Isolated Good Acts - The Power of Christianity

Isolated Good Acts
The Power of Christianity
by Joseph Sylvester Pampliega

Last February 15, 2009, Fr. John Flynn, LC reported on recent cases of religious discrimination in his article “Believers and Pro-Lifers targeted by Political Correctness.” Here, he said that “censorship is back; not against pornography or unpopular opinions, but against Christianity and pro-life opinions.” He narrated a number of recent cases that highlight the trend to silence unpopular convictions: Caroline Petrie, a Baptist nurse, was suspended from her job at the North Somerset Primary Care Trust for offering to pray for a patient; a four-volume Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization was burned by Wiley-Blackwell, a British publisher, for being “too Christian” after a group of scholars protested about the “excessive” Christian content and even objecting to the chronological terms such as BC and AD; Rev. G. P. Taylor, an Anglican priest and author of “Shadowmancer” which top the book sales for 15 weeks in 2003, was no longer welcome to appear on the BBC for promoting Christianity in his books; a Pro-Life club of the University of Calgary was revoked for censorship, stripping the club of facilities and funding; and greatly, in the United States, government funding of charitable activities run by the Catholic Church is under threat.

from:http://www.zenit.org/article-25097?I=english

Reflecting on this news from Rome, I am positive how Christianity is doing in such a very secular world. I would even venture to say that “the profane,” in contradiction to the triumph of “the sacred,” is anxious and desperate to take power, but to no avail since the very beginning of time. Come to think of it, the cases narrated by Fr. Flynn, LC are isolated cases but are reflective of the fortitude of Christianity until now, more so, even in times of darkness.

Our faith has reached even to new (even newer) frontiers, not only in material space and time (i.e. from one country to another, from one century to the next), but even in the recesses of consciousness, in philosophies and value- and belief-systems that offer alternatives that are pro-life, pro-environment, pro-peace, etc., (in the end, in all its faces and names, Pro-God!) By this spread of our faith system into the consciousness of human beings (who may not even profess the same faith), the “profane” world doubles its vigilance to such an extent that they become paranoid, scrutinizing to the detail the isolated good acts of good Christians who become silent warriors of the faith in our generation; and the minions of the “profane” world is simply anxious of their fleeting powers, which after a long endless futile struggle, will soon be extinguished.

Pope Benedict XVI said that “a society that is secular in a healthy way does not ignore the spiritual dimension and its values.” Furthermore, he added, “Religion is not an obstacle but rather a solid foundation for the building of a more just and free society.” This being, according to Fr. Flynn, LC, “a statement that raises the question about what sort of society we will have if Christianity is censored and excluded.”

Maybe we don’t need to write another book of our salvation history; may be, all we need is a compilation of vignettes (of small stories or pictures) of these isolated good acts of good persons all over the world, carrying the face and suffering the cross of Christ, and triumphant like Christ in every trail and tribulation surpassed. This gives us something to think about. We don’t need to do great things to effect evangelization; we don’t even need to be conscious of our little efforts of goodness. As persons, by our nature, we share with God’s goodness; and it is by this unconscious/natural participation that these cases narrated by Fr. Flynn is possible; and to make it a manifestation of the triumph of our faith, is put to the test, and is overcome (gloriously!) — This is our power; this is the power of Christianity!

I believe this is not a report of distress or defeat in our part as Christians, but as a testimony that we are still heading towards that “heaven here on earth;” and more so, we are willing to face the challenges and beat them one by one, even if it takes the constancy of our lifetime.