church observation

[chad]

my daughter read at mass this morning for the first time (3rd grade), so i went to watch her.

everyone in church was at least 60+. i'd say most were in their 70s and 80s. granted, it was a weekday and most folks are at work, but what happened next gave me pause.

i had some old guy come up to me and clutch my hand after mass and say "it's so nice to see someone young at the church." his wife was nodding in agreement. i'm 40 in january. i'm not young.

i said thanks, exchanged pleasantries, etc.

i don't know why, but it freaked me out. it occurred to me that once these people die, church might just be empty.

scares the piss out of me, actually. a whole society running around devoid of any kind of spiritual guidance makes me stop for a moment and think.

i try to stay out of church/bible arguments on here, but it was a weird experience. just had to share.

[midnight rambler]

a whole society running around devoid of any kind of spiritual guidance

Don't ya love it when a plan comes together?

[chad]

Don't ya love it when a plan comes together?

i grasped it intellectually, but today, i had the "holy shit" moment.

[midnight rambler]

I got your spiritual guidance right here fella.



http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kUQvtcubhi...ollarbill2.jpg

[StreetsOfGold]

IF the entire CATHOLIC church died in America, it would be a great day indeed. America was built on Christian beliefs and ideas, NOT catholic ones. You couldn't even BE a Catholic in congress untill the 1800's. when the stinking Jesuits influenced the lawmakers to allow Catholics.

Catholicsm = Satanism

[JohnQPublic]

my daughter read at mass this morning for the first time (3rd grade), so i went to watch her.

everyone in church was at least 60+. i'd say most were in their 70s and 80s. granted, it was a weekday and most folks are at work, but what happened next gave me pause.

i had some old guy come up to me and clutch my hand after mass and say "it's so nice to see someone young at the church." his wife was nodding in agreement. i'm 40 in january. i'm not young.

i said thanks, exchanged pleasantries, etc.

i don't know why, but it freaked me out. it occurred to me that once these people die, church might just be empty.

scares the piss out of me, actually. a whole society running around devoid of any kind of spiritual guidance makes me stop for a moment and think.

i try to stay out of church/bible arguments on here, but it was a weird experience. just had to share.

I have had similar experiences in Europe; though on Sundays you do see more young people.

Our Mass is full to the limit 3 masses a day plus pretty full for 3 others. We are one of the "super Churches". We live in an area with a lot of families. I think it depends on the parish.

[chad]

IF the entire CATHOLIC church died in America, it would be a great day indeed. America was built on Christian beliefs and ideas, NOT catholic ones. You couldn't even BE a Catholic in congress untill the 1800's. when the stinking Jesuits influenced the lawmakers to allow Catholics.

Catholicsm = Satanism

man, those 24 years must have been the halcyon days!

[JohnQPublic]

I got your spiritual guidance right here fella.



http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kUQvtcubhi...ollarbill2.jpg

Attachment 1185

Attachment 1186
George Washington's masonic apron
worn at inaguration

[JohnQPublic]

IF the entire CATHOLIC church died in America, it would be a great day indeed. America was built on Christian beliefs and ideas, NOT catholic ones. You couldn't even BE a Catholic in congress untill the 1800's. when the stinking Jesuits influenced the lawmakers to allow Catholics.

Catholicsm = Satanism

Let's not forget the founders were also masons, and the Catholic Church stood firmly against masonry.

[Awoke]

it freaked me out. it occurred to me that once these people die, church might just be empty.

This is a dangerous reality.



We are commissioned to tell people about Jesus, Chad.

1 Corinthians 1:17
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not in wisdom of speech, lest the cross of Christ should be made void.

Now I want to share this piece from one of my favorite books, Jude. I love the book of Jude. This piece is written in a certain context which should be understood: Jude is warning Christs followers about the infiltrators in the Church (Yes, they were active back then, and even before Christ came), and speaking on the sinful ways that people are conducting themselves because of the false teachings by the infiltrators.
So in relation to the the sinners and the victims of deception, Jude says in the name of Christ:

[21] Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, unto life everlasting.
[22] And some indeed reprove, being judged:
[23] But others save, pulling them out of the fire.

These are critical statements.

Firstly, "And some reprove, being judged" - Most people are familiar with the "Judge not, lest ye be judged" attitude of the Church and Faith, however, as far as the Church Militant is concerned, when it come to the preservation of the purity and intent of the teachings of Jesus Christ, we Christians have a duty to make a judgement call, and reprove (rebuke) the deceivers, as they are doing to work of satan, not the Lord.

Secondly, "But others save, pulling them out of the fire" - This reiterates the point that we are to spread the Gospel of the Lord, as the salvation of souls can hinge on the works you choose to do or not do. In a world where the population is like ship-tossed overboard people stuck in a whirlpool, swirling around the drain and about to go down, we need to throw ropes out there. We can't make anyone grab the rope, but we can offer it. Maybe that's a bad analogy, but it's the first thing that came to mind.

So then, while we are commissioned to preach the Gospel, we are not commissioned to inculcate people.
See here:

Matthew 10:14
And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words: going forth out of that house or city shake off the dust from your feet.

Mark 6:11
And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you; going forth from thence, shake off the dust from your feet for a testimony to them.

Luke 9:5
And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off even the dust of your feet, for a testimony against them.

Of course Chad, I know you know all this. I'm just writing for the lurkers.

Also for the lurkers, Jude is a short book, only one Chapter, and goes right into the meat of the matter. It is a great book for non-Christians to pick up and read in 5 minutes. Right away the false teachers are brought to the forefront. I recommend it. Here is a link:
http://drbo.org/chapter/72001.htm