Will your family be ready to lay down their lives?

[az_4_faith]

In these troubled times in which we all live, has anyone ever discussed with their family the possibility that one - or more - or all of you - may someday have to lay down your lives for your Catholic faith?

God forbid, would your family be ready to accept martyrdom rather than succumb to heresy?

 

[Damascus]

My child is too young to discuss this with.

My family is in agreement that we would rather die than convert. Yet, I would not relish the thought, but pray for the strength to accept the sword to my neck and proudly shout Jesus Christ is my savior!

 

[Marilena]

In these troubled times in which we all live, has anyone ever discussed with their family the possibility that one - or more - or all of you - may someday have to lay down your lives for your Catholic faith?

God forbid, would your family be ready to accept martyrdom rather than succumb to heresy?

yes, indeed. mine would. i know that for a fact. i wouldn’t even hesitate to lay my life down for Jesus. not even a second thought would enter my mind. i simply would.

 

[PattiC]

really hoping there is a sharp sword and don’t get hacked like some of the poor folks on the Michael Savage site showing the atrocities… sigh.

My children are not living in the Faith now, but I pray for them everyday.

I hope for final perseverance, cause at heart I am just a chicken little, and can’t do anything unless the Holy Spirit and Mary helps me.

One of our parishioners recently died soon after walking back from receiving Holy Communion at the early Mass. Fr. was notified before the final blessing and came back to give him the final annointing with plenary indulgence. What a great way to go out, imo. This was a man who had Rosary constantly in hand, went to all the Masses every day, including the funerals. All the children loved him too… Now that was a holy death.

M, I love St. Philomena!!! So nice to see her pic on the forum.

 

[Damascus]

Thank you Mary for giving us the example we need to give up anything and even risk death for your Son!

Mary could have been stoned to death.

Lets remember that. And Joseph’s mercy, Oh Lord! Thank you for bringing us unworthy ones mercy

Jesus had mercy all around him before his birth through Mary and Joseph!

 

[JimG]

This is not nearly as far fetched as one might imagine in our comfortable country. In a recent issue of “catholic eye,” it is mentioned that “more Christians were martyred in the 20th century than in all previous centuries combined.”

The Communists were responsible for perhaps 25 million deaths in the USSR, the Chinese for another 50 million, not counting ideology driven starvations and economic disasters. The Nazis killed more millions, not only of Jews, but Christians as well. The Spanish Civil War produced 7,000 Christian martyrs.

And while the killings of Pol Pot were not specifically religious in cause, there were another million deaths or so, driven by communist ideology. The North Vietnamese regime to which the U.S. abandoned southeast Asia did include both Christian martyrdom as well as ideologically driven killings. That some escaped is the reason we have many Vietnamese Catholics in the U.S. now. I guess we can’t count the genocides in Darfur and in Bosnia as martyrdoms so much as ethnic cleansings.

And now, anti-Christian sentiment is rebounding in the Islamic world.

No, previous centuries have been pikers compared to the blood produced in the most recent century. We cannot hope to always be exempt from it.

 

[az_4_faith]

This is not nearly as far fetched as one might imagine in our comfortable country. In a recent issue of “catholic eye,” it is mentioned that “more Christians were martyred in the 20th century than in all previous centuries combined.”

The Communists were responsible for perhaps 25 million deaths in the USSR, the Chinese for another 50 million, not counting ideology driven starvations and economic disasters. The Nazis killed more millions, not only of Jews, but Christians as well. The Spanish Civil War produced 7,000 Christian martyrs.

And while the killings of Pol Pot were not specifically religious in cause, there were another million deaths or so, driven by communist ideology. The North Vietnamese regime to which the U.S. abandoned southeast Asia did include both Christian martyrdom as well as ideologically driven killings. That some escaped is the reason we have many Vietnamese Catholics in the U.S. now. I guess we can’t count the genocides in Darfur and in Bosnia as martyrdoms so much as ethnic cleansings.

And now, anti-Christian sentiment is rebounding in the Islamic world.

No, previous centuries have been pikers compared to the blood produced in the most recent century. We cannot hope to always be exempt from it.

I agree.

We’ve been fortunate in this country to be able to practice our religion freely, but sometimes I wonder how long that will last.

I know many devout Catholics and non-Catholic Christians would would die for their faith in this country, but I wonder if our country would unite as a nation under the protection of the Cross if her citizens were threatened because of our religious beliefs. The U.S. has never been tested necessarily as a nation of faith. In some ways, I think that’s what we’re dealing with now, most just don’t want to admit it.

Will marginal Christians (I mean those who call themselves Catholic/Christian, but don’t necessarily practice their faith) of our nation rise to the occasion or will they roll over and submit? I’m really not sure of the answer.

 

[puzzleannie]

In these troubled times in which we all live, has anyone ever discussed with their family the possibility that one - or more - or all of you - may someday have to lay down your lives for your Catholic faith?

?

actually we did have this discussion when our kids were in HS, in conjunction with a movie on TV. It was set on an airplane that was hijacked by terrorists, not exactly named but “racial profiling” would identify them as Arabs. bear in mind this is the 80s after the Iran hostage crisis. The hijackers ask everyone on the plane their religion, and say they are targeting only Jews, everyone else will be safe. They look at names on tickets or passports looking for Jewish names. One man, a Catholic priest, asks for clarification: only Jews will be taken and harmed? Yes, say the terrorists, all non-Jews will be safe. The priest stands up and says, in that case I am a Jew. because of his example, several other passengers also stand up, ready to die with their Jewish brethren. I don’t remember the movie but it made a big impression at the time.

we discussed how we would act if we lived in a society where Jews were targeted, like Nazi Germany (they had studied this topic of the holocaust in their public school). Or what would we do if Catholics were singled out, forced to were some ID badge, persecuted, jobs taken away, kicked out of school etc.

 

[az_4_faith]

When my husband and I were young parents, about twenty years ago, the thought of this discussion never occured to us.

But with events turning the way that they are anymore, it seems like it could be a possibility in our family’s lifetimes.

When I asked my 20 year old daughter, she replied that the young lady who was shot at Columbine after she was asked if she believed in Jesus and said “yes” really stuck with her. That made a deep impression on my daughter. She doesn’t hesitate now in answering “yes” when I ask her if she’d lay down her life for her faith. My other children aren’t as quick to answer, but at least I know the question causes them to think.

 

[Mirdath]

I know many devout Catholics and non-Catholic Christians would would die for their faith in this country, but I wonder if our country would unite as a nation under the protection of the Cross if her citizens were threatened because of our religious beliefs. The U.S. has never been tested necessarily as a nation of faith. In some ways, I think that’s what we’re dealing with now, most just don’t want to admit it.

Will marginal Christians (I mean those who call themselves Catholic/Christian, but don’t necessarily practice their faith) of our nation rise to the occasion or will they roll over and submit? I’m really not sure of the answer.

The United States is not a nation of faith anyway – it was founded by Christians and Deists specifically to avoid having any national religious belief.

That said, I’m not Christian, but in the spirit of Voltaire I would die for your right to be one – and for my right not to be.

 

[az_4_faith]

The United States is not a nation of faith anyway – it was founded by Christians and Deists specifically to avoid having any national religious belief.

That said, I’m not Christian, but in the spirit of Voltaire I would die for your right to be one – and for my right not to be.

We may claim we’re not a nation of faith, but I don’t think that’s how we are perceived by our enemies.

They see us as a Christian nation whether we like it or not.
Our laws are based upon Christian/Judeo precidents and so goes our identity.

 

[ALLFORHIM]

I agree.

We’ve been fortunate in this country to be able to practice our religion freely, but sometimes I wonder how long that will last.

I know many devout Catholics and non-Catholic Christians would would die for their faith in this country, but I wonder if our country would unite as a nation under the protection of the Cross if her citizens were threatened because of our religious beliefs. The U.S. has never been tested necessarily as a nation of faith. In some ways, I think that’s what we’re dealing with now, most just don’t want to admit it.

Will marginal Christians (I mean those who call themselves Catholic/Christian, but don’t necessarily practice their faith) of our nation rise to the occasion or will they roll over and submit? I’m really not sure of the answer.

I agree 100%

 

[ALLFORHIM]

Well,

I would but my family Im not so sure. I am further along in my walk with Christ then they are. My son would probably cave in and my husband is not a believer at this point so hopefully when he becomes a believer he will lay down his life in the name of Jesus.

 

[az_4_faith]

I used to teach religion in a Catholic grade school and when I taught the children (junior high) about Catholic martyrs and particularly martyrs of the 20th &21st Centuries, I could just tell that they couldn’t relate to these distant unfamiliar people.

Saints like 12year old Maria Goretti, the Korean martyrs, etc. were just stories to them off the pages of books.

I can’t help but think that most people would submit rather than resist. Shoot, until it actually happens, I would HOPE that I would resist, but I guess one never knows until push comes to shove.