My dear brothers and sisters,
One of the most haunting questions in all of Sacred Scripture comes not from the earth, but from Heaven. It comes from the souls of the martyrs gathered beneath the heavenly altar. They have conquered. They have persevered. They stand in the presence of God. And yet they cry out: “How long, O Lord?” (Revelation 6:10)
It is a question that echoes through every age of the Church. It echoed in the catacombs of Rome. It echoed in the arenas where Christians gave their lives rather than deny Christ. It echoed in the prisons of England during the persecution of the faithful. It echoed in the forests of France during the Revolution. It echoed in Mexico, in Spain, in the lands behind the Iron Curtain, and wherever men and women suffered for the Faith. And today, it echoes in the hearts of many faithful Catholics as well.
The question of the martyrs is not a question of unbelief. It is not a question born of despair. The martyrs know that God is victorious. The martyrs know that Christ reigns. The martyrs know that truth will triumph. Their question is not whether God will act. Their question is when. How long, O Lord?
How long before truth is vindicated? How long before confusion gives way to clarity? How long before the wounds within the Church are healed? How long before the priesthood is restored to the fullness of its beauty and strength? How long before the reign of Christ is more perfectly reflected in His Church and in the world?
As I prepare to travel to Quito, Ecuador, these questions have been very much on my mind. For many Catholics, Quito is associated with one of the most extraordinary interventions of Our Blessed Mother in the history of the Church. Centuries ago, Our Lady appeared to Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres under the title of Our Lady of Good Success.
Mother Mariana was not a visionary seeking attention. She was a religious sister who endured tremendous suffering, misunderstanding, and sacrifice. Like many of the saints, she was called to carry crosses that were often hidden from public view.
The apparitions associated with Our Lady of Good Success, and the warnings given, were not directed toward Mother Mariana’s own century. Rather, they pointed ahead to a time beginning in the twentieth century.
The messages associated with those apparitions contain warnings that have become increasingly familiar to Catholics who observe the condition of the modern world. The messages spoke of a time when faith would be weakened, when innocence would be attacked, when confusion would spread, and when the spirit of the world would seek entrance into places where it did not belong. There would come a time when the priesthood itself would suffer grave trials, when many shepherds would fail in courage, and when the faithful would long for priests who would proclaim the truth without compromise.
Knowing this was foretold should give us peace – not complacency, not indifference – but peace. There is a tremendous difference between a battle that is unexpected and a battle that has already been foreseen. Nothing that is taking place today has escaped the providence of Almighty God.
One of the recurring themes in the messages associated with Our Lady of Good Success concerns the priesthood. This should not surprise us. If Satan wishes to attack the Church, he attacks her priests. If he wishes to weaken the Church, he weakens confidence in the priesthood. If he wishes to wound souls, he seeks first to wound those charged with caring for souls.
The restoration of the Church will not occur apart from the restoration of the priesthood. And the restoration of the priesthood will not occur apart from prayer and sacrifice. Our Lady did not simply warn of a coming crisis. She also offered hope. She spoke of a time when God, in His providence, would raise up faithful priests and courageous bishops who would labor for the renewal of His Church. That promise should strengthen our confidence, even when the darkness around us seems great.
As I prepare to travel to Quito, I humbly ask for your prayers. I will be praying before Our Lady of Good Success for all of you, for our Holy Father, for bishops and priests throughout the world, for religious, for families, and for every soul striving to remain faithful during these difficult times. I ask you to join me spiritually in praying that Our Lady will obtain from her Divine Son a great renewal of holiness within His Church, especially among her shepherds.
The temptation during times of trial is to become discouraged or impatient. We ask, “How long, O Lord?” Yet Heaven continually directs our gaze away from anxiety and toward fidelity. We cannot control the times in which we live, but we can choose to remain faithful in them. Every Rosary prayer, every Holy Communion received worthily, every sacrifice offered with love, every act of charity performed in God’s grace becomes part of His work of restoring His Church.
The martyrs beneath the altar remind us that every earthly struggle must be viewed from a heavenly perspective. They endured suffering. They endured misunderstanding. They endured persecution. Yet they remained faithful. And because they remained faithful, they now stand victorious before the throne of God.
The world often measures success by visible results. God measures success by faithfulness. And so perhaps the question before us is not merely, “How long, O Lord?”
Perhaps the deeper question is this: When the answer comes, when God’s providence unfolds, when restoration arrives in whatever manner He wills, will we have remained faithful?
Will we still be praying? Will we still be trusting? Will we still be standing with Christ? May that be our resolve.
May we remain faithful to the Catholic Faith handed down through the centuries. May we remain faithful to Christ and His Church. May we remain faithful to prayer, to sacrifice, and to charity.
And may Our Lady of Good Success obtain for us the courage, perseverance, and hope necessary for the times in which we live.
Our Lady of Good Success, pray for us.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Bishop Joseph E. Strickland
Bishop Emeritus
