Let Bad Examples Now Become Good Ones

Jan 22, 2006

In life today so many walk away from the one true God, many who were brought up as Christian embrace the world instead of embracing Christ.  While others who were brought up as Christian, but with little example of Christ before them in the lives of those around, turn to other religions that seem to give a clear spiritual and moral code by which to live.

Often those who remain Christian are quick to condemn and judge such people forgetting that the reasons many of these behave in such a way is because of the bad examples of faith some of those in the church have been.

In the past and still today Church members have embraced the worldly ways over the ways of Christ.

Church members have remained silent as great wrongs such as homosexuality, adultery and divorce, promiscuity, the death penalty, war, contraception and abortion are promoted in the world as being right and because of this silence these great wrongs have been allowed to infect society.

As wrong infects society it is an inevitable response that with time there are people who will come to see how empty the way of life is, how hope seems to have left life, how meaningless life has become, how self centered life is.  Also how those who profess to love Christ in many cases have allowed this to happen.

No wonder so many are confused, no wonder they often look elsewhere for some meaning to life.  As people look for something else the religions with strict moral and spiritual codes appeal because within the person is an emptiness they do not want to have and they believe that these strong faiths may help them fill this inner void.

Because these people have not had at times a clear guidance to the Christian and Catholic faith it is unknown to them that within Catholicism is all they need in the love of Christ.  That within the Catholic Church resides the true, the best and the clearest instructions from God Himself on how to live a good and truly peaceful life.  Also as some may not have had the examples of sacramental lives set before them by their family and friends these unfortunates are blinded to the fact that on earth a person can come no closer to God than in the Holy Sacraments of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Now in the sadness and confusion of the evil that has permeated society these poor souls, for that is what they are, turn from the true faith of God and embrace faiths that do not have the fullness of God’s truth within them.  Embrace faiths that are confused or mixed up interpretations of what God has really said and what God really wants from mankind.

Faiths that place what seems like good moral standards before people but which have limited morality in themselves.  Which is evident by their denial of Christ’s teachings, their denial of Christ as the only Son of God, of His Death and Resurrection, as the Saviour of mankind and as Divinity and Man. Faiths which rule by fear and not by love.  Faiths that demand total obedience even condemning those who would leave them to death.

What a shame it is that by the pride, blindness, weakness, selfishness and apathy of some Christians others are opened to accept that which opposes Christ.  Now is the time for all Catholics to reflect on how they have and are living their faith and what effect this is having not only on their family members but also on those around them and those they meet in every day life.  Now is the time to start living as Christ asks and to let His gentle and compassionate love be seen in our Catholic hearts.  Let us turn no more people away from Christ by our weakness.  Instead let us start to bring those who have turned away back into the loving embrace of Our Lord Jesus by the strength of our living faith in all we do.  Let us stand up boldly proclaiming God’s love for all and invite all to find true life, true peace and true love in Him and in His good news.

Alan Ames