Nabi Sayeth: I've Had Enough! Study the Church's Rich History of Charity!

When the plague hit medieval Europe wiping
out a third of the population, it was
the monks and nuns who often tended the
sick when others, even family,  fled. They
are a heroic example of the corporal work
of mercy -- VISIT THE SICK.

Nabi Sayeth: To listen to what is being said or read what is being written about Catholic Christianity by those who are either lukewarm in the practice of it or clueless about its meaning can be disturbing. Those who criticize our Faith such as the pro-abortionists, the extremely liberal college professors (many who cast off their Catholic roots long ago), clergymen of all ranks who hypocritically criticize and/or fail to truly practice the Catholic Faith, members of the LGBTQ movement who label Catholics “intolerant”, and the ever-clueless liberal media…have closed their minds to the rich history and Truth of Catholicism. 

At times their voices drown out the voices of:

• the many grateful poor around the world who receive desperately needed food and medical care from the largest social services organization on planet earth—the Catholic Church 

• the many converts, who while living in countries with majority Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu populations, received the Catholic Faith from missionaries who risked their lives to teach them 

• those unborn babies whose lives were spared thanks to the efforts of Catholic laity and clergy who witnessed to the Gospel of Life 

• Catholics who live in Africa and Asia where the Catholic population is exploding with growth and for whom the Catholic Faith means everything 

Nabi Sayeth: You will find edifying the following quotes about the early history of our wonderful Catholic Faith the information from which is probably not being imparted from the pulpit or taught in the classroom:

I read once concerning the Germanic/Norse pagan religions prior to Christianity. A missionary and one of the pagans were describing their worldview of life. 

The Norseman described his view of life as being like a bird, flying in the dark, who enters the lighted hall (think an Old English Mead hall or Iroquois longhouse: fire in the center, long open space, pitched roof) from one end. The bird flies through the hall, enjoying the heat and light, and then flies out the other end into darkness. 

In that view, life is but a brief space between eternities of darkness. 

Modern humanists are, in a sense, heirs of that tradition. A person's life has no inherent meaning. One can develop a moral code, and behave morally, to be sure, but, in the end, when it's over, it's over. 

It would seem that such a view can offer exhortation and encouragement, but it cannot offer comfort.                                                              James Gruetzner

Back in the early years of Christianity, back when the church was battling the pagans, one of the great pagan philosophers (Celsus) noticed ... “Those who summon people to the other mysteries (the other religions) ... make this preliminary proclamation: (Let him) who has pure hands and a wise tongue” come into the community, but the Christians, he continued, say, “‘Whoever is a sinner, whoever is unwise, whoever is a child, and, in a word, whoever is a wretch will be received by the kingdom of God.’”                                                  Thomas D. Wintle

Christians didn't outargue pagans -- they outlived them ... Christianity made no attempts to conquer paganism and dead Judaism by reacting blow by blow. Instead, the Christians of the first century outthought, outprayed and outlived the unbelievers. Their weapons were positive, not negative. As far as we know, they did not hold protests or conduct boycotts. They did not put on campaigns to try to unseat the emperor. Instead, they prayed and preached and proclaimed the message of Christ, put to death on the cross, risen from the dead, and ready to change lives. And they backed up their message with actions: giving, loving.                                                               Greg Laurie

A little-known fact is that Christians in the ancient world had longer life expectancies than did their pagan neighbors. In fact, many pagans were attracted to the Christian faith because the church produced tangible (not only "spiritual") blessings for its adherents. These benefits included: 

Health services. When two great plagues swept the empire in 165 and 251, mortality rates climbed higher than 30 percent. Pagans tried to avoid all contact with the afflicted, often casting the still living into the gutters. Christians nursed the sick, even though some believers died doing so. We now know that elementary nursing - simply giving victims food and water without any drugs - reduces mortality in epidemics by as much as two-thirds. Consequently, Christians were more likely than pagans to recover.                                                      Rodney Stark

Nabi Sayeth: The great danger to the Faith occurs when those who claim to practice the Faith attempt to do so by taking on the characteristics of the surrounding culture. The true Catholic Faith has always been and must always be COUNTER-CULTURAL. The Catholic Faith must always be above the culture in which it finds itself in order to critique it and to reveal to it the Truth.

In these troubling times, may you strive to live what you profess to believe to the fullest and be a light to others!