E
Eric_Hyom
Guest
Our priest did very much the same today, there is hope
- Status
M
Matthew_Light
Guest
T
Telstar
Guest
I’m very well aware that the greatest commandment is to love God above all else, and to love our brothers and sisters as we love ourselves. So, if we see our own brother following a path that we know is extremely dangerous, such as doing drugs or alcohol, or engaging in some kind of criminal activity, should we just turn a blind eye and allow them to destroy their life? Or, should we at least try to help them, by talking to them about it and offering them good advice? Don’t we have a moral obligation to try to show them that it’s going to end badly for them in this life, if they continue to follow that kind of path? Even if they refuse to take our advice, we should at least try to help them. What better way is there to show that we really do love them?
So, if we have a moral responsibility to help our own brother in that kind of temporal situation, isn’t it even more important, when we know that the spiritual path our brothers and sisters in Christ are following might also cause them to lose their immortal souls, shouldn’t we try to help them with that situation, too? What will we say to God when He asks us where our brothers are, and, what we did to help them along their temporal or spiritual paths? Will we just answer like Cain did, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”?
Catholics don’t try to show our Christian brothers and sisters where they’re wrong out of any kind of malice, or feeling of superiority. We’re all in this, together. Our real motivation is our true love for them, and a deep concern that we have for their souls. We’re obligated by God to try and help them. We do it for His sake, out of love for Him, as well as for our Christian brothers and sisters. We’re all members of God’s spiritual family.
J
johnnyc176
Guest
849 The missionary mandate. “Having been divinely sent to the nations that she might be ‘the universal sacrament of salvation,’ the Church, in obedience to the command of her founder and because it is demanded by her own essential universality, strives to preach the Gospel to all men”: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and Lo, I am with you always, until the close of the age.”
Many profess to loving Jesus yet do not follow Him so I’m not sure you can say all things will fall into place. Jesus said if you love me you will follow my commandments. Love requires obedience.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI…
catholicworldreport.com/Blog/3466/pope_emeritus_benedict_xvi_dialogue_cannot_substitute_for_mission.aspx
M
MartinJordan
Guest
Absolutely spot on. Praise God! This also means no one is excluded even those who proclaim the Truth of Christ but fail in upholding the virtues. We Catholics are not “off the hook”. Penance is integral and trust that the Lord have Mercy on us.
MJ
F
friardchips
Guest
This speaks of Christianity where the food we are given is solid after the phase of being weened on milk only.
H
hasantas
Guest
H
hasantas
Guest
We have the differences and that is usual. But generally we believe in one Creator the God! That is our our accord point and all others things are different. If even we reject each others but God know all of us better than us. And our God has a great Mercy. So we all should be hopeful also for self and others.I am feeling sad that on almost every post about a particular religion on almost any internet forum, people who are members of other religions chime in about how the first religion is wrong because of X, Y or Z. It doesn’t matter which religion - Catholicism, Lutheranism, Mormonism, Islam etc.
Is this really what religion boils down to? I am right and you are wrong and here is why?
13- O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted. Al-Hujurat
E
Eric_Hyom
Guest
Absolutely agree.
Very few people like taking good advice. The scientific evidence against smoking seems overwhelming, cigarette packets in the UK have horrible graphic pictures and messages against smoking, yet millions smoke. What other advice can you give someone who wants to smoke?
Giving advice might make us feel better, but I am not sure what good it does, often it just gets on people’s nerves, they don’t want to hear it.
I have been a Street Pastor for seven years, this is an interdenominational mission, we pray for each other, and we pray together. We are out in our town until 3 - 4 am, coming into contact with drunks, angry people, troubled and suicidal people and lots of good natured revellers too. Like the Good Samaritan, we try and meet their needs, to show our care and concern for their safety.
We do not go out to preach, mostly I try and avoid mentioning my beliefs, unless someone asks me first, and they do, often when they are drunk. We stood in the middle of a couple of lads fighting, the taller lad said, your a f… Christian, you are supposed to forgive, would you forgive me if I stabbed your f… mother in the face and f… raped her?
I said yes, it is better to forgive, than to hate, he walked off. Next time he saw me he crossed over the road and came and shook my hand, he did not say much.
The late night drinkers know we are Christian, every time we go out, people thank us for caring, they give us hugs and handshakes to show their appreciation that we volunteer our time to help them.
I know we sow seeds, we try and avoid using too many words. I would love to be part of an interfaith version of Street Pastors, I often bring this up at various meetings.
T
Telstar
Guest
If we all truly followed those two commands that Jesus gave us, this world would be a lot better place.
Oh, I know that, first hand (as I sit here smoking my first butt of the day… knowing that I desperately need to quit
). My brother used to ‘gently’ remind me of it, every time I started coughing when we were talking on the phone. But, I knew he was right. He had COPD, partly due to smoking, and partly from the side effects of jobs he worked at over the years. The combination of all of those factors, beat the hell out of his lungs. We lost him in February. I’ve been seriously trying to quit smoking ever since. Reading your post, it almost seemed as if he was giving me another nudge, through your words. 
I realize that, but we’re really not supposed to be doing it just to make ourselves feel good. Our approach can make a big difference in their reaction. It’s all about our attitude, and theirs. First of all, we need to make sure that they know we’re offering our advice out of love, because we really are concerned about their well being, and not because we’re being judgmental, or looking down on them for what they’re doing. Sometimes, they might just need a subtle hint. Others times we might have to be a bit more firm, or even get right up in their face, if they’re really doing something reckless. Sometimes, all we can do is give them a loving look, and not say anything at all. Love should always be the key in all of it.
That’s an excellent calling. I don’t think I could ever do anything like that, but I do admire people that can go out there on the ‘front lines’ and do what Jesus did.
I’m definitely not the ‘preaching’ type. This forum is much more suitable to my abilities, because I really don’t have the skills to do what you do, either. I’m basically a very shy, introverted person for the most part. Here on the forum, I can reach out and talk to people in a different way than I normally would, without feeling so self conscious.
First of all, I do it because I love God and I love talking about God. Since I really don’t have anyone around me that I can freely talk to about God, I come here to do that. My main objective is to find inspiration for ways that I can grow in my love for God, in what I read, here. At the same time, I hope perhaps I might inspire someone else to love God even more, by giving my own perspectives on the spiritual subjects we discuss. I also really enjoy this Non-Catholic section, because it’s a means for me to learn more about what other people believe about God.
I would have been shaking in my boots! Good job! That’s the kind of thing that makes it all worth it. There are so many out there in the world, especially among young people, that really don’t know very much about God at all. Even if they do, they might think it’s a very nice way to look at the world, but they really don’t think anyone actually lives the way Jesus taught us to live. They think it’s impossible to really live that way. I think a good number of them only see the story of Jesus as a nice kind of ‘fairytale’ that kids are taught to keep them in line, but it’s no more real than Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. It’s extremely difficult to find a way to convince them otherwise. But, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.
E
Eric_Hyom
Guest
Amen.
E
Eric_Hyom
Guest
I gave up smoking thirty four years ago, there were still the odd occasion I fancied a cigarette, even after twenty years. A few things that helped me quit…Oh, I know that, first hand (as I sit here smoking my first butt of the day… knowing that I desperately need to quit
Henry Ford said, ‘whether you believe you can, or you believe you can’t, you are probably right.’ In other words, if you believe you can’t, don’t bother trying, you have already lost and you are looking to fail. Belief is a strange thing, if you believe you can, you need a determination to tackle all problems, with the thought of succeeding.
I started the quitting process by just giving up a few cigarettes a day, the one first thing in the morning, and the ones with a drink, then I tried to delay having the next cigarette. I did this over three days and stopped. I went round destroying all my cigarettes, the ones in the car, in my jacket and at work. And told all my friends not to offer me a smoke, even if I asked for one. When I stopped smoking, I had a smokers cough for around six months, something that I never had when I smoked.
Once I stopped, I developed a fear of cigarettes, they are stronger than I am, I know even today, if I have just one draw, I shall be smoking twenty a day in a short time. I would be afraid to stick my hand in a fire and pick up a burning coal, I equate my fear of cigarettes in the same way.
Giving up smoking was one of the most powerful things I have done in my life.
I don’t have the skills to do what I do either, I am not the preaching type, I am shy and introverted. I left school with a basic education, I have drifted from one job to another, I spent thirty years away from a church, and no training in theology.
Having said all that, we trust in prayer, we ask God to place in our path the people he needs us to see. We pray for the words and actions to do God’s will and spread his love on the streets. Then we just trust in God to fill in all the gaps, somehow that just works.
We continuously give thanks, because outcomes so often exceed our expectations, God is good.
You have a gentle way with words, I believe you could do what I do on the streets.
F
friardchips
Guest
(Awesome posts!
). Hope is not a mind trick or mind over matter. Hope is in our hearts and even if we believe we can’t make it, if we pray, we can. Because the hope and peace is already there. If Telstar feels it is hard to give up and feels hopeless, that the situation is hopeless, it is still never lost. Even if she feels it is. We are never lost if we pray. If you find it too hard to crush that packet in your hand and throw it in the bin (), even if you can’t do this - if you can, if you can’t - pray, and pray hard, because the situation is never lost. Not with hope. Our Creator is greater than fear. And our, very understanding, Holy Mother supports her adopted children and friends of her Son! If you can’t defeat a smoking habit, don’t rely on yourself, and put even more trust in the Rosary. I just felt the need to chime in there just over that one thing. Over and out. Keep up the good work! God bless.
M
Matthew_Light
Guest
That’s a beautiful description of turning to Christ and allowing the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to guide you.
Thank you!
T
Telstar
Guest
You’re absolutely right. I know I can do it if I put my mind to it, because I’ve already done it a couple of times, before. The last time it was over 10 years before starting again. I went to a friend’s house and she was still smoking, so I just asked for a drag… then, I asked her for one… and that was all it took to get me started, again.
I think the reason I’m having a harder time quitting now, is because I’ve got a bit of an issue with anxiety. Smoking calms me down. I’ve always had a problem with anxiety, but when I was younger I had to force myself to deal with it. Now that I’ve gotten older, it’s been harder and harder to deal with it. I know I could take medicine for it. I tried that not long ago, but it didn’t work very well. I really don’t like the idea of doing it, anyway, because I don’t like the side effects, either. Maybe I should start drinking, instead! Just kidding! Drinking just makes me sick to my stomach.
I totally understand your fear. I used to think I would never start smoking again, after I quit the first time. Then, I started again, and quit the last time for over ten years. Then, that one ‘drag’ got me hooked, again. What’s really bad is that I only smoked about 7-10 a day, before my brother died. Then, I started smoking more! For the past month or so, I’ve been smoking up to a pack a day (20), or more! Yes, I’ve been keeping track of how many I smoke for quite a while, to at least try to keep it under control. But, I know I really need to quit.
The good news is that I roll my own, and I’m pretty much out of tobacco. I had one earlier, and maybe have enough dust (literally) in the bottom of the bag for another one. Yesterday, I managed to only smoke 7, so that’s a little better than I’ve been doing, lately. It was mainly because I knew I was running out, and really don’t want to buy any more. Even though I know I should be able to quit on my own, I’m just hoping my brother will keep reminding me that I really need to do it.
I’m always amazed at the way God chooses people to do what needs to be done. Often times it’s the most unlikely people that He picks to do things they would never think to do on their own. The Apostles were the perfect examples of that. It certainly proves that His ways are not our ways, doesn’t it?
Thank you, so much.You have a gentle way with words, I believe you could do what I do on the streets.
That’s exactly why I think I do much better here, than I would do, face to face. I tend to get rather ‘animated’ and emotional when I talk, especially if I have strong feelings about the subject. I really don’t have a lot of patience (probably a side effect of my anxiety), so I don’t do very well when I get frustrated, either because I can’t find the right words to say, or someone just doesn’t seem to understand what I’m saying. When it comes to talking about religious subjects, I know I can tend to be a bit over the top. I certainly wouldn’t want to scare people away from God, just because I’m a complete looney when I talk about Him.
- Status