The Polls are Closed. Mostly.

From the Pastor:    The Polls are Closed. Mostly.

       Now that the 2024 elections are finally, mercifully over (at least in most states, although Arizona is still trying to gin up another 18 million past last minute democrat votes), I will say a few words about them. I am glad this stage of the lying is finished! The new stage of lying to the people is just about to begin but at least this segment of it has come to an end. Well, that’s enough politics. I told you it was only going to be a few words.
       This Monday the nation celebrates Veterans Day. Most years I attend some sort of Veterans Day celebration and listen to politicians giving boring historical talks to groups who know more history of—and have more experience in—war, peace, and being in the military than the blathering politicians do. Yet I go anyway. I figure it’s kind of like you continuing to sit through my sermons, except that I don’t do this every week! This year I planned on attending the Transgendered War Heroes of the Past, Present, and Future medal of dishonor ceremony but it has been canceled because all of the presenters will still be pouting, weeping, mourning, and making Primal Scream videos due to the election results and can’t come out of their safe spaces. It’s just as well, since the... oh, wait, it seems that I almost slipped back into the political realm once again. My apologies. Let me start anew.
       On Monday the Church celebrates a famous Saint who was also a military Veteran, but in the ancient Roman army, rather than ours. Martin of Tours is best known, perhaps, for the story of one cold winter day when he encountered a beggar who was freezing for lack of proper warm clothing. Martin had nothing to give him but the shirt off his back, or, rather, his military cloak. He cut it in half, keeping one part for himself and giving the other half to the poor beggar. He later had a vision of Jesus wearing that half of his cloak. Our Lord, speaking to the surrounding angels, stated, “Martin, yet a catechumen, hath clothed Me with this garment.” Yes, though he practiced Catholicism with great love and devotion, he had not yet been baptized! Young Martin had been raised by pagan parents but in his youth had encountered Catholic priests and hermits and had desired to give his life to “the God of the Christians” as he called Him. By the time he was finally brought into the Church, he was already quite familiar with Her teachings and customs and desired to be a hermit himself. After leaving military life, he continued his study of Catholicism under Saint Hilary, the Bishop of Poitiers, France. Eventually, he was able to witness his own mother (but not, unfortunately, his father), seven cousins, and two great-uncles received into the Church. Bishop Hilary (which is a man’s name, by the way, but let’s not get back into politics) ordained him to the minor order of Exorcist though he could not at that time convince the humble Martin to accept Major Orders. It was as an Exorcist that he first came face to face with demons. He became quite skilled at fighting them off and the more he defeated them the more they attacked. Soon he was given his own demon to pester him, much like God gives us our own guardian angel. This fallen angel was quite powerful and capable of transforming into various shapes. He often appeared in the form of pagan gods, of women, and of beastly animals. The more this devil tormented Martin, the more resolved he was to drive all the demons away, and he destroyed many pagan temples. Soon he was able to see the demons around him, which helped tremendously in his fight against his own demon as well as those afflicting others. His holiness kept increasing with each fight and soon he was performing miracles, including raising several dead people back to life.
       When the Bishop of Tours died, the people clamored for Martin, who had by then founded two famous hermitages, to become their next Bishop. He humbly declined. Not many days later, though, a man came out to his hermitage and begged him to come into the city to care for a dying relative. It was all a ruse, and, as soon as he arrived, a group of Bishops who had been called in for this purpose ordained him Bishop of Tours. So many men of old were ordained against their will as the people insisted on having holy Bishops! Oh, what a difference from recent decades when unholy men clamored for this position in order to enter into demonic activity without earthly consequences and without fear of God and His eternal punishments for such evil doings. St. Martin, wanting nothing to do with being a Bishop, battled heretics and demons while increasing in and spreading holiness, while in this day and age those who desire to be Bishops embrace heretics, make pacts with demons, and want nothing to do with holiness! Sadly, this is the kind of Bishop many (most?) Catholics seem to want today. Oh, how we need St. Martin's intercession!
       Men, if you would like to know more about this great Saint, come to the Martinmas celebration put on by the parish’s Fraternity of St. John the Apostle. It begins Monday evening at 6:00. I am not privy to the plans for the evening so I can’t tell you any more details but each presentation that they have sponsored has been well worth the time. Plus, the food isn’t half-bad, either!

With prayers for your holiness,
Rev. Fr. Edwin Palka

​