I saw some celebration among Catholic friends that Pope John Paul has been cleared for Sainthood. That's great.
But wouldn't it be even greater if Catholics were as excited about LIVING the way Jesus Christ commanded us as about fixating on celebrities within the Catholic world? Jesus Christ is the one celebrity Catholics often ignore.
Of course Catholics are not all the same. Some are deeper Christians than anyone else you'll ever meet. Many of the best, deepest, most devote Christians are Catholic. There are a great many Protestant church-goers who aren't Christians at all. In every Church denomination there are people all over the map in terms of their relationship with God, sincerity, depth, devotion, and spiritual life. One of the deepest prayer experiences I have had was from a Catholic priest, who prayed in tongues with great experience and understanding.
But many Catholics seem to be completely overwhelmed by fascination with all things Catholic, while Jesus Christ waits outside in the snow, neglected and ignored, His face pressed up against the window.
Keeping us distracted and too busy to relate to God is one of Satan's tricks. Catholic history, Catholic buildings, Catholic celebrities, Catholic authors, Catholic books, Catholic events -- all keep many Catholics so wound up and overwhelmed with distractions that they have no time to ever think about Jesus Christ or do what Jesus Christ commanded.
The devil has paralyzed most Catholic Christians with so many shiny objects and colored beads that nearly a billion Christians have been rendered INERT -- irrelevant -- in the great struggle for the future of humanity.
But step right up and get your Catholic baseball trading cards. I'll trade you a Pope John Paul trading card for a Mother Teresa card. How much for your St. Francis of Assisi lava lamp? I didn't read anything that St. Francis of Assisi wrote, but I do have the T-shirt and the key ring.
