Christians experiencing the life of the early Church - Are we ready?

[JRKH]

“Christendom” is passing away. It is being replaced in the west by secularism. No longer does the “Christian moral code” hold sway in the public arena. It’s been gradual…but it is undeniable.

So - What we see is a return to a world is different, but not unlike, the world of the early Church where believers are in the minority, misunderstood, and even persecuted.

Are we as Christians prepared for this???

Peace
James

 

[Memaw]

“Christendom” is passing away. It is being replaced in the west by secularism. No longer does the “Christian moral code” hold sway in the public arena. It’s been gradual…but it is undeniable.

So - What we see is a return to a world is different, but not unlike, the world of the early Church where believers are in the minority, misunderstood, and even persecuted.

Are we as Christians prepared for this???

Peace
James

Fr, John Hardon, S.J. warned us over 20 years ago that America would become a pagan nation if we didn’t practice our Catholic Faith like the Early Christians did and be willing to die for it. He also said to TEACH your Children to be willing to be martyrs for their Faith as it may very well come to that. Looks like he knew what he was talking about !! He is on his way for Canonization now. God Help Us and God Bless, Memaw

 

[lakotak]

“Christendom” is passing away. It is being replaced in the west by secularism. No longer does the “Christian moral code” hold sway in the public arena. It’s been gradual…but it is undeniable.

So - What we see is a return to a world is different, but not unlike, the world of the early Church where believers are in the minority, misunderstood, and even persecuted.

**Are we as Christians prepared for this???
**
Peace
James

Only the truly faithful.

 

[10gr8kids]

I pray that we are. I especially pray for my children and tell them all the time that it will take a lot of prayer for them to hold onto their Christian faith. We are definitely in a time when evil is called good and good evil. I don’t see it getting any better until it gets much worse, I hope I’m wrong.

 

[mikekle]

“Christendom” is passing away. It is being replaced in the west by secularism. No longer does the “Christian moral code” hold sway in the public arena. It’s been gradual…but it is undeniable.

So - What we see is a return to a world is different, but not unlike, the world of the early Church where believers are in the minority, misunderstood, and even persecuted.

Are we as Christians prepared for this???

Peace
James

I agree 100%, the more I look around, the more I see catholics just going thru the motions every week, they find every reason they can to get around certain biblical laws, and if its ‘popular’ in modern societies, the interpretation is simply ‘altered’ in order to better fit whats popular.

 

[TimothyH]

Everyone on this thread seems to think it is the other guy who is going through the motions.

You can all bemoan the lack of some generic “moral code” but until you have fed the hungry, clothed the naked, cared for the sick, buried the dead, persevered in prayer, put yourself last, nailed yourself to the cross and put yourself in the tomb you have fallen short yourself. It is impossible to know the struggles other people are going through and how they might come to know God through it. It is impossible to know how pleasing someone else soul is to God right now or how pleasing it might be in the future.

Only the truly faithful? Really? Please give us sinners a break. Do you all think that you are Abraham? Remember that even Peter denied Jesus three times.

You all ought to be ashamed of yourself, and on Holy Saturday too when Christ lay in the tomb for your sins.

-Tim-

 

[SuperLuigi]

What is described as “secularism” will not last. If one looks very closely and carefully, it is being supported by traditional pillars. Once that is no longer the case. it will live a very short life historically speaking.

 

[SuperLuigi]

Remember that even Peter denied Jesus three times.

All I see here is more excuse-making.

 

[SuperLuigi]

Only the truly faithful? Really? Please give us sinners a break

These comments suggest to me that being faithful and a sinner are mutually exclusive. That just is not the case.

 

[JRKH]

Everyone on this thread seems to think it is the other guy who is going through the motions.

Interesting that you see this…given that only one person made such a comment.

You can all bemoan the lack of some generic “moral code” but until you have fed the hungry, clothed the naked, cared for the sick, buried the dead, persevered in prayer, put yourself last, nailed yourself to the cross and put yourself in the tomb you have fallen short yourself.

At first reading I wasn’t sure how this fit in with the topic…but I think I see now.
Yes, “Christendom”, in many ways fell short of truly implementing the true Christian moral code on many levels.
Yes - we have all fallen short.

It is impossible to know the struggles other people are going through and how they might come to know God through it. It is impossible to know how pleasing someone else soul is to God right now or how pleasing it might be in the future.

No argument there.

Only the truly faithful? Really? Please give us sinners a break. Do you all think that you are Abraham? Remember that even Peter denied Jesus three times.

I asked a simple question designed to start some thinking. Thinking about how it must have been for the first and second century Christians when their outlook was very much not the norm or the “politically correct” one. As a Catholic I see this as something quite relevant to our modern times.

You all ought to be ashamed of yourself, and on Holy Saturday too when Christ lay in the tomb for your sins.

-Tim-

Why ashamed?
In the few posts offered I see very little that can be construed as “holier than Thou”.
I honestly do not know how you can get “everyone on this thread thinks the other guy”…and…“you all ought to be ashamed”…from the replies given.

I can assure you that I worry about my own strength, my own faith, my own love and my own worthiness on a regular basis.

 

[JonNC]

“Christendom” is passing away. It is being replaced in the west by secularism. No longer does the “Christian moral code” hold sway in the public arena. It’s been gradual…but it is undeniable.

So - What we see is a return to a world is different, but not unlike, the world of the early Church where believers are in the minority, misunderstood, and even persecuted.

Are we as Christians prepared for this???

Peace
James

I don’t think we are, James. One of the things that weighs the modern Church down is the wound of our divisions.
There has been a glimmer of hope in this regard, considering the number of various communions that have sided together on abortion, and against the HHS mandate, but even that isn’t nearly unanimous.

One thing Christians of all stripes may need to discover is, in the words of Benjamin Franklin,** “We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”**

Jon

 

[simpleas]

Everyone on this thread seems to think it is the other guy who is going through the motions.

You can all bemoan the lack of some generic “moral code” but until you have fed the hungry, clothed the naked, cared for the sick, buried the dead, persevered in prayer, put yourself last, nailed yourself to the cross and put yourself in the tomb you have fallen short yourself. It is impossible to know the struggles other people are going through and how they might come to know God through it. It is impossible to know how pleasing someone else soul is to God right now or how pleasing it might be in the future.

Only the truly faithful? Really? Please give us sinners a break. Do you all think that you are Abraham? Remember that even Peter denied Jesus three times.

You all ought to be ashamed of yourself, and on Holy Saturday too when Christ lay in the tomb for your sins.

-Tim-

You can be truly faithful, but still be a sinner can’t you? I’m mean that as we fall from time to time, yet we try to remain as faithful as we can.