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November 6, 2024Blessed Bonaventure Garcia Paredes was a Spanish friar who spent much of his religious life at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines. He returned to Spain (Madrid) after his term as prior in the Philippines and became prior in Madrid as well.
When the Spanish Civil War broke out, he remained steadfast as a Catholic priest and was subsequently arrested, tortured, and martyred. Blessed Hyacinth Serrano Lopez and companions denote all Dominicans who died for the Faith throughout the Spanish Civil War.
My novice brothers hear a lot about my Camino de Santiago pilgrimage that I made a few months before entering the Order. The Camino revealed the rich spiritual and cultural heritage of the Catholic Faith in Spain spanning centuries.
Today, it is hard to argue that another nation brought Christ to the ends of the earth more than Spain. Of course, the Spanish conquests were often tainted with evil, but it is undeniable that where one finds the Spanish language, a Catholic church is not too far away.
Why do I mention this? Psalm 146 says, “Put no trust in princes…”
In arguably the most Catholic country in history, our very own brothers and sisters in Christ were killed for that very Faith on home soil. It is sad to see that as time rolls on, all things on earth come to an end, including and especially the Catholicity of nations.
The bishops today have repeated incessantly that we live in a “post-Christian era.” Christendom, in which Spain could be considered the crown, is long gone. The Spanish Civil War, which was one of the many fruits of the devil’s destructive philosophies that began the modern era, showed that no follower of Christ is safe in this world, even in a “Catholic country.”
As our own nation (which is not a Catholic nation) elects a new president, I want to entertain the thought for us Americans of what faithful Catholics of Spain underwent a century ago.
Are you and I prepared for real political persecution, should it happen? Do you and I “put our trust in princes (or presidents)” too much? If a Catholic nation began killing its own eventually, how long could the First Amendment actually hold up? Is mere politics the answer to it all?
As society strays further and further away from Our Lord Jesus Christ, is it rational to assume that Catholics could be the first target, right here on American soil?
As we remember our brothers and sisters, Dominican or not, who gave up their life for Christ during the Spanish Civil War, I merely want to invite us to not unjustly trust in human governments, laws, and amendments for our freedom to worship God, but to always keep our eyes focused on Christ. A new president in the White House won’t fix our problems; the conversion of hearts to Christ will. So join us Dominicans in bringing Christ to those around us.
Our God transcends the Republican and Democratic Parties. We are Catholic before we are American. So, instead of arguing about politics, let us evangelize.
