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The idea that it is better to allow Islam, or atheism, or just secularism to triumph seems to me a perversion of one of the noblest of Christian actions – martyrdom. There are, as this and the last centuries show, occasions on which, like the Christians of old, it is necessary for us to sacrifice ourselves. But that is the point, surely, that we sacrifice ourselves; we are the ones who suffer because the alternative is to renounce Christ. I shan’t tempt fate, as I have a lively fear that I am not the stuff of which martyrs are made. But a willingness to die for Christ is one thing; is it the same as a willingness to let others suffer rather than give ground to another church?
I know what vexed territory this is. I have enough Catholic and Orthodox acquaintances for some if them to be firmly of the view that their church is THE church and all others are not. Well, maybe in the eyes of God they are both right, but in the eyes of man that is more problematic. The Catholic Church has a good and sensible position on this, recognising the validity of the orders and sacraments of the Orthodox; as no one can speak for all the Orthodox, the latter could not reciprocate, even if they so wanted.
The lessons of the Church of the East are those of the other non-Chalcedonian churches; you can preserve your unique heritage and insist you are right; you can make the ultimate sacrifice; but what if rather than fertilise the seeds of faith, the blood of so many martyrs drowns them?
So many of the lands where St. Paul toiled in what is now Turkey and Syria are all but devoid of Christians. The ruins are noble and haunt the imagination, but ruins they are and will remain until Christ comes again in glory. As I walked round parts of London earlier today, I saw churches closed and empty, some turned into museums, some into arts centres and cafes, and I thought we are not so far from Turkey’s fate as we might think. Is it that we do not see these things – or do the devices and desires of our own hearts blind us to the consequences of our pride?
Do we never read the Old Testament with discernment? Do we simply not see how the People of Israel’s pride led them into situations where they were chastised by the Lord? Or do we think we are immune, wiser, better, closer to God? Or are we just as proud?
I look at the Blessed John Paul II and Benedict XVI and their approach to other Christians, indeed to other faiths, and I see two men of God wise enough to do two things, where most of us do only one: they believed most firmly in their own church and in Christianity; but they do not denigrate others. They recognised in most Christian churches elements of truth, to a greater or lesser extent, and they were willing and are willing, to talk with them; neither did they despise non-Christian faiths.
On the other hand I see those who criticised these holy men, and I see where their example has led in the past, and I wonder whether it really takes exile by the waters of Babylon for these stiff necks to bow; or whether they just prefer to break?
God is not mocked. If there is, as there is, a diversity of belief, then there is a reason for it, because God could change it in the twinkling of an eye and He does not. We, the created, cannot fathom the mind of the Creator, and we the finite cannot read the Infinite.
Chesterton was right:
“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried”
Our minds travel similar roads today. I’m encouraged by that. Chesterton’s words are revealing.
Me too – yes, those words are spot on I think
I think Benedict XVI is probably the most vigorous persuant of Christian unity to have held office since the Council of Trent. His advances to the the SSPX in offering them a prelature (and still carrying on the process after apparent rejection, the ordinariate for disaffected Anglicans, the reproachment with the Orthodox which will probably see a very high level meeting this year and the proposed ordinariate for Lutherans are all testimony to the faact. We will miss him when he’s gone. I pray he actually gets even more accomplished whilst he can.
PS: Chesteron was a true genius.
Thank you – yes, I agree with everything you say here, and I hope we have years yet of this wonderful Pope.
I even wonder if a Crusade could ever occur again. We haven’t the faith, the courage, the manhood to stand up to anything as a group. There are individuals to be sure, but few who would abandon their couch for a prie dieu much less risk reputation, much less their very life for a God that they have constructed solely in their minds and based entirely on their social constructs.
As for God changing, in a twinkling of an eye, the diversity of religious belief, would have Him war against Himself and revoke the eternal gift He gave to man of free will. As long as we have free will, man will construct all kinds of misconceptions and tend to construct a “kinder, gentler” faith to follow: a faith that embraces a cross made of velveteen rather than rough hewn timber.
Our sinfulness never ceases to amaze – and it makes His love all the more amazing.
It is indeed; and after all He has done in every age our cowardice and disbelief might be even more amazing yet.
Yes, we are a pretty poor lot when you think about it.
As the Jews abandoned God and preferred not to listen to Moses and Aaron, we seem to carry on the tradition: abandoning Christ and scarcely listening Peter. We all want to be Pope and lead the Church to our own liking.
Yes, it seems like those who most criticise the Pope for Infallibility in something, imagine themselves infallible in many.
I have long thought that many Protestants don’t have a problem with a Pope as long as it is themselves. Therefore, each plays the role and denigrates the idea that God has place over His Church a visible head: and it happened not to be them.
How very careless of God not to see that every sinner is right; almost as bad as the sinners thinking each of them is right
It is a hallmark of Americanism that we embrace self-reliance but a complete perversion of the Church when we apply thee ideals to Faith. Unfortunately, we taught the rest of the world the same heterodox outlook that has now taken us out of the light and covered us with some pretty dark and ominous clouds. I’m only wondering when the really bad storm is coming – it is looming as we speak.
It is certainly hitting us here. Parliament is about to legislate on same sex marriage.
So I understand. And we are well on our way of stripping our nation of the right to privacy and many other rights are teetering on the brink as well. Religion is not safe anymore and though the state of our self-guided religious practices are not ideal, many will fold to government coercion and would be just as happy in a state run church. As such we may soon see the persecutions we have seen in Africa and elsewhere visit our Western European countries.
It may well come more quickly than some think – once the enemy scents blood he will get braver.
I’m afraid the smell of blood is already in the air. Many liberals are becoming more brave and telling us exactly how they feel – even to the point of calling for the deaths of those that oppose the Leftist’s agendas; and all of this quite public these days. It is truly chilling.
Yes, it is bound to be so, I fear.
Apropos of our churches recently, this part of the quotation on my header currently, and seems very apt here as well:
“…They say they want a religion to be practical, when they would be practical without any religion. They say they want a religion acceptable to science, when they would accept the science even if they did not accept the religion. They say they want a religion like this because they are like this already. They say they want it, when they mean that they could do without it.”
—G.K. Chesterton
And that is a lot of our problem.
That seems spot on.
One thing about GKC, he usually is, if you can find the right passage, sorry to be late to the party.
Never late, and always welcome
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No wonder I love this site, dearest friend
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Well, sir that is mighty kind of you
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Simply the truth, unvarnished, as always, Ma’am
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