In the Acts of the Apostles, we encounter the persecution of the early church; thus, all were scattered throughout Judea and the countryside.
Chaos and controversy and scandal spreads like wild fire as the Christians seek to protect themselves and their families from this outlandish attack.
Yet the Apostles remained steadfast, they held their ground.
The image of the early church is also an image of today. The church is still under persecution; families are threatened at every bend; families are ripped asunder; the only difference is the families are not protecting themselves; they are not seeking to move themselves from the attack; rather, Christian families are allowing themselves to be inundated with materialism, with watered down spirituality, with false notions of love and giving of one self including contraception, pre-marital sex, divorce, drugs, out of wedlock pregnancies and the fabric of fidelity and true love has been shredded time and time again.
The one thing that remains the same; the Apostles remain steadfast; the bishops are not scattered; they insist on truth as the only means of salvation; they insist on truth as the perfecter of love and the restorer of harmony to a chaotic situation.
They, like Philip, proclaim Christ, and joy comes to those who hear and receive the message.
Next week, Pope Benedict comes to proclaim, "Christ our hope, Christ is the face of God among us." Fidelity to Christ renews us and brings us hope. As the Pope greets us, "through him, our lives reach fullness, and together, both as individuals and peoples, we can become a family united by fraternal love, according to the eternal plan of God."
May the Apostles remains steadfast to this message, and may this message purify the hearts of American Catholics so that they may protect themselves from the persecution and experience the joy of fidelity to Christ.
Christ our hope.
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