And this comes from society where the mindset is no longer concerned with the only Living and True God who has sent His only begotten Son for the sake of our salvation. This can be seen particularly in our president who holds a syncretistic view of America. And particularly, that our current American President proclaimed these amazing words:
In the American Imagination, the hallmark of our nation has been its Christian underpinnings, which quickly were established as NOT CATHOLIC by society as a whole. Then, and thus where we are now, the Protestant mindset is now waning. Certainly, this is of a piece with Protestant Christianity: If one does not like or agree with something, then they should reject it and change it to what makes them more comfortable. I have heard this from various Catholics who have been told strange things from clergy members - including that HELL no longer exists or that no one is likely there. This kind of erosion is what Satan loves. Yes, Satan and the Hell which he directs are very much real. Satan knows that we Catholics can not be outright changed once we have accepted and decided to serve Christ. But he also knows that if we slowly begin to slack on the grandeur and demands of the Christian Life, then he already has a claw on us. Even WORSE, that we lead one of Christ's little ones astray, "for it would be better if we had a millstone tied to our neck and we were thrown in the sea (Lk 17:2)." To quote G.K. Chesterton, "The Christian life [and here read Catholic, as ONLY it is the fulness of Christianity] has not been tried and found wanting; it has been tried and found difficult." Yes, to claim the title of "Catholic" today and to live up to its demands is NOT for the weak, it is only for those of great courage and faith. Thanks be to God that all of us who are weak will be granted the grace of courage and faith to do this, if we accept it, and become the Saints God intends for us to be!
Consider,as well, our own nearby Christian sisters, dedicated to Christ our Lord and to his service. The Little Sisters of the Poor will NOT (PLEASE GOD) give up the fight against the imposition of so-called "Obamacare" because it violates the basic teaching of what the suffering and wounded Christ died for so that mankind might know him and the way for our Salvation from Sin. In case, you have not heard (or don't have time to read the link): the Little Sisters of the Poor have been wantonly attacked by our own American Government. Thank God for the Becketfund.org that is defending them and proving that Catholics, true Catholics, do NOT back down from the encroachment of this world on our belief in Christ. These Little Sisters of the Poor have been told by the current Administration that it is "no big deal" to sign a waiver which allows them to let another company provide their employees with access to abortion and contraception. This, my dear brothers and sisters, IS the new "PINCH OF INCENSE" that so many of our early Christian brothers and sisters would NOT put on a fire before a statue of the Emperor (seen by the Romans to be a God). They understand well that to do so would be to violate their belief in Jesus Christ as the only true Lord of Life. Their Trinitarian Faith, belief in the Holy Trinity that Jesus came to reveal (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), allowed them to endure what seemed like "no big deal" - the pinch of incense before the idol - and to be faithful to Christ even in what seemed like a small thing. Though, in fact, it was an immense rejection of the Only Living and True God.
Mark these words: the Church is now sinking into persecution. Are you ready to prepare for fidelity to Christ, for as he himself taught us, "he who is faithful in small things, will be faithful in big things." Pray for me, as I pray for all of you, that we ALL may be faithful to him who has given us New Life in the waters of Baptism. I pray persecution is not upon us, but I don't think it can be avoided now - mind you, this is only ONE man's opinion (namely mine!). A showdown seems to be coming in the life of every Faithful Catholic. Pray that we might have an Elijah to help us be faithful against Baal!
As secularism becomes the new religion of this country along with atheism, we will continue to see such things as these happening. The Satanists claim that they have a right to put up a statue of The Evil One because there is a copy of The Ten Commandments on display, I disagree. The Ten Commandments serve not only as a reminder as to God's laws but as to the very laws that Man is called to obey in a civilized society – do not kill, do not steal, do not bring false witness, do not commit adultery, respect your parents – the monument that is being proposed rather encapsulates what Man is called to not obey in a civilized society.
ReplyDeleteFor a reason that can only be attributed to the Father of Lies, folks have twisted the “separation of Church and State” so greatly that it is practically a crime to say “God Bless You” to someone in a public building. Indeed, our country was built on Christian ideals and underpinnings yet steadily, over the course of time, something has continued to erode these foundation. Once the foundation crumbles completely, the house is soon to fall to pieces.
To your point on hearing strange things from clergy members, I submit that there are things that aren't even said by clergy members that need to be said. I talked with a priest once that actually confessed that he did not wish to upset people very much, to which I had to ask, and why not? I believe the role of a priest is to not only love and guide the flock but to admonish when it is needed. Sometimes even I, as a child of God, need to be rattled a little bit to get my attention, we all do!
God bless The Little Sisters of the Poor for standing up for what is right. I can definitely see the similarities between signing that paper and offering the “pinch of incense”, as you put it. It is a very big deal to sign that paper and allow a third party to provide their employees with access to contraception and birth control. What really cooks my goose about this debate about birth control is years ago, when my wife and I were first expecting, our insurance covered birth control, but not prenatal vitamins as well as some of the prenatal care – including a drug that was required to help my wife raise her hormone levels to keep our child secure in her womb. Why aren't people and the media up in arms about things like that – if it is really “pro-choice” then how is life not a choice? There is this notion of not having to be responsible for your actions, but when someone attempts to be, they, like The Little Sisters of the Poor, are chastised and punished rather than praised. Go back to the second paragraph above and read the last two lines that I wrote again, and you can see my foundation idea holds true.
I can only pray for the strength to stay faithful to the Catholic Church and that my children will as well in the troubling times ahead.