The Church and the Times

As I said before, never before in history have we needed the Church. I am not talking about the growth of the Islam faith. I am talking about the morality and materialism. We need spirituality more than ever. The fact that many would frown and laugh at that shows just how much we need spirituality

If you look at the picture, it shows a priests room. If this is the situation the Catholic Church is in, then we can be afraid of the future. It shows a priest in his room with a little glimpse of the outside world. We need priests and bishops that knows what is happening in the world. That is not afraid to preach and talk about Christianity, also outside the church buildings.

This reminds me of Mother Theresa that worked in the streets with the people. She did not lock herself in the convent. She worked and lived with the people every day. Pretty much the same as Jesus did. I pray for priests and their work, and that they will not isolate themselves from the huge responsibility that they have

The Church still faces its challenge that we had from the start of time. To help us build a relationship with God. To help us become better friends. To spread love across the world and create a world where we live as neighbours. This love might sound a bit hippie but imagine a world without hatred?

The world faces new challenges...

Sex: This is something that the church has to deal with. It is a big problem in many countries, especially in Africa where Aids is a major killer. Catholics are often teased because people thinks we are breeding machines. Contraception is not allowed. Neither is Abortion. While I think we should be against abortion, the Church should accept contraception and condoms. We should practise safe sex, and consider it as a present from God, not a curse.
Poverty: This has always existed. The Church should so everything in its power to fight poverty in the world. There is no excuse for poverty in 2010. Part of this is going out and helping the poor. This is not a conversion campaign. It is simply helping those that really need it, as Jesus did
Media: As I said, the Church should preach outside Church buildings. When we see something that is wrong. When we see human rights being broken, then forget about nice diplomacy. Stand up against it and say that we cannot accept it.
Materialism: Is it a Taboo to say that you believe in God. Is materialism more important than spirituality? In todays world, would people come to a mass if we had a choir in Bikinis? The answer is yes, and this shows that we need to take care of the soul just as much as we think about our stomach. The challenge is making the message of the love of Jesus and the friendship God offers us modern, and not something that sounds ancient.
Our Prayers: We need to follow the times and make our mass and prayers our own, not something that our ancestors prayed
Image: Sometimes I think that the Church is too protective about its image. When the Vatican becomes to protective and wants to please everyone, it becomes a museum not a church. The Vatican should realise that it is not perfect. Their are some priests that are committing crimes. Do not protect the paedophile priests. Do not protect the priests that no longer believe. If the Catholic Church is to change the world, it cannot be rotten.
There is a need for the Catholic Church. It has to role its sleeves up and get to work. At the same time it needs our prayers