“Today's Christians really need to understand their faith more than ever before in order to resist modern day challenges and temptations”, he wrote.
I am sure that he will to talk to them in greater detail when he meets with Youth representatives from around the globe at the World Youth Day 2011 in Spain this coming summer. Each Catholic pilgrim who attends will receive the New Youth CCC in his or her “backpack”.As adults I am sure we are all well aware of those ‘challenges and temptations’ that Pope Benedict speaks of. More and more, we are becoming a society of people who are self-centered and evermore drifting from our Faith. The influence of indifference and ‘relativism’ - where one makes decisions based on how it affects him personally, without taking into account how his ‘choices’ affect society as a whole. We deceive ourselves if we think that when we make the wrong choices, it does not have consequences for society as a whole. We do not live in BUBBLES folks! When Adam and EVE took a big bite out of that 'luscious red apple’… they were not thinking of the future and how it would affect us today. They looked at it. They saw that it looked pleasing to the eye, and that it just might be quite tasty! As we often do, they probaly thought... "What harm could there be?' So they both took a BIG BITE! You know the rest of the story…the bad news. They and their heirs would have to toil and work, suffer in childbirth, and have to subdue the earth. I am SURE they would have never taken that bite, if they knew what was going to happen to All of us. At least I like to think that. Folks the truth is, as we do these things … giving into desire, selfishness, dishonesty, immorality, etc; It affects every one of us. It may not have an instant affect on our next door neighbor, but COLLECTIVLY, it is detramental to our society as a whole. Sadly, sin inside the Church does as well. When a priest or Lay minister, or ANYONE in the community for that matter, sins, it has a collective affect on the Body of Christ. That is us, the individuals who make up that Body.
Pope Benedict goes on telling the youth this:
“You have need of divine help if you do not want your faith to dry up as a dewdrop in the sun, if you do not want to succumb to the temptations of consumerism, if you do not want your Love to be drowned in pornography, if you do not want to betray the weak and the victims of abuse and violence,"
This is the GOOD NEWS! THERE is HOPE! God Is who he Is! He can take our terrible sin or any circumstance that WE might create, and turn it into something for good. HOWEVER, the devil on the other hand will use these same circumstances to create havoc, division, hate, dissension, a turning away from the Faith, and completely banishing all Hope. He will do his best to try to bring down the Church in any way he can. But remember, GOD on the other hand can take our terrible sin and use it for the Good of his Church. How? That is a good question. Throughout salvation history, God has provided the GRACE to all who Love him, want to embrace truth, and endeavor for the good of the ‘whole’. HOWEVER, we must make the choice to cooperate with that grace or, choose not to. If we choose not to… the devil will win and prevail in the battle at hand. If we choose to say, “yes Lord, help me to help the Church'… He will give us the grace to do so. HE WILL supply the GRACE to accomplish what HIS will is for His Church, and that will is .... "to have Life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10)! If we choose to be the best person that we can be (which is His will for our individual lives), HE WILL provide the grace to do so. AS we walk and work with Him, He will be by our side; He will even carry us if He has to.You know my friends, God will prevail in the end. He said to Our first Pope, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build MY Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matt 16:18) In the end… God will prevail, NOT the devil. YOU CAN TAKE THAT TO THE BANK! So … my friends, may I suggest that WE choose “wisely”? Are you going to “give up the faith” and accept the devil’s lie… or are you going to start “cooperating” with the grace that God wants to give you? Me, I will choose to take the grace! That grace is available to each of us and especially available in the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist. CELEBRATE them often. I do not want to suggest that all this will be easy, but it will be WELL worth it in the END.
Pope Benedict XVI goes on to encourage our Youth to "Learn your FAITH, study the CCC." May I add to that - as I am sure he believes we should, especiall as adults, READ Holy Scripture daily. One of the Best things that Vatican II did for us, was to give us the NEW CCC and give us the BIBLE back. They strongly encourage us to read them both! You see, as Catholics in the last century we did not STUDY HOLY SCRIPTURES nor did many of us really understand what Sacred Tradition was. I think this may have been one of the biggest mistakes the American Chruch has made. I myself truly believe that it is the primary reasons that the Church has lost millions of the faithful to indifference and to other churches. However, "Times, they are a changing!" I thank God for His GRACE… and for the Church who makes the choice to cooperate - EVER ANEW - with it! We now have one of the BEST tools to teach the Apostolic Tradition as well as being the best study guide for Holy Scripture. It is found in the CCC. WE need to have them both in EVERY home. As you read the CCC, you need to have your bible in your other hand. If you are reading Scripture the CCC can bring difficult concepts found in Scripture to light; use them together. You see folks, Sacred Tradition can never, and will never, conflict with Holy Scripture. In addition, Holy Scripture will never conflict with Sacred Tradition. If you ‘think’ it does, you are probably missing something… Being more than 2000 years old, I have to think (NO, I know!) that the church in her Wisdom and expericne is correct. Personally, I learned that the hard way while I was away from the Church for more than 20 years. I had left and joined an Evangelical church, vowing never to return. (I will save that story for another time.) I will say this though… I thank God I’m Back HOME!
Finally, as WE the CHURCH struggle with our past… we must not look back. WE need more than ever to focus and move on LOOKING FORWARD. WE need to EDUCATE or RE-EDUCATE ourselves and get involved. We are a part of the problem… or part of the solution… YOU make the choice. I pray we ALL make the right one. GO back to Church, Buy a CCC, Buy a BIBLE and learn your faith. IF you just go to church once a week and go on about life in the same old way… I say… "That ain’t gonna cut it anymore! It is unacceptable." IF you want the rest of your family and friends to come back you have to INVEST in it! PRAYER is a very important component of this but, really, it is only half of the equation. WE are the Body of Christ and WE are His EYES, EARS, FEET, HANDS and HEART! WE are the ones that God uses to get His will done. (Remember that the next time you pray the 'Our Father’.) IF you want “...thy will be done on earth…” YOU and I need to make it happen. Did I mention prayer? Pray for our Priests, our Bishops, and the Pope, but pray especially for the Body… YOU and me .... the Church, won’t you?
Until next time, May God Bless and Keep You All,
Bill
So Right!
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