The elixir of life

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If we had an elixir of eternal life to sell, how quickly we might sell it, surely very few would refuse to purchase such a wondrous thing!

John 11:25-26
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;

26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

In a world where our beliefs are all we know and are mirrors and illusions in themselves why should it be so hard to ‘sell’ belief in the real ‘elixir’ of life?
 
Because of 3 things
  1. Satan
  2. Sinful Culture
  3. Matthew 7:14: “How narrow is the gate, and how straight is the way, which leads to life, and few there are who find it!”
 
I think the more we, the salespeople, live and demonstrate it, the more the world will recognize and want it. It doesn’t work that way 100% tho (mainly because our faith also involves giving up stuff, perhaps) but it would certainly help a bunch.

Either way, to talk about it is one thing, to cause someone to believe in it is another. In fact, I’m sure I could be more fully sold out to the offer myself. The world still has it’s pull.
 
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Lee1 said:
why should it be so hard to ‘sell’ belief in the real ‘elixir’ of life?
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I’m sure it is because we in the West sell a watered-down version .

Someone , I don’t know who , said that we accept just enough Christianity to inoculate us against the real thing .

I noticed some parishioners at Mass this morning . They are from India , and their demeanour stands out .

I was on a short break in Fleetwood a few years back . I went to a weekday evening Mass . There was quite a number of young Indians there . I was asking the Catholic owner of the place where we were staying about them . He said that they were here studying at the nautical college up the road . I remarked , " I doubt many young European Catholics studying on another continent will be at an evening weekday Mass . "
 
Lee1…I often think it is because of submission.
Mankind hates submission and wants to follow their own desire for an immediate result.
Instant gratification if you will.
The offer of the elixir is sweet to some, but to others it is an excruciating yoke.
The thought of eternal life is far off in the distant compared to the immediacy of temporal pleasure.
For some, uncertainty of the future coupled with the desire to control their immediate destiny outweighs the promises of the elixir.

Adam and Eve chose sin while living in Eden, how much harder for us now?
 
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Thank you all above for your answers. When I read what you have all said I can see some great ideas there. I’ll come back later if you don’t mind and try to summarise what you’re saying. Thank you sincerely thus far.
 
Even when face-to-face with Christ, and even after witnessing His miracles, people walked away in disbelief. Some grew so hateful, they plotted to kill Him and, through deceit and a hunger for power, succeeded. Though we know they really did not succeed.🌹

Anyway, why do some believe and other do not?

One reason I can think of is that it’s written in Holy Scripture that God chooses whom He wills to believe - John 6:44; John 15:16 are just some examples. John 12:40 is another reason some do not believe.

But who is to say that once an unbeliever always an unbeliever. I am proof that this is absolutely untrue. Thanks be to God!

By the power of the Holy Spirit, He opens our minds, eyes, and hearts. We taste and see that He is good. We become radically changed through the working of His Amazing Grace. The change He makes in us leads us through an identity crisis…the old passes away and the new enters in. Thanks be to God!

What about the people who do not believe? Who is to argue against the point that someday they may become believers. Maybe they do not know the truth about our LORD; there is a good chance that the world has deceived them through various means about the Church.

Read John 8.

By the way, non-believers are watching us. When they see things like the church scandals, thoughts may arise, such as, “Hah! There’s more proof that it’s all bogus!” However, when they see the Love of God in us, they can not argue with that. God, through the Holy Spirit, does get to people via us .

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD (Psalm 118). We have to be ready and willing to give an answer for our Faith. The people that did this in my life, made all the difference in the once black and vile world in which I once lived. He saved Me because I needed to be saved. That’s Good news! Because of the work He does through us by the power of His Holy Spirit, salvation comes to others!

He desires that none perish. 2 Peter 3:9

Matthew 9:37.
 
I’ve run out of time today to work on this, I apologise, hopefully over the weekend. Thank you though.
 
I believe that any point in the history of Christianity there were only a few truly faithful. Most people choose themselves over God. Only a few prevent the world from utter destruction by God.
 
Perhaps only those with true metal will gravitate toward the magnet. The more metal the stronger the attraction.

I wonder since God is Almighty and can do all things the need to sort wheat from chafe must be the reason why we aren’t compelled to believe? Given free will those who are suitable will be attracted and some of them will remain true believers for their lifetimes, and so be satisfactory for God. Again, an autonomous system expressing genuine behaviour perhaps.
 
Lee1 said:
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In a world where our beliefs are all we know and are mirrors and illusions in themselves why should it be so hard to ‘sell’ belief in the real ‘elixir’ of life?
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The elixir of faith?
John 11
38 Jesus therefore again groaning in himself, cometh to the sepulchre. Now it was a cave; and a stone was laid over it. 39 Jesus saith: Take away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith to him: Lord, by this time he stinketh, for he is now of four days. 40 Jesus saith to her: Did not I say to thee, that if thou believe, thou shalt see the glory of God?
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I suppose you could argue that the actual elixir of life was the blood of Christ consumed during mass.

But not scotch I think. 🙂
 
Why do you think it is so hard to ‘sell’ our Lords elixir?
Any thoughts would be welcome.
 
Is it the packaging that makes it so hard to sell, by which I mean the restrictions which some see in following a life with Our Lord?

Are these actual restrictions as such or are they more like an admonishment and directives to adopt good habits? After all we do seem to inherit bad habits from family and then develop them by complying with the norms we see around us as we grow.
 
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Do you think that we have as a society become so used to luxuries and instant gratification that we have weakened our abilities to practise the level of self discipline necessary to be good Christians? And perhaps specifically good Catholics?
 
Wow. Thank you.

It all seemed so simple, love God with all your being and love your neighbour as yourself.

What happened?
 
Lee1 said:
Is it the packaging that makes it so hard to sell, by which I mean the restrictions which some see in following a life with Our Lord?

Are these actual restrictions as such or are they more like an admonishment and directives to adopt good habits? After all we do seem to inherit bad habits from family and then develop them by complying with the norms we see around us as we grow.
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Before you posted “In a world where our beliefs are all we know and are mirrors and illusions in themselves”. So you are saying that our beliefs are not real. I think you answered your own question.
 
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We do have an elixir of eternal life, the body and blood of Christ and we have access to it at the very least on Sundays… it’s even free.
 
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