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Sunday, August 5, 2012

Chick-fil-a controversy brings about a renewed hope but also a greater call for action

On August 1, 2012, thousands of people lined up for hours to show their support for Chick-fil-a and traditional marriage (different then hating gay people...just saying) and I have to say that I was blown away by the amount of people present there. With everything that has been going on lately, I had just lost all hope for humanity and the values that our great nation was founded upon. I really was not expected that many people to be there in support of the values that I hold so dear to my heart. I was almost moved to tears to see that we are not alone in this and that there are thousands of others fighting for the same cause. It gave me such joy and a fresh hope! But then I saw someone post this:

"You'd never see that many Christians lined up at a food bank or homeless shelter...and that's something Jesus actually said to do"

and I got really angry. At first I was angry because I was prideful and thinking 'How dare they even bring up what Jesus has said...since when do they even care about Jesus?!? What right do they have to accuse us like that??' But the more I thought about it, the more truth I saw in that unfortunate statement and the more convicted I felt to do something about it. We need to follow the lead of Blessed John Paul II and Mother Theresa and "go out into the streets" and be the hands and feet of Christ. We need to actively and regularly follow His commandments and bring His love to all those we meet. They may always have a bad taste in their mouth when it comes to Christianity, but don't let it be because we aren't doing what we say through Baptism that we are going to do. And this means more than just going to food banks and homeless shelters. It means pursuing a relationship with the Lord and doing our best to proclaim His word to all we meet. It means being on your knees every day begging for the Lord's mercy upon the world. I think it's time that we realize how crucial this time is, and how vital it is that Christians everywhere need to stop hiding who they are. Because by coming out on August 1st to eat at Chick-fil-a, you did more than just eat a sandwich. You showed the world a piece of who you are. Let's not let it stop at that. The world now knows who we are and how much we stand behind our values. As Uncle Ben said in Spiderman 1, "With great power comes great responsibility". We have the responsibility to be authentic Christians and do the Lord's work here on earth. The only Gospel someone may read could be your life. How are you going to live yours?