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Pope St. John Paul II maintained that the western world, especially, Europe, Canada, and the USA, was in a crisis of faith. The lack of priestly and religious vocations in our part of the world is a symptom of a lack of faith. Our problems are not superficial, but critical. Satan is not just trying to break the windows of western civilization; he's trying to take out our foundation. Because "all depends on faith" (Rm 4:16), we need faith. However, Satan has worked over so many people that some Christians no longer believe in Jesus' cross or in His final coming. The cross of forgiving enemies, the cross of letting ourselves be persecuted, the cross of sexual purity, the cross of a simple lifestyle, and the cross of submission to authority are a few of the crosses which many Christians stumble over and consider absurd (1 Cor 1:23). Moreover, some Christians have lost their faith in Jesus' Second Coming. They are therefore among the foolish bridesmaids who were not ready for the Master's return (see Mt 25:2). Jesus' final coming is rarely on many Christians' minds and has no practical effects on their lives. Faith in the foundational revelations of Christianity is eroding. Repent, believe, and "fight hard for the faith" (Jude 3). |
