“Son of man, I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel: and thou shalt hear the word out of my mouth, and shalt tell it them from me” (Ezekiel 3:17)

“And if the watchman see the sword coming, and sound not the trumpet: and the people look not to themselves, and the sword come, and take any person from among them: he is taken away in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at the hand of the watchman. So thou, O son of man, I have made thee a watchman to the house of Israel: thou therefore shall hear the word from my mouth, and shalt tell it them from me” (Ezekiel 33:6-7). 

These are not gentle words. They are a charge from the Living God – a command that pierces through centuries and lands in our own time. The watchman’s duty is not to sleep when the night is dark, nor to hide when danger approaches. His post is high upon the wall, his ear tuned to the voice of God, his eyes fixed on the horizon. When the sword comes – whether that sword is the lie, the heresy, the corruption, or the sin that destroys – the watchman must sound the trumpet. 

Today marks not only the beginning of a new podcast, The Watchman’s Lamp, but the public launch of a work that has been forming in prayer for many months – Pillars of Faith. This apostolate is founded to strengthen and defend the faithful in an age of confusion, to hold fast to the Sacred Tradition of the Church, and to proclaim Christ without compromise.

The Watchman’s Lamp will serve as the voice of this mission – a place where truth will be spoken plainly, where the light of God’s word will be held high, and where the call to holiness will be sounded without apology. 

We launch on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary because she is the Tower of David, the one who crushes the serpent’s head. Under her mantle, this apostolate takes its stand.

The role of the watchman is not a human intention; it is God’s own appointment. The Lord told Isaiah:

“Upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen all the day and all the night, they shall never hold their peace” (Isaiah 62:6).

Silence is not an option for the one charged with guarding the flock. Pope St. Felix III declared: “Not to oppose error is to approve it, and not to defend truth is to suppress it, and indeed to neglect to confound evil men, when we can do it, is no less a sin than to encourage them.”

A watchman who fails to warn is guilty of the blood of the people. This is not poetic imagery – it is a sober reality. The shepherd who keeps silent when wolves approach has betrayed his trust.

We live in a time when the dangers are both within and without. In the world, war looms, moral law is mocked, and the sanctity of life is trampled. In the Church, confusion spreads – doctrine is blurred, sin is excused, and in some places, even celebrated.

The Apostle Paul warned us: “For there shall be a time when they will not endure sound doctrine but, according to their own desires, they will heap to themselves teachers having itching ears. And will indeed turn away their hearing from the truth, but will be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). 

Pope St. Pius X said with piercing clarity: “The greatest obstacle in the apostolate of the Church is the timidity or rather the cowardice of the faithful.”

This is why the watchman’s voice must not falter. The truth must be spoken – not with arrogance, but with the fire of charity, for the salvation of souls.

Why “The Watchman’s Lamp”? Because the trumpet warns, but the lamp guides. Psalm 118:105 tells us: “Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my paths.”

The oil that fuels the lamp is the Word of God and the Sacred Tradition of the Church. If we neglect either, the flame will dim. And the lamp must be held high so the faithful can walk without stumbling, and so the darkness is driven back. 

The watchman does not speak in vague generalities when the enemy is at the gate. In our time, we must name the evils – whether they arise in the culture of death outside the Church, or in doctrinal betrayal within. The Apostle Paul said: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema” (Galatians 1:8).

Love demands clarity. Souls are at stake.

This mission is not mine alone. Every baptized Catholic is called to stand guard – in your home, your parish, your workplace, your community. Christ Himself said:

“You are the light of the world. A city seated on a mountain cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all that are in the house. So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16)

St. Catherine of Siena exhorted: “If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world on fire.”

Your voice, your witness, your prayer – these are your trumpet blasts in the darkness.

So here we begin – The Watchman’s Lamp, the voice of Pillars of Faith. Our mission: to stand on the walls, to keep the lamp burning, and to sound the trumpet when the sword approaches. We will speak the truth of Jesus Christ, rooted in His Church, under the mantle of Our Lady, for the salvation of souls.

This charge is not given in times of ease. It is given in the midst of battle. The watchman’s task is often lonely. His warnings may be met with ridicule or anger. But silence would be betrayal, and the cost of cowardice is souls lost. 

We stand in a line of watchmen that stretches back to the prophets, the apostles, and the saints – those who would rather die than deny Christ. We are heirs to their courage and their commission. And now the post is ours.

Hold fast, dear brothers and sisters. The night is dark, but the dawn will break. The trumpet will one day be silenced, not because the watchman has fallen, but because the King has come and the war is over. Until then – the wall is ours to guard.

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. Our Lady, Queen of the Watchmen, intercede for us and keep our lamps burning bright until the Bridegroom comes. Sacred Heart of Jesus, burning furnace of charity, set our hearts ablaze with love for Thee and zeal for souls.

And may Almighty God bless you, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Bishop Joseph E. Strickland

Bishop Emeritus