We live in a time where evil has become so blatant, that it’s paraded in the streets, legislated in parliaments, and even worse – tolerated in some places in the Church. And we wonder, how long will God allow all this to continue? But we should not despair, because even now, God is offering mercy. But that mercy depends, in part, on whether we are willing to pray and sacrifice for the conversion of sinners.

This is the key point made in this Sunday’s First Reading from the book of Genesis (18:1-10). God revealed to Abraham He is going to judge Sodom and Gomorrah because “their sin is very grave.” But Abraham didn’t say, “Good, they deserve it!” On the contrary, he pleaded, and even bargained with God to have mercy and spare them for the sake of the few good souls there. And God listened to Abraham, and in the end He spared Sodom for the sake of ten righteous souls in the city, which teaches us that intercession matters. Sacrifice and prayer can hold back the hand of God’s justice.

The sins of our time cry out to Heaven for justice. The world is in rebellion against God, with war, violence, murder, immorality, confusion and atheism. Right now in England, Parliament is considering legislation that would legalise assisted suicide and abortion right up to the moment of birth! And today we find these sins, in some instances, being promoted by those who claim to be Catholic. This is part of what Pope St John Paul II (1920-2005) called the “culture of death.”

We might ask the question, “Why should I pray and sacrifice and do penance for the wicked?” The answer is, because JESUS died for them and He wants everyone to be saved. And God has willed that the prayers and sacrifices of the faithful can help save the unfaithful. As St Paul writes, we are asked to “complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions” (Colossians 1:24). This doesn’t mean Our Lord’s sacrifice was insufficient. It means we are called to share in His redemptive work.

This is why Our Lady came to Fatima in Portugal in 1917. In the apparition on 19th August, she said, “Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves and pray for them.”

So we must become like Abraham, begging the Lord’s mercy. When he prayed, judgment on Sodom was delayed.  But we must also do what Our Lady asked for at Fatima: pray the Rosary daily, wear the Brown Scapular, offer sacrifices for the conversion of sinners, and make the Five First Saturdays Devotion. God listened to Abraham. He will listen to us if we act with faith and love.

We don’t have to be powerless spectators in the face of evil.  By virtue of our Confirmation, we are soldiers of Christ engaged in spiritual battle, and Heaven has told us what to do. If we pray, do penance and live in a state of grace, and beg God to convert the world, He can work wonders even through a small number of the faithful. Let us be ready to offer our sufferings, speak out when we can, and love heroically, for the honour of God and for the salvation of souls.

Fr Paul Gillham, IC