The 21st Century is a great century to be alive and to be Catholic!
This may sound like a surprising comment with the economic condition of many of the advanced countries including the United States, the deterioration of the Judo-Christian culture in the United States and other Western cultures, the deterioration of many families, the displacement of Christian traditions and practices by pagan and secular substitutes, etc. And within the Catholic Church clerical sex scandals and the poor catechesis of the Catholic laity.
Despite the above the 21st century is a great century in which to live! It is true that on the secular side the economy of our country as many others is in a poor situation Yet on the religious side, as tragic as the clerical sex scandal is and the great damage so many of the victims have incurred, this situation has made the Church better prepared to preclude further harm. Also, if a person reflects on the popes that shepherded the Church over the 20th-21st centuries, one discovers what great popes occupied the Chair of Peter. The Second Vatican Council has been invigorating for the Church, and though there were a few stumbles implementing the Council's resolutions, today the Church is stronger. There hasn't been a time in the Christian era where the Church had better communication tools and greater involvement by both the clergy and the laity in evangelizing.
The world today, as "pagan" as it is, is not much different from the world in which the early Christians lived. Like those early Christians, Catholics today are living in many cases in "societies of death" and corruption, i.e., unbridled abortion, endorsement of euthanasia and infanticide in certain places. Promiscuous sex is also encouraged in much of popular culture, violence permeates much of the entertainment, homosexual relationships are being advocated as being on the plain of heterosexual relationships thus equating them as both being equally qualified as candidates for marriage, etc. etc.
As bleak as this may sound, Catholics today are facing many of the obstacles to a Christian life as the early Christians faced. Therefore today we have the same opportunities as those early Christians had to show their love for God, each other and their fellow men and thus convert the world to Christ. Yes this is a great time to be alive as like our predecessors we today can once again, through the grace of God, make others aware of the promise and love of God, showing the love, peace and joy that fills a person who recognizes the dignity of each person--from the unborn to the senile--that is a "person of life".
This may sound like a surprising comment with the economic condition of many of the advanced countries including the United States, the deterioration of the Judo-Christian culture in the United States and other Western cultures, the deterioration of many families, the displacement of Christian traditions and practices by pagan and secular substitutes, etc. And within the Catholic Church clerical sex scandals and the poor catechesis of the Catholic laity.
Despite the above the 21st century is a great century in which to live! It is true that on the secular side the economy of our country as many others is in a poor situation Yet on the religious side, as tragic as the clerical sex scandal is and the great damage so many of the victims have incurred, this situation has made the Church better prepared to preclude further harm. Also, if a person reflects on the popes that shepherded the Church over the 20th-21st centuries, one discovers what great popes occupied the Chair of Peter. The Second Vatican Council has been invigorating for the Church, and though there were a few stumbles implementing the Council's resolutions, today the Church is stronger. There hasn't been a time in the Christian era where the Church had better communication tools and greater involvement by both the clergy and the laity in evangelizing.
The world today, as "pagan" as it is, is not much different from the world in which the early Christians lived. Like those early Christians, Catholics today are living in many cases in "societies of death" and corruption, i.e., unbridled abortion, endorsement of euthanasia and infanticide in certain places. Promiscuous sex is also encouraged in much of popular culture, violence permeates much of the entertainment, homosexual relationships are being advocated as being on the plain of heterosexual relationships thus equating them as both being equally qualified as candidates for marriage, etc. etc.
As bleak as this may sound, Catholics today are facing many of the obstacles to a Christian life as the early Christians faced. Therefore today we have the same opportunities as those early Christians had to show their love for God, each other and their fellow men and thus convert the world to Christ. Yes this is a great time to be alive as like our predecessors we today can once again, through the grace of God, make others aware of the promise and love of God, showing the love, peace and joy that fills a person who recognizes the dignity of each person--from the unborn to the senile--that is a "person of life".
Labels: Reflection
posted by Paul Amrhein | 2:31 PM
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