Bold Faith

   A brief look at the history of the Church reveals the fact that many have given their lives rather than deny their faith.  The persecutions of Christians in the early Church was brutal.  It was common to torture and kill them in the most painful ways imaginable.  Nero was known to have soaked Christians in oil, hanging them on lampposts and burning them alive as street lamps on the streets of Rome.

   Eventually, Christianity gained enough favor that the persecutions lessened but they never completely stopped.  Even today there are those who are martyred for their faith.  Those who have given their lives to stand for their faith recognize that death, even the horrible death endured by many, is a price worth paying for the glory of eternal life in the presence of our Lord.  They have received their reward in heaven.

   When I consider the many who have died and how they died for their faith I wonder how many of us would willingly accept torture and death rather than deny Jesus.  I pray that I would have the courage to give my life for my savior, yet until forced to make that choice I can never be certain.

   I’m embarrassed when I see the weakness of many Christians today.  We are not faced with torture and death; we are not subject to imprisonment for our faith, but we are still unwilling to take a stand for God.  Rather we expect the Priests, Bishops and the Pope to stand for the faith.  That’s their job, right?   We forget that they are merely human and, like us, subject to sin and the temptation of apathy.

   Our faith requires boldness, strength and perseverance.  We are God’s people, yet we fail to honor Him by defending our faith in Him.  We allow abortion to continue and say we can’t we can’t force our belief on others.  The millions of babies who have been murdered in the womb would think otherwise; they would want someone to speak boldly for their right to life.  God's children deserve our support.

   We have allowed a small percentage of our nation to practically force God from the public square, allowing every kind of abominable behavior to become acceptable.  Ever wonder why our schools, streets, and nation are becoming less civil and more dangerous?  Perhaps it’s because God is no longer allowed.  Still we won’t step up in defense of our faith.  If we don't take a stand it can only get worse.

   It’s past time for us, the laity, to stop sitting on the sidelines.  It’s time for us to take a stand for God even when that might be difficult.  It’s time for us to tell our Priests, Bishops and Pope to stand tall for the faith and promise them that we will stand with them.  If we don’t, we have failed as Christians; we will have become like the Church in Laodicea.  Christ will speak to us as He did to them, “I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot.  I wish you were either cold or hot.  So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”  (Rev 3: 15 – 16).