Inconveniences of Being a Believer: You Can't Win With Anyone!

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth,"  --Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Romans I, 16

Yeah...Lord, we need to talk about this.  Don't get me wrong, it is a beautiful verse, powerful, uplifting, just great!  But honestly...

Let me tell You something:  People hate people that are not ashamed of Your Holy and Life-Saving Gospel and think we're a bunch of crazy people (and You have to admit, a lot of us are and probably scandalize the Church to death because we can so judgmental, hypocrital, and anti-everything to the point that we aren't what people want to be around) and that's not the impression I want people to have of me!

I'ma be real with You, it is not fun living in a world with a conscience that makes you feel guilty about everything that seems fun and helpful and stress-relieving.  Besides, how are we supposed to bring people to You if they can't stand being around us in the first place? 

Most westerners live in societies where anything that has to do with Christianity is frowned upon and cast off as bad, hateful, prehistoric, medieval (although this isn't bad in all cases), etc.  They ain't trying to hear what we have to say about the Church and her Truths and doctrines.  All the waves of the hands in the face, and the deer-in-a-headlight looks (love that expression), and us feeling like we have spiders crawling out of our ears is frustrating with a capital F.



What society thinks Christianity is

 Also, you can't have a conversation about religion with non-believers usually without them giving their opinions about why the Church is wrong.  People are shockingly offended by the thought of Hell (and I love how no one thinks that they should go there personally, but have a whole laundry list full of those whom they think deserve it...).  Maybe it's me, and I'm used to it because I grew up believing that Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory were just as clear and real possibilities as the air I breathe.

See, everyone is focused on the future that they forget the here and now.  It's appalling to people that one can damn themselves to Hell eternally because of one thing, but then when you bring up repentance and forgiveness and just try again, then they're all like "Oh that's hypocritical!"  Shouldn't it logically follow in their minds that if one can damn himself to Hell for one bad thing, that someone can save their soul by one good thing?  (Calvinists, please me your mouths shut here please and thanks).

Society seems hell-bent (no pun intended) on finding the virtue in the ungodly, but also finding the vice in those who are trying to work out their salvation.

People question religion so they can find excuses not to believe and are not always interested in learning, hence they'll create strawmen such as the following:

--If God's real, why did He let the Holocaust happen?
--If God's real, why does He let innocent people die in car accidents and from other painful, agonizing diseases?
--If God's real, why is there poverty?
--How come Christians are so hateful?
--So, I'm gay or I have sex outside of marriage, am I going to Hell?
--I'm not Catholic, am I going to Hell?
--The Holy Scriptures are man-made and people kill each other over that book, your religion is fake, why do you follow that?

You give them an answer, and it's insufficient.  You show them a flaw in their reasoning, and they strangely don't hear what you said...

Then there are the questions of people who are less antagonistic and ask real questions such as:

--If you have to believe to go to Heaven, what about people who've never heard the Holy Gospel?
--What happens to children who die without the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Baptism?
--What if you witness someone trying to kill your family, if you kill that person, is it still murder and sinful?
--I was never taught a religion, how do I know that the Catholic Church is right out of all the religions in the world?
--Where do those go who lived their whole lives as good people and never did anything bad, but just didn't believe?  Are they in Heaven or Hell?

These questions are harder to answer surprisingly and take lots of explanation, but people can generally agree to disagree after questions and answers like this, whereas the antagonistic ones are simple to answer usually, and just feed the hatred and animosity between the believers and the non-believers.  Interessant...

But then again, on the Catholic side, some of Your servants do need to chill for real.  A lot of us can have holier-than-thee attitudes and it's disgusting and they need to meditate on spiritual arrogance (a subset of spiritual pride).  Many of us need to stop belittling others that do not agree with us.  And I hate, absolutely HATE, that some Catholics (usually in the rad trad crowd) will shun you, insult  you, and slander/keep their distance from you if in their mind you're Hell-bound.  Ummm...shouldn't they be spending more time with thsoe people to try and help them?

Basically, Lord, what I'm saying is...help a brotha out!  It's hard enough trying to practice virtue; we don't need to be outcast on the same token that just makes it more difficult.

And yes, I am mindful of these verses:

"Remember my word that I said to you: The servant is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you: if they have kept my word, they will keep yours also."  --Holy Gospel according to St. John XV, 20

"Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake:"  --Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew V, 11

The Discrimination of Pro-Lifers in the United States

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/catholic-priest-pro-life-activists-arrested-outside-white-house-protesting
Does the government not get it?  The President and Congress should see by now that Roman Catholics and those who support the right to life are very offended and serious about this "death mandate." 

"'Occupy Wall Street protesters have been occupying federal property for months, but when we kneel in prayer, the police are called in and we are arrested,' Father Wilde said."

This was a peaceful protest.  The Occupy Wall Street crowd were loud, disrespectful, and carrying on (not saying they didn't have a right to be...), but these Christians were just praying, but they get arrested?  Okay, the priest did state that technically they were breaking the law and that the arrests were legit, but that is such a strong double-standard, and a slap in the face to those who support the right to life that all possess by virtue of the fact that we are born and created in the image of God.  That brings a dignity that must be respected. 

If you do not believe that, fine.  That is your right, no one is forcing it on you.  But at the same time, those who do believe that (including businesses and groups) should not be legally forced to support something that is directly opposed to their morals.  That's criminal to demand such a thing, but who'll come to our defense...

I feel like the separation of church and state is at the beginning of the end...  Soon, churches will be forced on legal grounds to "marry" those struggling with same-sex attraction, to endorse certain political candidates (while others remain free to choose whom they endorse or do not), heck priests may even be forced to conduct the murder of children through performing abortions. 

Seriously, what has the Catholic Church done to this country that was so bad?  I could understand if we were in Quebec, or Europe.  But the Church has never had any real power here nor has the Church influenced much (although I'd like to highlight the hospitals, orphanages, schools, churches (and the things they've offered)).  This is just ridiculous.

The reason is because abortion and contraception (and participating in them directly or closely indirectly) is officially forbidden by the Church and she teaches that all those who do such things bring upon themselves de facto major excommunication (latens sententiae aka automatic) and is said to be in mortal sin and not worthy of Heaven.

"In reality, the other side should be afraid precisely because we are humble, peaceful, and prayerful, because therein lies the force that uproots injustice from society."

Brothers and sisters, we all need to be in prayer about this.  If you cannot actively protest or show support by ostensible means, please pray, fast, give alms, light candles, offer Mass, gain Indulgences, receive the Sacraments, venerate a sacred icon, pray litanies, Rosaries, Divine Mercy chaplets, Stations of the Cross, anything.  There are so many weapons at our disposal it's just a matter of using them.

"Put you on the armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the deceits of the devil.  For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and power, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places." --Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians VI, 11, 12