I stumbled across this article this morning, and it really spoke to me and to a few issues weighing heavily on my heart at this time. Social media can be both a blessing and a curse. One thing it certainly does is highlight everything that is going on in the world and people's opinions about those things. I get discouraged when I look at society. I see a lot of immorality and the decisions made by our politicians have been less than stellar, in my opinion. I'm scared to think about what my children will face as they make their way to adulthood, especially since I'm about to bring a new life into this world.
The article can be found here http://www.catholicstand.com/a-humble-love-for-a-hurting-world/
Here are a few excerpts from this wonderfully written article. It is encouragement amid the discouragement of this world.
"It seems not a day goes by without a headline story about the culture wars. Everyday there is controversy about gay marriage, abortion, contraception or even migrants fleeing danger by crossing borders of other countries. There is a human drama playing out in front of our eyes everywhere we turn. I have been living with this underlying fear that I have had difficulty identifying. I could not figure out what exactly I was afraid of until I spent some time praying about it. Yesterday I spent the day telling God that I am scared, scared of what is happening to our world, scared of all the pictures of dead children, scared of all the Christians who seem to be acting out in their own fear, and scared mostly that I will not be a good witness of Christ in a world that needs saints and not Pharisees. My fears were coming from pride, from the idea that it was my responsibility to make sure that everyone knew the right way to live. I felt I had to convert them or force them to live that way, or else. Or else what? Am I going to spend my time telling them what horrible sinners they are, because I am a saint? That is far from the truth, for I am also a sinner. My fear came from my sense of having to make sure that people do what I tell them to do, from a desire to control them, but that is not what I am called to do. I am called to love them, just as Christ loves us without approving of our sins. God does not want us to wait until we are sinless to come to Him, it is by coming to Him that we can become saints not the other way around. He is the source of Grace that helps us to reach sainthood. Without Him, there is no hope of that happening for any of us. The entire point of preaching the Kingdom of God is to bring people into a personal relationship with Jesus, not to make sure that they are just like us. Everything about our Faith serves Him, not the other way around. Our goal cannot be to ensure that people stop accepting gay marriage, getting abortions, or using birth control. Letting go of that lifestyle is part of what comes with making Christ the Lord of your life. But before any of that can happen, one has to KNOW who Jesus is and fall in love with Him. Then the rest comes by Grace and the Power of the Holy Spirit. I always get myself in trouble when I make the mistake of thinking that I am the one who needs to make sure people follow the “rules”. Mostly because when I do that, I lose sight of Christ as well, and forget to look at my own faults with the same microscope that I am using to look at the faults of others. "
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