Epic 120

The Bumper Sticker

A couple of weeks ago while driving I saw a bumper sticker on the car ahead of me. Now this of course is not unusual as one might see any number of stickers on a drive home from work. Sometimes I see cars with just too many stickers. I suppose like anything else there are people who like to collect stickers, but I had never seen this particular one before. The sticker read as “SO MANY CHRISTIANS, SO FEW LIONS.”

Who would choose to display such a sticker? I can’t imagine a Jewish person or a Muslim would take the time to put one on their car. It is doubtful that a Hindu, Buddhist or Baha’i would choose to insult any Christian driver who happens to see such a bumper sticker, even Atheists tend to choose the Darwin fish to declare their “religion.” Perhaps the owner of this car was a disillusioned Christian, someone who had fallen away from their faith.

On the car also was a rainbow sticker which indicates another aspect of the car owner. Perhaps the owner is a homosexual with an incorrect understanding of the Christian teaching in regard to homosexuality. It is not an unusual circumstance: a person raised as a Christian later in life acknowledges the temptation of same sex attraction. Unfortunately they have been taught that homosexuals are evil, to be shunned and condemned, not knowing that the true Christian teaching on homosexuality is that the behavior, the homosexual activity, is what the Church teaches is contrary to the will of God.

The Church teaches that those who struggle with same sex attraction are no different than anyone else who struggles with a temptation. The person is to be loved, and embraced. As I pray for my heterosexual friend who has moved in with his girlfriend, placing themselves in the near occasion of sin, so I pray for my homosexual friend, that he may turn away for his temptation.

There is no way of knowing if the car owner is indeed a fallen away Christian, but if they are the sticker would seem to indicate that they have decided it is best not only to turn away from their Christian faith, but to insult other Christians. How tormented their soul must be, what anguish they must be suffering while attempting to hide it with a bumper sticker.

How Great a Faith

When many of our Lords deciples walked away from him because they could not accept his words of eating his flesh and drinking his blood, this revealed a truth of their faith. The Jewish people could not accepet that God would become man. Surely it would be impossible, unthinkable that God would actually be born of a woman.

There seems to be a similarity between the misbelief of the Jews who turned their backs on Christ and some Christians today. Like those deciples who did not have faith that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, that they must eat his body and blood, many Christians today lack faith in the words of Christ.

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Mat 26:26-28

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.
Mark 14:23-24

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." And likewise the cup after supper, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
Luke 22:19-20

If God could become man, being born of a woman could he not give to us this body and his blood?

What greater faith could there be than to consume the body and blood our Lord? For me belief in Christ must lead inevitably to the receiving of His real presence body, blood, soul and divinity in the Holy Eucharist.

Why am I Catholic?

I am Catholic because I believe the words of Christ. "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." John 6:29
"I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:35-40

Everyone who sees the Son and believes. How do we "see" the Son and how do we believe?
I have seen the Son through his Church yet how do I believe? Many deciples walked away from Jesus because they could not accept his words. They could not eat his flesh and drink his blood, and yet our Lord said:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed." John 6:53-55

Why am I Catholic? Where else can I receive this gift, the real presence of our Lord. Where else can I consume him body, blood and soul. Where else can I receive the fullness of His teaching.

If the Catholic Church is wrong, if it is not the Church built by Jesus Christ himself then Christianity is false. If Christianity is false I can not be a Christian.

Why am I Catholic? Because I believe the words of Christ.