Young Men, Against All Odds, Are Awakening to the Sacred

“The Glory of God is man fully alive.” —St. Irenaeus

By the time I was nearing high school graduation in the 1970s, my friend Jimmy Patridge, a young Marine, had already returned from Vietnam—missing both of his legs. The sexual revolution of the 1960s was in full swing, abortion had been legalized, and the Church seemed as confused as I was. At the same time, I became aware of two opposing forces: a dark presence in the world, and the voice of my conscience. Rebelling against what I could not understand, I left home, diploma in hand, searching for truth and a way to live my life with purpose.

Today’s young people face a culture in even greater crisis than the one I encountered. It is an era that has largely forgotten God—one in which 90 percent of young people embrace moral relativism, denying the existence of objective truth. This rejection of absolute truth has led to a culture of death, where human life is devalued and moral confusion reigns.

Having accepted the destruction of life in the womb, society now embraces a dangerous gender ideology—one that sterilizes and mutilates its most innocent members: children. Worse yet, these horrors are enshrined in law, leaving a lasting stain on our nation. By rejecting God’s plan for human flourishing, especially in the realm of sexuality, we are witnessing a revolution not only against children but against marriage and the family itself. The 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, which redefined marriage, has had a ripple effect, accelerating our society’s descent into irrationality.

Consider the irrational attacks on Elon Musk and the violent bombing of Tesla showrooms—echoing the chaos of the BLM and Antifa riots that destroyed cities and minority-owned businesses. As Bishop Fulton Sheen observed, this reflects a dangerous mindset: action before reason—acting first, thinking (if at all) later. Rather than addressing the corruption within the Deep State and the NGOs colluding with them, people lash out at those who expose the truth. The chaos of the BLM and Antifa riots destroyed cities and minority-owned businesses….as Bishop Fulton Sheen observed, this reflects a dangerous mindset: action before reasonTweet This

This widespread insanity and moral collapse seemed to be reaching its climax when, against all odds, something remarkable began to stir. 

Instead of succumbing to despair, young men across the country have started to awaken to the Sacred—and they are finding God residing in their hearts. They are discovering that there have always been two fundamental worldviews, or forces—two systems that humanity is free to choose from: The city of man, in which man makes himself god—we will be like God, deciding what is good and what is evil (see Genesis 3:5); or the city of God, where man acknowledges God and goes out to seek the “truth,” asking, “How shall I live?”

In their rediscovery of the Sacred—they are also discovering that a nation is not merely a political entity; it has a soul, shaped by the collective hearts of its people. A society can either build a culture of life, love, and truth, or one of death, division, and deception. When individuals reject objective truth in favor of personal feelings and opinions, they sever themselves from the moral foundations that sustain the human person—those foundations that, in turn, build a culture and a civilization of life and human flourishing.

Bishop Fulton Sheen foresaw this crisis as early as 1974: 

First of all, we are at the end of Christendom. Not Christianity, not the Church, but Christendom—that is, economic, political, and social life as inspired by Christian principles. That is ending—we’ve seen it die. Look at the symptoms: the breakup of the family, divorce, immorality, general dishonesty.

That was nearly 50 years ago. Today, the situation is far worse. Corruption has infiltrated nearly every institution—including the Church. The right to life has been replaced by the right to kill the innocent. Marriage and family have been redefined into meaninglessness. Meanwhile, radical gender ideologies are imposed on children, with parents forced into submission by a weaponized justice system.

Many people sense that something is terribly wrong, yet, like the proverbial frog in boiling water, they have grown apathetic. Their consciences, dulled by moral relativism, make them easy prey for those who manipulate emotions with calls for “niceness,” “kindness,” and “compassion”—regardless of what is true, good, or beautiful. They have forgotten that true love is not mere kindness; it is the will to seek the good of another. Allowing children to be murdered in the womb, sterilized, or surgically mutilated is neither kind nor loving.

What has become increasingly clear is that the battle is intensifying. But this is not a battle of Left versus Right, or race against race. The real struggle is between Christ and Satan. It is a spiritual battle, and the forces led by Satan seek nothing less than the destruction of humanity.

What is the solution to this rising tide of evil? St. John answers clearly:

“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). 

Pope John Paul II prepared his final message for the world to be shared on Divine Mercy Sunday April 3, 2005. He would pass away on April 2, but his message was read the following day by Archbishop Leonardo Sandri during the Regina Caeli in St. Peter’s Square:

As a gift to humanity, which sometimes seems bewildered and overwhelmed by the power of evil, selfishness and fear, the Risen Lord offers his love that pardons, reconciles and reopens hearts to love. It is a love that converts hearts and gives peace. How much the world needs to understand and accept Divine Mercy! Lord, who reveal the Father’s love by your death and Resurrection, we believe in you and confidently repeat to you today: Jesus, I trust in you, have mercy upon us and upon the whole world.  

This message underscores John Paul II’s enduring emphasis on the importance of Divine Mercy in offering hope and reconciliation to humanity.

As Divine Mercy Sunday just passed, it is good to remember that human history is not merely the product of political movements or economic forces. It is, at its core, a spiritual confrontation between two powers: the force of attraction emanating from the wounded Heart of the Crucified and Risen Christ, and the power of Satan, who refuses to relinquish his dominion. The battlefield is the human heart, where each individual must choose which force to embrace (see Cardinal Caffarra’s address for the fourth annual Rome Life Forum, May 19, 2017).

The culture we create reflects this internal battle. Every society must choose between the culture of truth and life or the culture of lies and death. There is a voice that the faithful hear—one that the tyrants of this present darkness have rejected. 

And He who sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”…And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water without price from the fountain of the water of life. He who conquers shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he shall be my son” (Revelation 21:5-7).

Listen carefully, and you will still hear the voice of John Paul II calling out, “Be not afraid.”