Woke vs Awake

 

WE are living through a remarkable fulfillment of Sacred Scripture, particularly in the form of a mass denial of truth.

…that which is in question is the faith… I sometimes read the Gospel passage of the end times and I attest that, at this time, some signs of this end are emerging. —POPE PAUL VI, The Secret Paul VI, Jean Guitton, p. 152-153, Reference (7), p. ix.

A key sign of the times, wrote Pope Leo XIII, is the resistance to truth:

…he who resists the truth through malice and turns away from it, sins most grievously against the Holy Ghost. In our days this sin has become so frequent that those dark times seem to have come which were foretold by St. Paul, in which men, blinded by the just judgment of God, should take falsehood for truth, and should believe in “the prince of this world,” who is a liar and the father thereof, as a teacher of truth: “God shall send them the operation of error, to believe lying (2 Thess. 2:10). In the last times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to spirits of error and the doctrines of devils.” (1 Tim. 4:1). —Divinum Illud Munus, n. 10

And at least a shadow, a typical image of the last times is coming over the world. —St. John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890 A.D.), sermon at opening of St. Bernard’s Seminary, October 2, 1873, The Infidelity of the Future

Other translations phrase the “operation of error” as such:

…because they refused to love the truth and so be saved… God sends upon them a strong delusion, ^[1]cf. The Strong Delusion to make them believe what is false… (2 Thessalonians 2:11)

The inescapable context of all of the above is that we have entered the proximate period of the coming of the Antichrist, or “lawless one.” 

…there may be already in the world the “Son of Perdition” of whom the Apostle speaks. —POPE ST. PIUS X, E Supremi, Encyclical On the Restoration of All Things in Christ, n. 3, 5; October 4th, 1903

Prior to the revelation of this “man of sin” would be what St. Paul called an “apostasy”, “rebellion”, or “revolt”, depending upon the translation.^[2]New American Bible, Revised Standard Version, Douay-Rheims, respectively It is a rejection of Truth — when good will be called evil, and evil, good. Early Church Father, Lactantius (c. 250 – c. 325), gives a prescient description of the present hour…

That will be the time in which righteousness shall be cast out, and innocence be hated; in which the wicked shall prey upon the good as enemies; neither law, nor order, nor military discipline ^[3]“Americans Are Losing Trust in the Military”, wsj.com shall be preserved…  —The Divine Institutes, Book VII, Ch. 17

Fast forward some 1700 years, and Pope Benedict XVI essentially confirms Lactantius’ prophecy by comparing our times to the collapse of the Roman Empire when “key principles of law and of the fundamental moral attitudes underpinning them burst open the dams which until that time had protected peaceful coexistence among peoples.” He goes on to warn:

In reality, this makes reason blind to what is essential. To resist this eclipse of reason and to preserve its capacity for seeing the essential, for seeing God and man, for seeing what is good and what is true, is the common interest that must unite all people of good will. The very future of the world is at stake. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Address to the Roman Curia, December 20th, 2010

Where are we now in an eschatological sense? It is arguable that we are in the midst of the rebellion [apostasy] and that in fact a strong delusion has come upon many, many people. It is this delusion and rebellion that foreshadows what will happen next: and the man of lawlessness will be revealed. —Msgr. Charles Pope, “Are These the Outer Bands of a Coming Judgment?”, November 11th, 2014; blog

In a word, we are passing through an epochal “eclipse of reason” — what is being coined as “Wokism”…

 

Wokism

Wokism began in African-American vernacular as being “alert to racial prejudice and discrimination”.^[4]wikipedia.org But this has morphed into an embrace of “identity politics”, “white privilege”,^[5]cf. Black and White “socialism/Marxism”,^[6]cf. Exposing This Evolutionary Spirit LGBT ideology,^[7]cf. Human Sexuality and Freedom “reproductive rights”,^[8]cf. Is a Fetus a Person? assisted suicide,^[9]cf. foxnews.com and cbc.ca banning “binary” language,^[10]eg. “Rising wokeness in medical schools is a problem for patients everywhere”, americanmind.org; Michigan’s Whitmer refers to women as ‘people with a period’, as did Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, cf. foxnews.comand even the demand that one unquestioningly accept the “climate change”^[11]cf. The Second Act and COVID^[12]Watch: Following the Science; cf. Open Letter to the Catholic Bishops narratives. In a word, Wokism embraces whatever happens to be politically correct and is rarely based in sound science or philosophy but, frequently, emotion. “Woke capitalism” refers to those corporations that financially back whatever movement or ideology is the politically correct trend of the hour. And those who refute or reject Wokism are denounced, cancelled, and even defunded.^[13]cf. The Purge Hence, Wokism has become a veritable…

…dictatorship of relativism that recognizes nothing as definite, and which leaves as the ultimate measure only one’s ego and desires. Having a clear faith, according to the credo of the Church, is often labeled as fundamentalism. Yet, relativism, that is, letting oneself be tossed and ‘swept along by every wind of teaching’, appears the sole attitude acceptable to today’s standards. —Cardinal Ratzinger (POPE BENEDICT XVI) pre-conclave Homily, April 18th, 2005

While elements of Wokism may find a certain echo within the “social Gospel” of the Catholic Church, it is increasingly an ever-morphing icon of sophistry: a twisting of reality and the natural law. 

…of grave concern is the spread of a secularist ideology that undermines or even rejects transcendent truth. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, speech at St. Joseph’s Church, April 8th, 2008, Yorkville, New York; Catholic News Agency

Wokism is more often than not new injustices veiled as “social justice.” Hence, biological men are allowed to compete in women’s sports or use girls’ washrooms;^[14]eg. here; cf. The Death of Woman belittling “whites” is an acceptable form of reparation;^[15]cf. Black and White a baby is torn apart in the womb in the name of women’s rights;^[16]cf. The Hard Truth – Part V transgenders or non-whites are given special privileges and grants, etc.^[17]eg. here and here

I had a powerful and unforgettable dream about Wokism about thirty years ago. Only in the past two years have I come to realize just how literal this dream has become…

I was in a retreat setting with other Christians, worshipping the Lord, when suddenly a group of young people walked in. They were in their twenties, male and female, all of them very attractive. It was clear to me that they were silently taking over this retreat house. I remember having to file past them through the kitchen. They were smiling, but their eyes were cold. There was a hidden evil beneath their beautiful faces, more tangible than visible.

The next thing I remember is emerging from solitary confinement. There were no security guards but it was like I had to be there and, eventually, left of my own accord. I was taken to a laboratory-like white room lit with bright white light. There, I found my wife and children seemingly drugged, emaciated, abused in some way.

I woke up. And when I did, I sensed—and I do not know how—the spirit of “Antichrist” in my room. The evil was so overwhelming, so horrific, so unimaginable, that I began to weep, “Lord, it can’t be. It can’t be! No Lord….” Never before or since then have I experienced such “pure” evil. And it was the definite sense that this evil was either present, or coming to the earth…

My wife awoke, hearing my distress, rebuked the spirit, and peace slowly began to return…

I will only focus on the first paragraph (you can read the rest of the interpretation of the dream here). But I see those faces every day now on the news,^[18]cf. Not My Canada, Mr. Trudeau in social media, on webcasts, etc.. They are the faces of Wokism. 

Evil is not some impersonal, deterministic force at work in the world. It is the result of human freedom. Freedom, which distinguishes human beings from every other creature on earth, is ever present at the heart of the drama of evil. Evil always has a name and a face: the name and face of those men and women who freely choose it. —POPE ST. JOHN PAUL II, Message for World Day of Peace, 2005

 

The New Religion

St. Paul seemingly uttered a powerful prophetic vision of our times in his letter to the Romans where he accurately describes much of Wokism today:

For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them… Instead, they became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened. While claiming to be wise, they became fools… (Rom 1:21-23)

They claim to be “woke” but are spiritually blind — asleep. St. Paul then perceives where Wokism leads if left unchecked…

Therefore, God handed them over to impurity through the lusts of their hearts for the mutual degradation of their bodies. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. Therefore, God handed them over to degrading passions. Their females exchanged natural relations for unnatural, and the males likewise gave up natural relations with females and burned with lust for one another… since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God handed them over to their undiscerning mind to do what is improper. (Rom 1:24-28)

Of course, even quoting that Scripture is a violation of the religion of Wokism — and a religion, it is. 

…an abstract religion is being made into a tyrannical standard that everyone must follow. That is then seemingly freedom — for the sole reason that it is liberation from the previous situation. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Light of the World, A Conversation with Peter Seewald, p. 52

And yet, this seemingly unstoppable tsunami of moral relativism is merely the expected fruit of what was ironically called the “Enlightenment” period birthed in the 16th century.

The Enlightenment was a comprehensive, well-organized, and brilliantly led movement to eliminate Christianity from modern society. It began with Deism as its religious creed, but eventually rejected all transcendent notions of God. It finally became a religion of “human progress” and the “Goddess of Reason.” —Fr. Frank Chacon and Jim Burnham, Beginning Apologetics Volume 4: How to Answer Atheists and New Agers, p.16

Wokism is really the sum and natural progression of all other isms of that period: rationalism, materialism, Darwinism, practical atheism, utilitarianism, Marxism, socialism, communism, psychologism, radical feminism, relativism, individualism, etc. These ideologies claim to be an evolution of intelligence and reason, particularly through the sciences.^[19]cf. A Woman and a Dragon and The Religion of Scientism 

Yet again, not even they are to be excused; for if they had the power to know so much that they could investigate the world, how did they fail to find sooner the Lord of these things? (Wisdom 13:8-9)

Their minds are not enlightened, but darkened by the “father of lies.”^[20]John 8:44

 

Awaken!

Most significantly, Wokism has become the evolving religion of millennials and their younger siblings who are increasingly abandoning organized religion^[21]cf. cnbc.com; see also The Great Vacuum and, now, democracy.^[22]cf. ottawacitizen.com Didn’t Our Lady of Fatima warn that the “errors of Russia” (where Communism was implemented) would spread throughout the world unless we heeded the call to conversion?

These things in truth are so sad that you might say that such events foreshadow and portend the “beginning of sorrows,” that is to say of those that shall be brought by the man of sin, “who is lifted up above all that is called God or is worshiped“ (2 Thes 2:4). —POPE ST. PIUS X, Miserentissimus Redemptor, Encyclical Letter on Reparation to the Sacred Heart, May 8th, 1928

What is the antidote then? How do we stand against this diabolical flood of lies spewing from the mouth of the serpent (Rev 12:15-16)?^[23]In St. John Bosco’s legendary dream of the Two Pillars of the Eucharist and Mary, he writes: “A storm breaks out over the sea with high winds and waves. The Pope strains to lead his ship between the two pillars. The enemy ships attack with everything they’ve got: bombs, canons, firearms, and even books and pamphlets are hurled at the Pope’s ship. At times, it is gashed open by the formidable ram of an enemy vessel. But a breeze from the two pillars blows over the broken hull, sealing the gash.”

The answer is to be awake, not woke.
Faithful, not faddish.
Courageous, not compromised:

Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours… God has overlooked the times of ignorance, but now he demands that all people everywhere repent because he has established a day on which he will ‘judge the world with justice’… When people are saying, “Peace and security,” then sudden disaster comes upon them, like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness, for that day to overtake you like a thief. For all of you are children of the light and children of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober. (2 Thessalonians 2:15; Acts 17:30-31; 1 Thess 5:3-6)

For the future of the world stands in peril unless wiser people are forthcoming. —POPE ST. JOHN PAUL II, Familiaris Consortio, n. 8

Yes, we need to pray for Wisdom. The world is filled with knowledge; everyone with a computer and Google is now a genius. But there are few wise men and women. Wisdom is a gift of the Holy Spirit and it comes to those who humbly approach and obey the Lord.^[24]“The beginning of wisdom is fear of the LORD, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10) Wisdom, divine Wisdom, is what makes a soul “awake.”

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God… For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. (1 Corinthians 1:18, 25)

What is necessary is that souls stay close to the Heart of Jesus through daily prayer and the Sacraments — and let Our Lady mother you.^[25]cf. The Great Gift These are the prime means to stay “alert and sober” and not go crazy as we are forced to watch this “disturbia” or “mass formation psychosis”^[26]cf. The Strong Delusion spread across the world.

The enemies will try to extinguish the splendor of the truth, but God will win. Confusion will be great in the House of God because of the fault of those who have turned away from true doctrine. I suffer because of what is coming for you. Do not retreat. God’s victory will come for the righteous. Courage! Love and defend the truth. There is no victory without the cross. Confession, Eucharist, Holy Scripture and the Holy Rosary: these are the weapons for the Great Battle. —Our Lady to Pedro Regis, November 19, 2022

 

“Watch and pray”
(Mark 14:38)

 

Related Reading

Political Correctness and the Great Apostasy

The Growing Mob

Barbarians at the Gates

Persecution… and the Moral Tsunami

 

Thanks for your prayers and support.

 

To journey with Mark in The Now Word,
click on the banner below to subscribe.
Your email will not be shared with anyone.

Now on Telegram. Click:

Follow Mark and the daily “signs of the times” on MeWe:

Follow Mark’s writings here:

Listen on the following: