Why are people
losing their faith?
We know that
the Christian religion
is going through
a decline here in the West.
In Africa and India
it is growing so well.
What's happening here?
Why are our churches
becoming emptier and emptier?
[PAUSE]
We are witnessing
the effect of the powers
of Apathy, Apostasy
and Complacency.
Don't care.
Can't care.
Won't care.
And where do these come from?
Ultimately,
these three bear witness
to doubt, disillusionment,
and desire.
We are disillusioned
by the actions of people
who claim to speak for God
and yet who serve their own bellies.
Since we are disillusioned
by the sinful actions
of Church members,
we doubt
God's purpose
for our lives.
If we lose our sense of purpose,
then we desire our own way.
And behind
doubt,
desire
and disillusionment
is the Devil himself
whispering
in our ears
the same temptations that
he whispers into the ears
of Our Lord Himself.
Apostasy, Apathy and
Complacency
are the fruits of
Doubt, Desire and Disillusionment,
and these are the weapons
used against us in the world.
These are the things
each of us must overcome
in our lives
if we truly wish to
endure to the end
and be saved.
And yet we already have the victory!
[PAUSE]
St John tells us
very clearly
that Faith is our victory.
Why?
Faith in God
holds fast to the truth
that we have already experienced
in our lives.
It holds fast to
the reality of God
even when His reality is
obscured by cares and woes.
Faith is not a blind hope
that all will turn out well
in the end.
It is the trust in
what we have already experienced,
the testimony of the experiences
of others,
and the evidence that
we have already seen.
This Faith is not faith in
members of the Church.
Their sins,
and ours,
will be judged
by the Bridegroom
of the Church.
Our Faith is not
in the morality of Society,
for Society twists the morals
it receives from the Church
into a mockery of the Good
to satisfy its own desires.
Our Faith is in
the One Eternal and True God,
Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Faith in God comes to us
through hearing the Gospel
and believing it
and allowing it to grow.
Ultimately,
we must face the temptation
to think that our faith is meaningless.
If you are here
facing doubt rather than Faith
then you are not alone.
The disciples too doubt.
They doubt the evidence
of the empty tomb.
They doubt the evidence
of the ever-faithful
St Mary Magdalene.
They doubt the tales
of those around that
He is risen.
They doubt,
and there He is
offering up His wounds
for scrutiny,
eating and drinking
and bringing merriment
to the dumbfounded.
The doubt of the Disciples
is there for us
when we face doubt.
[PAUSE]
We have every reason to doubt.
There are so many scandals
and scoundrels
in the Church.
There is much evil being done
supposedly in the Name of Christ.
There is so much enticement
to change your meaning
of what is good
and what is bad.
But the evil that surrounds
and even penetrates the Church
does not change the truth
of the Resurrection.
It does not change the truth of Christ.
That evil may try
to change what He really says
to make us disillusioned
to make us doubt
and make us desire
that which is not good for us.
Yet, we have Faith,
and this Faith protects us
from the Devil like a shield.
Any attempt
to change what the Church
has always believed
is a deliberate attack
on our spiritual health.
This means that we must struggle.
And when our faith is well rooted
within the Church,
we can win the struggle.
[PAUSE]
By faith,
our ancestors did wonderful
things for the Kingdom of God.
By faith,
so will you,
for, by faith,
you have victory
within your grasp.
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