Unearned Luck

Photo by Hanna Morris on Unsplash But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places and calling to their playmates, “ We piped to you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.”  For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon”;  the Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!” Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds. -Matthew 11:16-19 If you knew for certain, that in five years the anti-Christ will appear on the world stage to inaugurate 42 months of the most horrific, terrifying, and unyielding persecution of Christians in history, a persecution whose heinous excesses cannot be imagined. After these 42 months, you will witness the Second Coming of Christ and the Final Judgement. How would you spend those first five years? Looking towards a future of hardship, most people choose to spend their ti...

Photo by  Fynn schmidt  on  Unsplash Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. -Matthew 11:28:30 What goes through your mind, when you read these words from Our Lord? Do you think, “Light?! Easy?! There is nothing light and easy about Christianity”? Do your thoughts then wander to all of the rules and regulations? All of the fasts and penances? All of the guilt and Ten Commandments? Do you begin to complain about Christ calling you to die to yourself, become a new man, be poor in spirit, meek, humble, sacrificing and merciful and think, “I don’t have time for all of that. I’m living a different life in a different time.” Don’t be surprised. You’re in the majority. It’s so much easier to do nothing, while feeding ourselves a steady diet of excuses, justificat...

Photo by Nathan Bingle on Unsplash Peter said to him, "Your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent therefore of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” ⏤Acts 8:20:23 There seems to be no viable argument against the contention, that Catholics in the United States do not know their faith beyond what they may have picked up as children. If any of us had, would we be going through the mess and confusion we are right now? It would seem equally incontrovertible, that those willing and able to educate their peers in the faith are to be encouraged and supported as much as possible. Especially useful are attempts to supplement or reinforce average Catholics' thin grasp of Chris...