Gary Michael Voris: Do you think God is growing angry with the conditions of things in the church, speaking in human terms?
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Yes, I would not use the expression angry. This is a very human expression and not accurate. God is above our emotional states, like anger. I would express it differently. God disapproves of this. It is contrary to His will, and therefore God rejects these things by His essence and His will, because God is only sanctity and truth by essence, by His being. God always rejects evil.
In the Bible, there is an expression often used, translated as anger or wrath in English, but this is always in human terms. In human terms, it means the rejection of evil. God rejects evil because He is not a contradiction. At the same time, God loves sinners and those who are in error, to attract them to holiness and truth. Like a good pastor, He seeks and waits until they return. All humanity is in such error, and the church has the divine task to substitute God, to bring back sinners and those in error, like the good shepherd.
Jesus said in the Gospel, when the Good Shepherd brings back the lost sheep, the angels in heaven rejoice over one sinner who repents. The essential point is the repentance of the sinner. Today, some clergy, bishops, and cardinals minimize repentance. You have to be a good shepherd and merciful, yes, but you also have to go to the periphery and bring back the lost sheep. The church has always done this, not only today. You must help them to truly repent and accept the will of God. This is salvation.
Of course, there have been times in history when God inflicted punishments, as we see clearly in the Old Testament. St. Paul also mentions this in his First Letter to the Corinthians regarding the abuse of the Eucharist. He says, You have eaten and drunk unworthily, and therefore some in your community are already dead or ill. This is a punishment from God for abusing what is holy. The Apocalypse also describes the punishment of God for the world that rejects Him. We do not know when or how this will happen and cannot predict it. We must be careful not to act as prophets. That is not our task; God reserves this for Himself.
Sometimes there are signs, like the widespread immorality and moral degradation of the modern world. It is truly tremendous, and it could be that God will intervene, but we do not know when or how. We must always remain vigilant ourselves and warn our neighbors.