By Zoe Cannon
Gratitude for the Gift of Faith
"By your endurance you will gain your lives” (Luke 21:19).
In this verse, Luke reminds us that life is challenging – and he tells us how to stay alive! We must understand that prioritizing and making sacrifices in this world will prepare us for eternal life in heaven! There are plenty of great witnesses and resources to give us the wisdom we need for the journey.
Cardinal John Henry Newman was canonized on Oct. 13. He is the first person to be canonized from Britain since Pope Paul VI canonized the 40 Martyrs of England and Wales in 1970. These groups of Catholics were executed between 1535 and 1679 under laws enacted during the English Reformation.
John Henry Newman shared, "I want a laity, not arrogant, not rash in speech, not disputatious, but one who knows their religion, who enter into it, who know just where they stand, who know what they hold and what they do not, who know their creed so well that they can give an account of it, who know so much of history that they can defend it.” The trials of life are real, but knowledge will give you the comfort you need to defend the faith!
Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia spoke to students at the University of Notre Dame on Oct. 14 in a presentation to the Constitutional Studies Program at the university. He said, “It is a good thing, a vital thing, to consider what we’re willing to die for.” Then he warned, “as religious belief recedes and communities of faith decline, the individualism at the heart of the American experiment becomes more selfish, more belligerent, and more corrosive. It breaks down family bonds. It tempts parents to treat their children as accomplishments or as ornaments, or—even worse—as burdens.” These deliberately honest words about our decaying moral society are hard to hear but necessary.
Society is creating a new secular creed. Be concerned about liberal Christianity as it shares flawed ideology about life and love. We should love God, one another and ourselves; but to allow someone you love to commit a grave sin is not real love. Revising Biblical teachings to suit cultural change is not Truth. Christianity is first and foremost about saving souls.
People make physical and spiritual sacrifices every day. The cause for justice can never be underestimated. A new book is out this month titled “You Are Worth It: Building a Life Worth Fighting For.” The author, Kyle Carpenter, is an American hero; and his memoir inspires people to accept the ‘scars’ of life. He was 20 years old when he was injured in an accident. He spent five weeks in a coma and endured three years of surgeries before recovering the new version of his life.
United States Marine Lance Corporal William Kyle Carpenter is the youngest recipient of the Medal of Honor in history. He earned the award for his brave decision to save his best friend by diving on an enemy grenade during a mission in Marjah, Afghanistan, in November 2010. In this book, he shares his miraculous story of endurance with love of life and country.
Kyle Carpenter’s heroic decision saved the life of his friend. The love Christ offered in His crucifixion saved the world with eternal salvation. What are you willing to die for? Love one another enough to care about the purity of each soul. A conversation about sin may be uncomfortable, but endure the pain because the offense to God is corrosive! The truth that saves souls will change the world, and each life is worth fighting for. Amen!