The World According to Oatney

The Angelus

The thought has long occurred to me that if Christians had the same zeal as Muslims do, we would likely not be engaged in a struggle against the Islamic world for the survival of Western civilization.

Even if you do not agree with the war in Iraq (and remember that I did not), it is hard not to see that there is such a struggle, and their was long before 9/11. It goes beyond merely the political, because the jihadists have admitted that their desire is to restore the influence of the Caliphate and destroy Western civilization-especially Christianity. For all of their anti-Semitic hate spewing, note that while they may want to wipe Israel off the map, they don't call Israel the Great Satan. That title is reserved for America, which in their eyes is mostly Christian.

Muslims, whether they are "extreme" or not, are a devoted bunch. They pray five times a day. They read their Koran. Christians? In most cases, we are collectively lucky to get a prayer in here and there. We take God for granted, we can't even make time for Him.

There was a time in Christendom when Christians could be counted on to go to prayer at the sounds of church bells three times each day. There are still a few places left in the world where you can hear the Angelus before Mass at least at noon, and sometimes more. What stopped the habit? The Protestant Reformation? It is easy to shrug it off in our part of the world that is heavily Protestant, but even Catholics don't pray the Angelus anymore-not the way it is meant to be prayed, and they certainly don't hang around the church for more prayer.

What would the world be like if Christians were zealous enough to drop what they were doing, just for a couple of minutes, and pray three times a day habitually?

Labels: Faith, Holy Mother Church

posted by Deacon David Oatney @ 3:09 PM