Catholicism may be a 'calm faith' now, but neither the Gospels nor the Acts of the Apostles depict a sea of serenity, but stark choices depending on the reaction of the people of the time to Jesus Christ. St Stephen's martyrdom, as recounted in today's Gospel is just one example. I'm not really very good at spreading the Faith by word, though I do have my moments. On such occasions, I often later reflect and think I have been either imprudent in speech or lacking in charity, or zeal, or both. That said, I understand we should always have an answer ready when asked about 'the reason for our hope'. In general I agree with Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith, but the history of the Church has always given us reasons to believe that there is a place in the Catholic Church for the 'fruitloop'. We have our St Thomas Aquinases and we have our St John the Baptists and St Joan or Arcs - both types are invariably met with a certain 'resistance'.
3 comments:
I wonder if F. Smith thinks that the Father of the Church St. John Chrysostom used a "shrill tone" in his "eight homilies against the Jews".
http://www.todayscatholicworld.com/homily-ii.htm
There are other Church Fathers who surely are considered as "shrill" in the New Age Church of nice whose members always keep quiet and never argue with anybody because "We are not going to change them".
Most Catholics including, and especially, the bishops and priests, have abdicated the responsibility for spreading the true Faith. They prefer to wallow in the false ideology of relativism so as to be liked and accepted by the enemies of Christ and His Holy Church.
Well said Lynda.
Seattle Kimmy
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