Before King Antiochus died, he looked back over his reign and observed: "I was kindly and beloved in my rule" (1 Mc 6:12). King Antiochus thought he was a "nice guy" and benevolent king although he:

• killed mothers with their babies hung from their necks (1 Mc 1:60-61),
• cut out the tongues of some of his opponents (2 Mc 7:4),
• scalped and cut off the hands and feet of seven brothers who opposed him (2 Mc 7:4) while their mother looked on, and
• fried seven brothers and their mother (2 Mc 7:5).

Likewise, Hitler and Stalin may well have thought of themselves as wonderful humanitarians who did so much good for the human race even through concentration camps, gas chambers, starvation bunkers, and gulags.

The human capacity to deny the reality of sin is shocking. We can abort millions of babies supposedly to show how compassionate we are to the poor. We can break the Church into pieces and say we are obeying the Lord rather than defying Him. We can build a culture of death and be proud of our progress.

Let us cry out: "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner!" (see Lk 18:13)

Rescript:  †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 12, 2017

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