Believest thou this?
My father, Michael John Tario, has been on the front lines battling the corruption within the Catholic Church and Planned Parenthood for as long as I can remember. Before the Catholic sexual abuse scandals became a major headline, he had been leading a campaign in Chicago asking parishioners to refuse giving $ to the Church until they were honest about the hundreds of millions of dollars of hush money being spent to silence abuse victims and their families. He did not want his own money going toward covering up horrific behavior from known pedophiles that were being shuffled around to different dioceses and he knew that if those attending mass were aware of the corruption they would not want their money going there either.
Over the years he has worked with many well intentioned police, city officials, state officials and federal agents who were suddenly “re-assigned” before they were able to make major arrests or expose the full ring of corruption among the politicians, police chiefs, high ranking clergy, and extremely wealthy donors.
He has worked tirelessly and humbly to support the victims and families affected by this abuse while attempting to bring transparency and justice to the numerous priests and clergy who were complicit in the systemic horror occurring. He followed the money, identified key influencers, learned their ethos and motivations and predicted behavior. In return, he and my family have received numerous death threats, hate mail, and harassments over the years. Not surprisingly, sometimes these threats even came from those who SHOULD BE working to defend the very victims of these crimes.
Despite the constant setbacks, lack of justice, routine lies, silence from the media and the ongoing abuse and coverups that still occur, my father has not stopped fighting for, and defending, the defenseless. He also still attends daily Catholic Mass and Rosary no matter where in the country he may be at the time. On Saturdays and Sundays, you will find him visiting the sick, helping to renovate a local church in need of repairs, visiting with abuse victims and their families or standing outside a Planned Parenthood praying and offering to help save the unborn babies. He and a faithful group of Christ loving Patriots in fact have been persistent in documenting and exposing Planned Parenthood's illegal sale of aborted baby parts in Chicago, doing the job we would expect law enforcement, or any journalist with a spine, to be doing. Once again, he was ahead of the media and all over this illegal horrific practice from Planned Parenthood prior to any of these activities becoming widely known among even the Pro-Life movement.
I remember asking my dad at one point if he feared that the elite pedophiles and mafia of death would come after him or his family because of the work he was doing. Without flinching he responded that what he fears most is not spending eternity in heaven with his wife, children, brothers, sisters and extended family. No one who knows the man will question this about him. He is constantly and unapologetically sharing Christ’s Truth in Love with those around him.
He does not fear death. Rather, just as the Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, he views the loss of his physical mortal body as gain.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. - Philippians 1:21
Understandably, operating within such a framework, if one truly believes they are doing God’s work, obedient to His Commandments and listening to His Word, what should there be to fear? If we truly believe our body and soul are Christ’s, and it is at His choosing that our mortal body remains alive or dead, than death, should it come suddenly, painfully, peacefully or any which manner, is in accordance with His Will. As such, if you were to ask me what I fear most, it would be that I will let my own ego and selfishness prevent me from living up to the fullest potential that I have been bestowed and blessed with.
This concept is difficult for many to understand or accept. Even most Christians today may say the words that they do not fear death, but when faced with mortality they will acknowledge and plead with God for one more day, one more breath, because they fear judgement, the legacy they are leaving behind, regrets of things left undone or unsaid, regrets of things done or said, losing the companionship of someone or some thing, etc.
For better or worse I’ve been faced with a few occasions where I wasn’t sure I would survive the next few seconds of my life. In each occasion I recall having the simple though, “Lord, if now is my time to go, so be it. I have lived a full life and I am in Your hands.” Mind you, I didn’t simply sit back and wait for death to arrive while having this thought… I was in one case franticly trying to find the strength to move my body to climb out of freezing waters and in another looking for any way to maneuver out of a situation that had me about to slam head on into a stopped car on the freeway while going 80 mph with my entire family in the car. It is astonishing how time slows in those moments. I am relieved knowing that, when faced with death, my heart, mind and soul responded with an overwhelming understanding that my life is in God’s hands regardless of the outcome.
My father could have chosen a life of wealth and leisure. Instead, he felt called to speak Truth in Love to power, humbly serve those in need, and to continuously risk his own safety by throwing himself on the front lines of many battles against the evil he witnessed taking place around him. Retreat, leisure and fear are simply not options within his paradigm reality. He knows his fight is righteous and just and that to sit idly by would be a waste of the gifts and talents our Creator has bestowed upon him.
For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. - Luke 12:48
He has lived, and continues to live, a principled life with few regrets while serving as a role model of courage and unwavering faith for his children and grandchildren.
Below are but 2 of dozens of references in Scripture challenging us to live with no fear:
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? - John 11:25-26
For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. - Romans 14:8
I encourage you to find more references. It is extremely freeing to know that we can live unapologetically unafraid when we are obedient to God’s commandments and listening to His Word.
What would you do differently with your life if you could truly operate without fear?
How would your mission change… or would it change at all?
The evil in this world is powerless against those operating unafraid wearing the armor of God… and this world needs more fearless warriors.
Believest thou this?