Why are Catholics so Afraid of Change?
Would You Die for Your Faith?
Photo By: Flickr/Renaud Camus
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.
About the Author
I am a 57 year old, wife and mother of two grown sons. I am Cradle Catholic and experienced a reversion to the faith several year ago that moved me to dive more deeply into an understanding of the church and it’s doctrines and dogmas. The more I read, and discover, the deeper my love of the Catholic Church and her teachings becomes.
I become the Executive Director of a very active and busy Crisis Pregnancy Center on the West side of Cincinnati in October 2021. God is so good and answers prayers even though He knows at times, we have no idea what we are asking for. I left this job a few days ago, after having my heart broken and idea of working for a Catholic institution disallusioned. I am so honored and humbled to have had the experience to serve women and the unborn in this capacity! I am also very grateful for God, allowing me to see for myself, that perhaps such a calling was not His long term plan for me. Perhapos returning to Catholic 365 is more to his liking and fits more into his plan for me. I hopefully can once again be more active with content to this wonderful website.
I live in Cincinnati, Ohio where I attended the same parochial grade school and public high school that my two boys attend. I sang in the choir for 35 years and have also been a cantor. I recently left singing in church because i found it to be a grave distraction to the awesome significance of the Liturgy. I haven't looked back, and love the Mass now more than ever! I have been a past member of the Education Commission and have devoted many hours to the well being of St. Ann Church and School (now Our Lady of Grace).
I look forwad to being back and submitting more articles and content. I love being able to share my faith and use this platform as a way to express my deep love and devotion to our Lord. We need each other, and what a wonderful way to connect with others!
