I quit

[Sailor_Kenshin]

Or do I?

Not quitting the Church, understand, but if the things of this world have no importance, then why fight so hard to change what we consider evil?

This is confusing me. And I’m worn out from the recent election, and from so much hard pro-life work destroyed overnight. If abortion is an evil, we should fight it, right? And I’m not just speaking of abortion alone (crucial as it is) but of the militant sinfulness I see all around me, even the glorification of sin in the movies and on TV.

But if the things of this world do not matter, then why fight anything?

 

[Teen4Christ]

Even if things look bad, you should always fight for what you believe is right.

 

[MarieVeronica]

Or do I?

Not quitting the Church, understand, but if the things of this world have no importance, then why fight so hard to change what we consider evil?

This is confusing me. And I’m worn out from the recent election, and from so much hard pro-life work destroyed overnight. If abortion is an evil, we should fight it, right? And I’m not just speaking of abortion alone (crucial as it is) but of the militant sinfulness I see all around me, even the glorification of sin in the movies and on TV.

But if the things of this world do not matter, then why fight anything?

Hi “SK”. Thanks for helping to keep the FIGHT FOCA threads up on top.

I’m sorry you’re feeling this way. Can I make a suggestion? You might want to go over the Letters of St. Paul… and ask him for his intercession. He went through so much… to spread the Gospel of Christ. He would be a great saint, to ask for help in times of discouragement. I think I’d also ask St. Maximilian Kolbe for help.

In the meantime… I’ll send a few prayers to Heaven, for you. Hang in there. Don’t become discouraged… because that is exactly what the enemy WANTS us to do. :nope:

MV

 

[Nat2]

We are like Habakkuk, crying “How long, O LORD? I cry for help but you do not listen! I cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not intervene. Why do you let me see ruin; why must I look at misery? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and clamorous discord.” (1:2-3)

And in our desperation God answers us, “Are you not from eternity, O LORD, my holy God, immortal? O LORD you have marked him for judgment, O Rock, you have readied him for punishment! Too pure are your eyes to look upon evil, and the sight of misery you cannot endure. Why, then, do you gaze on the faithless in silence while the wicked man devours one more just than himself? You have made man like the fish of the sea, like creeping things without a ruler. He brings them all up with his hook, he hauls them away with his net, He gathers them in his seine; and so he rejoices and exults.”

And then like MaireVeronica said, the letters of st. paul are great!

 

[Ruthie]

Amen. As Bishop Sheen wrote:

“Right is right if nobody is right, and wrong is wrong if everybody is wrong.”

Or, as somebody else said,

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matt 5:14-16 (RSV)

Don’t hide your light. I’d still be out there in the culture of death if I hadn’t seen the light - the light other people shone for me.

God bless you,

Ruthie

 

[withwind]

Or do I?

Not quitting the Church, understand, but if the things of this world have no importance, then why fight so hard to change what we consider evil?
…
But if the things of this world do not matter, then why fight anything?

Isn’t evil things a big matter to salvation of many souls? That is what we fight for.

 

[PatrickJT914]

“Evil triumphs when good people do nothing.” I don’t remember who said that quote.

Satan wants us us to give up.

 

[wcknight]

We fight it because God sent US to do His will. He never said it would be easy. He never said we would always win.

As the song goes, “we fight for the right without question or pause. we march into Hell for a Heavenly cause”…Man of La Mancha - Impossible Dream

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

Thanks, everyone.

So then’ the things of this world’ do matter? This statement has always confused me because if they don’t, then why did God create the world and us to live in it?

At one time, not too long ago, most people were in agreement about what was good and evil. I’ve lived long enough to see a complete reversal—at least of public opinion.

I’ve actually been reading St. Paul’s letters. Some of them confuse me but in some cases he seems to be saying to everyone, “Stop doing what you know is wrong!”

 

[beckycmarie]

From Archbishop Raymond Burke:

Pro-Life People Must Not Lose Heart with
Obama Election Says Vatican Archbishop

He particularly urged pro-life and family people to be on guard against becoming discouraged. “Discouragement is itself a prime temptation that Satan uses to get people to stop working for the good,” he said. "But the minute you give into discouragement he can get you to do whatever he wants. But if we are people of life, if we are people who honour the dignity of every human life, then we also are necessarily people of hope.
"I understand, from a human point of view, why people are discouraged and why they want to give up or try some radically different approach, but as people of hope we don’t have any choice in this matter. We have to continue the battle."

 

[withwind]

Thanks, everyone.

So then’ the things of this world’ do matter? This statement has always confused me because if they don’t, then why did God create the world and us to live in it?

At one time, not too long ago, most people were in agreement about what was good and evil. I’ve lived long enough to see a complete reversal—at least of public opinion.

I’ve actually been reading St. Paul’s letters. Some of them confuse me but in some cases he seems to be saying to everyone, “Stop doing what you know is wrong!”

You can’t take this “things of this world do matter” and apply to all situation.

If anything that helps you closer to God without committing sins, use it. If anything that takes you further from God, what would you do?

 

[AveSantaMaria]

I also feel sadly disappointed some of the time.

Don’t lose too much heart though. I converted to the pro-life cause only shortly before the election after reading these forums. Previously, I had not thought the issue was important at all and was a right-wing scare tactic.

Many others may reconsider their decisions over the next few years. President Obama himself might change his mind. He changed his mind on Jeremiah Wright, Tim Daschle, and calling rural people those who turn to religion and guns out of poverty. He may turn to religion himself out of stress. He took the spreading of abortion to other countries outside of the stimulus package in reponse to public pressure. Does that show the mind of a man who cannot change?

President Bush started office committed to ending an era of nation-building. He campaigned on this principle. He went on to invade Iraq, one objective being to give those people democracy. Whatever we think of the Iraq war, it is certain that this war was the opposite of what he had intended. Could the economy crash be the September 11, 2001 on President Obama?

I don’t struggle as much with not believing that we can’t get Catholics to change their views on abortion with increased grassroots activism. I struggle with seeing us going back to the 1930 Lamberth Conference, when all denominations condemned contraception and no-fault divorce and upheld traditional marriage. It is so hard for me to hope that things can be not only tolerable in this society but good.

But I know it can happen. Rwanda suffered a genocide. Now they are the nation in the world with the highest representation of women in Parliament. Liberia was caught up in civil war. Now they have a female President Ellen Sirleaf. America institutionalized slavery into its constitution. America may now be the most racially tolerant nation in the world.

If Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade can have a change of heart and become a pro-life activist Christian, and she did!! then ** Saul can become St. Paul. ** Keep praying, man!

I think it will happen.

 

[MissMaureen]

Girl Friend I Hear what you are saying Loud and Clear.

First, I must say that it is nice to know that you are heard and in saying that… God hears every prayer and let me tell you …what you are doing is so powerful …so don’t you quit!

The problem is you cain’t see all of the good stuff that is happening all around the world because of your prayers and going to Mass…but God can. I believe you are in a state of desolation. This will pass I promise. And know that the enemy wants you to quit and stop speaking out and he is hoping you will stop praying and making a difference and be quite just like everyone else.

You must know that holding on to the attatchment of changing the world over night is my mistake and get this my friend …we don’t do anything …God does it all …not us …we are just His instruments to be there at the right place at the right time to say that Hail Mary and …thats when a young lady in a small city in the middle of nowhere feels this warmth in her Heart that God will help her give her son up for an adoption and let to her baby live!.

We didn’t see our prayer change her mind but it did and Our Lord smiles down on you and me and is thinking well done good and faithful servant for that little boy will be a holy and powerful Bishop someday and will save many many souls.

So the moral of my letter is to let go …and let God do all the big stuff and you just do what you can like… saying a Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and spending an Hour before our Lord in the church and meditating on a favor passage in the bible that you like and then journaling letters to and from Our Lord. When you increase your prayer life …I promise you will recieve just the right amount of insight and peace to keep you going.

Just take it one day at a time…and in time you will see God’s Holy Grace Falling on us all …because you make a big difference in the Body of Christ!

Thank you for being who you are.

I was feeling the same way and had to share this insight with you.
God Bless
Miss Maureen
Soldier in Christ

 

[whatevergirl]

Or do I?

Not quitting the Church, understand, but if the things of this world have no importance, then why fight so hard to change what we consider evil?

This is confusing me. And I’m worn out from the recent election, and from so much hard pro-life work destroyed overnight. If abortion is an evil, we should fight it, right? And I’m not just speaking of abortion alone (crucial as it is) but of the militant sinfulness I see all around me, even the glorification of sin in the movies and on TV.

But if the things of this world do not matter, then why fight anything?

I know, it can seem so discouraging…the way the world is going…it scares me, depresses me, saddens me…etc…but, that can also serve as the motivation to keep trying to make things better. The thing is, we might not live to see the changes we affect, but our children…or their children might see it. How about slavery or segregation? There was a time when I’m sure African-Americans wanted to give up…but they kept on with the good fight, and even if those that fought the fight didn’t live to see the progress…but generations after them reap the sweat, and tears of the hard work of their ancestors. So…that’s why we have to keep fighting the good fight, if for no other reason…until we see our Heavenly Father. Then, we can stop. Do it for God, and for those who come after you.

 

[Shin]

Let’s consider two different people… who do exactly the same thing… one is always successful, the other always fails… even though they do everything the same…

On Earth, the first is the hero, the second the failure. In Heaven, the first is the last, and the last is the first.

 

[mystagogia]

Hey Sailor Kenshin!

If you’re tired take a breather; let someone else carry the cross for a while!

Regroup, recharge, meditate, pray.

The world is hostile, and it’s going to win most if not all temporal battles. My own feeling as I soldier out is that I hope for small victories, but expect defeats. We are small players in an evil generation (to be fair, are any not?). Keeping a light up for those who can see - that’s an honorable goal.

 

[Eucharisted]

Or do I?

Not quitting the Church, understand, but if the things of this world have no importance, then why fight so hard to change what we consider evil?

This is confusing me. And I’m worn out from the recent election, and from so much hard pro-life work destroyed overnight. If abortion is an evil, we should fight it, right? And I’m not just speaking of abortion alone (crucial as it is) but of the militant sinfulness I see all around me, even the glorification of sin in the movies and on TV.

But if the things of this world do not matter, then why fight anything?

Fight for the salvation of souls, for this consoles Jesus in His bitter Passion!

 

[nuntym]

Ah, Sailor Kenshin, I was in your place a few years ago. I was thinking, what is the use of fighting for good when it is so hard? Did not the Scriptures even tell us not to love the world? Did not the Scriptures say this world will pass away? So what is the point of trying to save the world?!

It was when I read G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy that this riddle was solved for me. The world is not evil: “And God saw all the things that he had made, and they were very good” (Genesis 1:31). It is just that something catastrophic happened very long ago, when there was a rebellion, and because of that rebellion, evil entered and devastated the world: the Fall.

So what we have right now are actually what was rescued from a primordial shipwreck, like Robinson Crusoe. Which is why we must love this world, because we could have lost much more, and we can lose more still since those rebels are still with us. And yet we know that there is a better world out there, to where we can be rescued, and thus we must not trust the world, or we might just miss the rescue.

Therefore, we are called to hate the world enough to want to change it and not trust it, and love the world enough to think it worth changing to make it trustworthy. Christians are called to be patriotic to the universe, under the banner of the King of the universe, Jesus Christ.

Relax and rest. Withdraw from the front. You are worthless in front of the enemy tired and famished. Have yourself a break, and nourish yourself with the Bread and Wine of Life. Envelope yourself with the love and care of God throught prayer. Then when you are ready, you can go back to the fight.

Why don’t you click the link in my signature for an inspiring patriotic song? It’s the finale song from the musical Les Miserables. It just might help you.

^_-

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

Let’s consider two different people… who do exactly the same thing… one is always successful, the other always fails… even though they do everything the same…

On Earth, the first is the hero, the second the failure. In Heaven, the first is the last, and the last is the first.

Is that necessarily true? If the ‘hero’ is fighting the good fight? If he legislates successfully against abortion and for the good of all the church…

(BTW, on a related note, I did and do support the Iraq war. I did not expect instant results but I believe it was and is still the right thing to do. And because that battle contained surprises, I realize all battles do.).

One thing is certain: I am about tapped out. Haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since 06, haven’t had a vacation since then either.

I still pray the Rosary each day, and most days the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and other prayers, but at this point, I’m forcing myself. I’m also forcing myself to attend Mass, too, if I’m not too sick to get up.

I used to get a real kick out of it, especially on Holy Days of obligation. Now I’m just showing up, most times, because I’m a dried-out sponge. I get feelings of panic because I can’t remember at times whether I’ve prayed certain prayers that day or not.

But I think of the babies and the ripple effect that comes from a world of abortion-on-demand.

Thanks, everyone.

 

[rememberme]

Oh hunny you’re not “about tapped out” you’ve been there a while it seems; from the exhaustion and pain I can hear in your “voice” anyway. I wish I could do or say something inspiring to help you get out of this burn-out but all I can really do is pray my hardest for you.
Seems like you’re a key player in the abortion war and we need you at your best. So take some time off and recupe- I’ll say an extra Rosary a day for you