Mass: the Ultimate Hour of Power
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There have been some pretty monumental decisions made in this country recently. Decisions that have caused many of us Christians to lament and seemingly lose hope. This “lack of hope”, and therefor lack in our trust of God, to me is even more distressing than any decisions that a Supreme Court of a country could ever make. Along with this ‘lack of hope” there seems to be less joyous spirit and a great lack of charity. I find these to be very unfortuate attitudes in people who define themselves as Christ Bearers.
As Christians, we are called to first and foremost love our neighbor. We are even called to love our enemies. If we are unable to do this, then nothing else we do matters. Corinthians 13:1 specifically outlines this:
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”
So, even when we as Christians, disagree with the secular world, we must do so with the respect and dignity of the people we disagree with in mind. We must communicate and render our faith with charity and love, as Jesus did. We must remember that Jesus came to save us all, Saints and Sinners alike. Even the Saints among us are not without sin. The fallen and broken, and the marginalized have a special place in the heart of Christ. The prodigals, are the ones he longs for the most. That is the message that we must convey. Not a message of damnation, and not without the Joy of Christ in our hearts.
The state of secular culture gives us great opportunity for dialogue; but we will only be effective if that dialogue is presented with the love and joy of Christ. The Devil is sneaky, he distorts what is good and evil, and he tricks our minds. Remember, Jesus had the power to crush all his persecutors, but he didn’t. And in doing so, he created a movement and message that has lasted longer than any man made government or reign in the history of the world.
We must not lose ourselves in self defined righteousness, for we may lose the kingdom of God in the process. There is a fine line between vice and virtue in the presentation of our faith; particularly and especially when dealing with secular issues. We risk pushing the ones we want to reach the most away. The is the opposite of our mission as evangelicals. The message we need to present is the Love of God for All beyond anything else. Once that message settles, all else falls into place. We must ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, during daily prayer and meditation, to keep our mindset loving and straight. We should always remember that Jesus is present in our hearts and beings, and when we act and speak our actions and words need to be reflective of his Holy Name.
Remember, Jesus didn’t promise us a great government, he promised us a Holy and Eternal Kingdom. Our goal should be to take as many souls with us there as we can, but it’s a sales call, the non-believers will only come and follow us when we wield the greatest power in our arsenal; LOVE.
I am a wife and mother of two grown sons. Although I am Cradle Catholic, I experienced a profound reversion to the True faith several years ago that motivated and inspired me to dive more deeply into an understanding of the Church and Her teachings, and why She has these teachings and where they come from. Surprisingly, for me, the more I read and discovered, the deeper my love of the Catholic Church and her teachings became. This certainly is a journey that doesn't end, and so as I uncover more amazing facts about our Faith and Church, I just can't help but want to share what I'm learning. So, I began writing for Catholic 365.
I have recently served for a year and a half as the Executive Director of a very active and busy Crisis Pregnancy Center on the West side of Cincinnati. God is so good and does answers prayers, even though He knows at times, we have no idea what we are asking for. The pro life cause is paramount to our times, I am so honored and humbled to have had the experience and opportunity to serve women and the unborn in this capacity! I am also very grateful to God, for allowing me to see for myself, that perhaps such a calling was not His long term plan for me. We go where God seeminly calls us, and for me, that was a return to corporate America. I currently work as a recruiter and sales onboarding specialist where I am helping a Franchising company open and support small businesses that serve seniors and the elderly, giving them opportunities to age in place and live thier final chapters with dignity. It is the other end of the pro life spectrum and such an amazing endeavor!
I love being able to share this great faith of ours and use this platform as a way to express my deep love and devotion to our Lord. We need each other, and this effort has truly become a wonderful way to connect with all of you- my brothers and sisters in Christ!
