, I say to you that they are still standing. Wounded but here. They did not fall.

Some of us will, but not this family. In the end we do win, wounded or not. Those gates shall not stand.

For you, Tammy, my warrior friend. May this battle cry can soothe your mother's heart.

 

And from the Mercy of God, may He reach out and heal the wounded hearts of your children. Lord, hear our prayer.