Posted on 02/01/2012 3:38:01 PM PST by NYer
I remember coloring in the lions on the paper my Catechism teacher had handed out. The lions in the coliseum were approaching a group of huddled Catholics.
My CCD teacher asked us if we too were willing to suffer for our faith the way the martyrs of old did? I remember looking at those cartoon lions and deciding that yes, I very much had the stuff to stare down a cartoon lion. Easy.
But it’s easy to answer in the affirmative when we’re talking about cartoon lions. It’s different when we’re talking real life. Real lions have teeth.
And make no mistake, real life is what we’re talking now. We have a government that mandates what pro-life counselors must say. We have a government now that mandates that Catholic institutions pay for things it considers sinful. We have a government that now says the cost of being an American is to abandon Catholicism.
Bishop Fabian W. Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Nebraska in response to the Obama administration’s contraception mandate said, “We cannot and will not comply with this unjust decree. Like the martyrs of old, we must be prepared to accept suffering which could include heavy fines and imprisonment.”
This scares me but it’s true.
Now is the time when decisions must be made by Catholic college presidents and hospital administrators and the heads of all sorts of Catholic institutions. Should I do what the government tells me or what the Church tells me is right? Some whom we have great hope for will choose poorly. Some will stand up unexpectedly and refuse to comply with the government. And they will pay a price for being Catholic.
We’re no longer talking about the slippery slope here. We’ve walked off a cliff. We’re in free fall.
(Excerpt) Read more at ncregister.com ...
Equating overt anti-Christian actions by the United States government today with the near complete absence of such action against Christians in Europe and the United States a century or even a decade ago is also foolish. Direct government action against us was unthinkable until very recently, at least outside socialist states. I am concerned with the shocking demands being presented as law, with the rate of change of those demands, and with the public acceptance of such demands by those who find the commanded behavior convenient, even more than with this particular reprehensible demand by the other side. But if they are bold enough to try this already, what can we expect in (God forbid!) a second Obama term?
You must all follow the bishop as Jesus Christ follows the Father, and the presbytery as you would the Apostles. Reverence the deacons as you would the command of God. Let no one do anything of concern to the Church without the bishop. Let that bee considered a valid Eucharist which is celebrated by the bishop, or by one whom he appoints. Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.
--St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Smyrnaeans, ca. A.D. 110.
On cue
as usual, I see.
The Vatican Ashteroth-Mary-Goddess cult continues in usual form.
Sad, that.
Should I assume that said document is full of more of the sweetness you seem to offer so reflexively and liberally?
How silly of me to think anything might have changed . . .
however, it’s still sad to see so many RC’s still have a
death grip on their
addiction to harsh, virulent, haughty personal attacks on FR’s Proddys.
. . . Such graces were evidently learned in the lap of their Ashteroth-Mary-Goddess figure.
This was a thread we could have most easily agreed on in mutual supportiveness . . . alas . . . that’s not how the beads were flung.
Thankfully,
like their theology,
their attacks have not a shred of grounding in foundational reality.
Bring it on!
They gave up what was freely offered to them. And exchanged it for a lie.
"Catholics, Get Ready to Suffer" is a true-ism. When the tribulation hits, the delusion that is sent to them will show them what "suffering" truly means. They won't accept the escape from the wrath of God through the gospel of the grace of God and His promise to us that we are saved from HIS WRATH. God's offer of reconciliation to man, 2 Cor. 5:14-21. So the rapture is out, it seems. That leaves the tribulation saints. And that is focused on the Nation of Israel. So they miss out there, too.
But they are "suffering" "suffering" at the hands of all who just don't understand that THEY are God's Chosen People. They have been "infallibly" informed...
Discuss the issues all you want, but do not make it personal.
I can tell you aren’t a Catholic because there are many rites of the Catholic Church. We never use abbreviations as you have.
For your information, Christ founded the Church on his apostles — they were the first Bishops.
I used to pray to be a martyr as a little child. The times were so tame and placid for Catholics then; it’s seemed impossible. Now I’m aware of all the “little martyrdoms” we Catholics suffer every day as we live our lives faithfully. We are made fun of in the media, we are ridiculed in academia, and many of our fellow Christians mock us.
I count it a blessing to live in these times. I am willing to suffer hostility, ridicule, and prejudice for following Christ’s Word. I’m happy I can offer that small sacrifice up for Him. I once heard a priest say that if all our coworkers and acquaintances don’t know we are Catholic, we’ve not been living out our Catholic faith as we should. Everyone who knows us should know where we stand on Christ and the Church. That’s the measure of success.
It’s going to get difficult to live as a Catholic. The faithful remnant will remain.
Perhaps it will depend on what the definition of Roman Catholic turns out to be.
Given that the Pope seems to be increasingly head-strong destined to merging with Islam . . . and at least praising the fallen angels as 'brothers' . . . a la toward the globalist one world religion . . .
folks who go along with THAT 'brand' of Roman Catholocism will likely be treated quite well in this life . . . compared to the more authentic Christians from within the RCC as well as the authentic Proddys.
Certainly at some point, the press of staged and/or evolving END TIMES stuff will create enormous pressure for everyone to acclaim the one world religion. All the more so if Ronald Reagan's postulations about pressures to unite under a world government come true as some of us are convinced they will.
Those who resist will be increasingly ostracised and then hunted down and exterminated for refusing the Mark of the Beast and for refusing to bow the knee to the Ant-Christ . . . for refusing to worship satan as God.
For those the martyr's crown will shine brightly eternally, regardless of the denominational label, imho.
I knew a guy who used to sputter and fume about others not being in contact with reality. He was in contact with people from another planet, though, so everyone just let him sputter and sort of grinned at one another when he got wound up.
I hope the shock treatments helped him some because last I heard they carted him off when he started shouting about an alien invasion being underway. Oh, and by "they", I mean Police and EMS folks, not "them".
have a nice day
....Or those who believe will very well will end up doing once again as was done by the early Christians, go underground to or to the catacombs, to practice their faith to survive.
For those the martyr’s crown will shine brightly eternally, regardless of the denominational label, imho.
Agreed totally.
However, I disagree about a world religion. Far more likely that religion will simply be banned, as detrimental to the welfare of the state.
Something I have thought a lot about and written about.
YUP.
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