Tamed by Christ
Christians are those people who have been tamed by the Lord, who followed him, who know His voice and taste of His Precious Body and Blood. Being tamed by the Lord, Christianity has changed the image of the world: challenged pagan customs and brought a new vision of culture based on freedom and respect, virtues and a relationship with the Almighty. However, during the period over two thousand years, we find also elements which have put many people off; we scandalised people by the attitude of Christians, including scandals done by the hierarchy and other influential Christians who never respected the teaching of the Lord.
The outcome is that many people lost trust in Christianity and hesitate to give once again any credit of trust to the faith. They changed direction. Many stopped believing in God. Their faith for them means nothing, or at least something of secondary and very private matters. Some of them pay more interest in well established religious systems. Some of them listen to new prophets, great and gifted speakers who appear to be more popular during times of instability.
It looks like we need to come back to the Lord. We need to come back to first love when we were tamed by Him, to a freshness of the beauty of His teaching and presence and His mission towards us. We are in need to bring back the priority of grace in our life, we need to be consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and we need Christ’s coming in glory as He has promised.
Let me finish with a quotation from one of the letters written by Cardinal Newman during the time before he converted to the Church: “If they [Catholic religious] want to convert England, let them go barefooted into our manufacturing towns – let them preach to the people like St. Francis Xavier – let them be pelted and trampled on – and I will admit that they can do what we cannot…What a day it will be when God will make arise among their Communion saintly men such as Bernard and the Borromeo’s… The English will never be favourably inclined to a party of conspirators and instigators; only faith and sanctity are irresistible”.
Fr Stan