News Item: : How Few There Are Who Love Our Lord Jesus Christ Today
(Category: Torch of The Faith News)
Posted by admin
Monday 23 March 2015 - 10:04:54

Including the priest, there were just 28 people at yesterday's Traditional Latin Mass for Passion Sunday on the outskirts of the city-centre.

It was match-day, there was an artistic event on and the sun was shining. The shops and bookies were busy, the streets were heaving and a group of drinkers were getting rowdy next to the church. 

All around the church building was traffic chaos. Within minutes of leaving the murmured quiet of the Low Mass, I'd narrowly avoided two near misses from frustrated drivers, who were driving aggressively in an attempt to beat the rapidly building queues. At that point I was being prevented from following a green light by a line of cars that had mistakenly entered a blocked cross-junction. Cars behind me were sounding their horns in frustration and packs of jay walkers were swarming around our suddenly, grid-locked vehicles.

Sitting prone on the edge of the chaotic junction, I began to reflect again on the mysteries of grace and conversion. How few there are in our day who profess to love Jesus Christ. The churches are empty whilst the markets and stadia are full. Still fewer are those who both love Christ and transform that love from mere sentiment to life-changing action.

In Britain, as in much of Western culture, all sense of the Sabbath has been lost. There are few in contemporary Britain who even know of Our Lord Jesus Christ, let alone love Him. Men have forgotten God.

Ephesians 5:16 teaches us that we may live in a wicked age, but our lives should redeem it. We have now entered into Passiontide. The Church prepares us to go with Christ through the events leading to His trial and death. In the Traditional Liturgy throughout this week, the Scripture readings show forth the enmity of those who hate Jesus. They also allude to those who would follow Him, but are afraid to because of His enemies. At the same time, they reveal God's mercy to the contrite and express the feelings with which the persecuted just-man turns to God for help and vindication. On Friday, the martyrdom of those who suffer with, and for, Christ is highlighted in relation to St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr.

There are only two weeks of Lent left to us. Let us make good use of this remaining time to love Christ; not only with our feelings, but with our actions of prayer, penance, fasting and almsgiving. Let us set aside our own comfort in order to compassionate our Divine Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ.

There are few today who love Him. May we console Him in His Passion.

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This news item is from Torch of The Faith
( http://www.torchofthefaith.com/news.php?extend.909 )