Will the Gates of Hell Prevail?

Great things are happening in the Portsmouth Diocese.  We have a bishop who not only believes in the Catholic Church an the Communion of Saints Butalso is brave enough to stand up and be counted as a follower of Jesus Christ, who believes in everything that Jesus taught, yes even on divorce, and is giving succour to the too long persecuted faithful.   I remember the battles of the past when in my parish such things as Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament were a battle ground because those with itching ears had read that 'the host is for eating and not adoring' by some prophet.   Children at their first Communion were taught nothing about the host, it was all about 'community'.  There were plans to move the tabernacle from the altar on the grounds that its presence on the altar  was not liturgically correct'.  There was the attempt also to stop the girls wearing their white dresses at First Holy Communion.   And of course those meetings where much was decided for the parish including the statement that we did to need the Pope.    Today Adoration has a very strong presence  in the parish, there is a large number of people due to immigration now receivingt their God on their tongue and I look forward to the day when a kneeler will be provided for those who wish to kneel.   And whereas in former days there was a Pastoral Plan based on the fact or was it hope that there would be few priests in the future, the Lord of the Harvest is Sending Labourers into the Harvest.  
In England and Wales as a whole, although there are those who still sneer at Rome and are only happy as revolutionaries, things are improving.  No more we have those meetings organised to sneer at the Church of the past and the present and although those with itching ears still buy and read the false prophets their influence is waning.  
Would that I could say that in Germany there is the same picture.   But since it has been found that only about 13% of 'Catholics' believe in a personal God and the Churches continue to empty the hope is bleak.   Already bishops from that country who organised 'the Spirit of Vatican II'  are proclaiming that whatever the outcome of the Synod on the Family this October they will run their pasgtoral policies independent of any decision made in Rome.   It is make or break time for Germany.   But thank God there are bishops in that country opposing them and it looks like the Synod will be a point of no return for the Church - will it move forward or 'move on'.   Will the authority of Chirst passed to Peter continue to unite the Church or will the Christ at last be removed and defeated.  Pray for this Synod.      

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