The Lost Soul of America
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An associate of mine declared this week in the wake of yet another school shooting, that if someone were going to shoot her for being a Christian, her religion would suddenly change. Another associate agreed and said that she didn’t think God would want that for us; he would not want us to die that way.
So, the statements have been nagging at me. If you look at the history of our Church, I would testify to just the opposite viewpoint. I think that type of faithfulness to the Truth is exactly what God wants from us.
All four Gospels address this issue.
Matthew 10:39 ; “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”
Mark 8:35 “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.”
Luke 9:24 “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it”
John 12:25 “Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”
Jesus meant this not just literally, but figuratively as well. There are many ways that we lose our lives. We are called to give up our lives and follow Christ. We are called to not be attached to our Earthly lives, and to Earthly pleasures. Many of us our consumed with our Earthly lives, our Earthly pursuits, and our Earthly pleasures. These sentiments arises from the glory we find from Earthly actions and pursuits and from a lack of Faith and Trust in our God.
God knows that as bad as things get and can be here in this life, in the end, everything will be okay; everything is utimately fulfilled through him. Eternity in Heaven is our prize: our prize is not a Country, status, power, a big house, fancy clothes and lots of money. We are called to “lose our lives, in an effort to save our lives; and to save others, by serving them, ministering to them, and loving them. A Heavenly Kingdom awaits, and if we truly believe this, we know that losing our life here is really just a part of the journey to get to that Kingdom. It also brings us a Joy that can only be known through Christ. It is a joy that radiates from the faithful.
Just look at our Pope, he radiates joy and love, and he is a true servant that has given up his life for God’s people. This is what people gravitate to, they don’t even know why, but I do, because the Joy of Christ is powerful, and it is something that all of us are offered, but it comes at a price. The price is our lives. To get there, we've got to let go, we must trust in something beyond our mortal realm, and that is very difficult for so many of us. We need to rely on God, and not so much rely on ourselves and our Earthly accomplishments and triumphs. These Earthly accomplishments and triumphs in the end, could defeat us. They are of this world, we need accomplishments and triumphs that are of the next world.
So, I hope that in the face of such a distressing type of situation; if I were to be killed for not denouncing my Faith, I would possess the Grace to remain faithful. I pray that God would give me the strength and fortitude to declare and stand by the Truth. I pray that he give me that in the face of daily situations that although not as dire, are just as important. As i encournter these types of situations, I hope that the depth of my spirit will increase and that God’s Joy will radiate from me. It is not only the blood of the Martyrs that is a polarizing power for evangelizing the Truth, but the Joy that comes from that type of death as well.
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!
