I often wonder what I would say if a stranger said something like that to me. If I was like anyone else in their right mind, I would turn him down then call the police. Yet, Peter, Andrew, James and John did the opposite.
They chose to drop everything and follow Him. James and John even turned from their father to follow Jesus! That is some serious faith right there. Faith that I think is often misinterpreted by the world today.
After Jesus died and was risen and the Holy Spirit descended upon the people of earth something happened. Something so influential it changed the lives of millions of people today. It was the early Church preaching the gospel.
In America, I have noticed apprehension and even hatred towards the Catholic Church. Priests are somehow involved in a sex scandal and suddenly the Church is just a hypocrite like the rest of us. All I have to say is I agree. Let me make it more clear. Religion is not God. The Church that makes the religion is not God. The men that make up the Church are not God.
Peter and his disciples didn't say "follow the Catholic Church. We are the way." No, they cast a very different net; the word of Jesus. It was very simple what they had to say. "Christ has died for you and is risen! Repent and follow the Lord!" It was more believable for Jews, but just imagine how confused the Romans felt.
The people in America are very much like the Romans. They are ignorant of Jesus and protect their identity under the guise that the Church is what makes God, when in reality,God is what that makes the Church!
I blame it mostly on our own failure to preach the gospel properly. Who is more responsible, the person receiving the message or the person who gives it? Our way of thinking is very Church centered. "Protestants are wrong." "The Catholic Church is the true religion."
We need to go back to the apostolic days and preach the word of Christ how it was meant to be preached. That it is Christ and not the Church we need to follow.
I am not saying the Catholic Church is the wrong way, I think it is the true church that is recognized by Jesus. I like to think of it as more of a guide. They lead me to Christ, but they are not Christ.
Pope Benedict XVI arrived at a similar conclusion as me. In his message for World Mission Day 2012, he urged every Catholic to become a missionary. Meaning we should dedicate ourselves to preaching the good news. Similar to early Church history.
He wants Christ to be known. He wants us to become fishers of men.
No comments:
Post a Comment