Interestingly, what many do not understand is that the Church is not an organization. Yes, there are organizations attached to the Church, and there are many reasons why someone might think that the Church is an organization (especially when she acts like one), but this is a basic misunderstanding that is common today, even among a number of Catholics (especially in nations influenced by capitalism). The Church, however, is an organism. It is quite different from an organization, and it has the defense of the risen Redeemer Who is seated at God's right hand, ruling with all power and authority over all things.
This is more than just a play on words or a sneaky way of avoiding the attack. An organization is something organized and established by men and is thus subject to the limitations of men. An organism is something created by God and is thus only subject to the desires of Him Who created it. God created human organisms, and said clearly that the norm for humans is to die and then go to the judgment (cf. Heb 9:27). Yet, He said something different regarding the Catholic Church. He stated that it would endure even against the "gates of Hades". In essence, the Church will never cease to exist, but will, in eternity, continue as the fellowship of all the faithful who live with Christ in the new Heavens and new Earth.
So then, the next question should be obvious. How do you kill an organism? You either separate the body from the head, or stop the heart. First, it is impossible to separate the Church from her Head. Christ is the true Head of the Church and nothing came make Him break His promise to His Bride (cf 2 Timothy 2:13). Christ's promise makes it clear that He will not separate from the Church itself (even if all the members were to separate from Him). We could debate what would classify as the "heart" of the Church since the phrase is virtually never used in Catholic dogma, but there are some pointers in Catholic tradition that will get us headed in the right direction.
A vision of Christ that St. Padre Pio saw would certainly seem to imply that Christ's own Sacred Heart is the heart of the Church. If we take that as our guide, then the rest of the vision clearly shows that an irreverent Mass is the worst sacrilege against Jesus' Sacred Heart; and thus is the one thing that will cut off the people of God from the "Heart of the Church". We would also do well to take note that St. Peter Julian Eymard once said "An age prospers or dwindles in proportion to its devotion to the Holy Eucharist. This is the measure of its spiritual life and its faith, of its charity and its virtue."
So, for all those who are seeking to destroy the Church (Communists, Fascists, Atheists, Muslims and Clintons), they can harm her, yes. They can cause confusion, yes. They can even infiltrate her ranks with ungodly ministers (and it appears that has been done also). Yet, that will only lead to difficulties and trials. Jesus said, however, that we should expect trials and tribulations if we are seeking to be faithful to Him. When there were attacks on the faith of God's people in the first century, St. Paul said,
They are upsetting the faith of some. But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let every one who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity” (2 Ti 2:18–19).
When we see so many falling from the faith today, and are uncertain of how to stay in the faith ourselves, then these words should be our guide: depart from iniquity and the Lord will know that you are His faithful servant.
Therefore, I am not daring them, but I would say, "Pagans, do your worst". They can harm our flesh and maybe even frighten our souls if we are weak, but they can never touch our Lord and Savior. They cannot bring down the Church of Jesus Christ unless they find a way to become more powerful than God. Do I really want the world to come after us even more than it already does? No! Of course not. Even though I may fear suffering I do not fear the world because I know that it cannot overcome the King of kings. No matter how bad it gets, no matter how many may fall into apostasy, I know that Christ is still on His throne and neither He nor His Church can be overcome.
