The House of War: Book One Of : THE OMEGA CRUSADE Read Online Free PDF Page B

They don’t want to separate the two. They’re fixing to entomb the church. That’s what they really want. They want to bury us, Father. I am a part of the government that’s driving our Holy Church underground. If I do nothing about it, I will be aiding and abetting in the persecution of my fellow Christians. Would that not put me at odds with God?”
    Monsignor Green sympathizes with the penitent’s concern. It is precisely that fear which brought the thousands of Christians to Washington. It is whyhe left his parish in California to relieve other priests who also traveled from all over the country for the very same reason. They are all concerned. The policies of the new government have put the whole nation at odds with God.
    “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen…”
    The problem is greater than the ceaseless whining of thin-skinned atheists offended by words etched in granite and in marble hundreds of years ago by better men than themselves. The problem is that progressives, in power now for over a decade, have grown ever more emboldened and their ambitions are best served through a secular state. A godless, religion-free state is, in fact, their ultimate aim. To secure it, the progressives need to do more than merely erase certain words from stone; they need to banish them from public discourse altogether. The proposed new law would go a long way to doing just that, silencing their opposition. The law, many fear, will effectively criminalize Christianity.
    There is much at stake, yes; but treason? No. It is unacceptable to Monsignor Green.
    “Hail Mary, full of grace…”
    “Our hope lives in prayer,” The Monsignor admonishes. “We should rely on prayer, son. It is our shield and our best weapon.”
    “Blessed are thou among women…”
    “I do pray, Father,” the young man responds. “We all pray. But we must do more than pray!”
    “And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus…”
    “Must we?”
    “Holy Mary…”
    “Yes, Father.”
    “Mother of God…”
    “Including committing the grievous sin of lying?”
    “Forgive us our sins, now and at the hour of our death. Amen…”
    Anthony’s head bows behind the screen. “I’m sorry, Father. I truly am. It’s just that… It’s just that I saw no other way to save my Church and my country.”
    Father Francis closes his eyes and prays for guidance.
    “Hail Mary, full of grace…”
    “Can this lie of yours be undone?”
    “The Lord is with thee…”
    “No, Father,” the young man answers. “It’s out of my hands now.”
    “Blessed are thou among women…”
    “Is there to be bloodshed?”
    “And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus…”
    There is a pause as the penitent exhales slowly. “Not if we can help it, Father.”
    “Holy Mary, Mother of God…”
    It is then the Monsignor’s turn to sigh and to pause. “If we shed blood in our cause we cannot claim to be any better than our enemies. Can we, son?”
    “Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen…”
    “We don’t want to fight, Father,” Romero says. “We certainly don’t want to hurt anyone. We just want to be free, as free as God created us to be.”
    “Hail Mary, full of grace…”
    “God wants us to be free of sin,” Monsignor Green says. “That is true freedom. Lying enslaves us to the world and to Satan, the Prince of lies.”
    “The Lord is with thee…”
    The boy’s head drops even lower. “I am sorry Father and I beg our Lord’s forgiveness.”
    “Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus…”
    The Monsignor detects remorse in the young Romero. It is perhaps not as much as the priest thinks is called for, but there is genuine regret mixed in with his rationalization for the lie. The young man is in a difficult position. He recognizes, at least intellectually, that he made the wrong decision, choosing to sin rather than trusting in God. It is a