AS IN ORGANIZED RELIGION.
OMMISSION...ON MY PART: I missed giving you the most important reason for coming to Church since this is where Communion is given and received. Growing up Protestant, I took Communion but we viewed it as only representing Christ's Body and Blood. In the Roman Catholic Church, it is viewed as being the Real McCoy. The Priest Blesses the Bread and Wine and it in doing so Changes It into the actual Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ. You cannot get that anywhere but in Church with your fellow Parishioners. This of course originated with the Last Supper where Christ, facing Personal Sacrifice, Blessed the Bread and the Wine and Gave it to His Disciples with the Admonition that this was truly His Body and Blood and that they should all continue to do it in the Future... in Memory of Him. As a Convert, I do Most Certainly Believe it, and Each Time I Take Communion I Feel Closer to Jesus and to His Father and Hopefully Closer to Qualifying for Eternal Life.
I read a prediction recently that within 20 years the Anglican Church of Canada will cease to exist. This interested me for a number of reasons including the fact that I grew up in the Anglican Church and Converted*, as an Adult, to Roman Catholicism, so I was most sad to learn of my former Church's predicted demise. (Fyi, the Anglican Church's Mother Church is the Church of England and in the United States it is known as the Episcopalian Church and I would suspect that if the Anglican Church falters, the same fate awaits them as well).
*One of the main reasons I converted was due to my belief that Religion, with a capital R, was in decline and that the best way to address that was to present a united front... splintering only contributes weakness and to further decline.
Declining attendance is also happening in our own Church as confirmed by a number of Priests I have spoken to as well as in the Muslim Religion by a good friend of mine who is an Imam. I have also noticed in our own church that attendance is down with the majority of attendees over the age of 70. That said, we are a City Centre Church...with few children in the neighbourhood, but that does not account for so many missing adults under age 70. Reports from the Catholic Church in America state this trend is evident there as well with attendance down in recent times by well over 20%.
As we all know, the Roman Catholic Church has been going through a difficult period for some time now with too many of our Priests guilty of pedophilia and more recently, here in Canada, accusations of abuse toward our Aboriginal Children at Catholic run Residential Schools. This admittedly has not helped preserve robust attendance numbers but it does not change the fact that more and more people are turning away from the Church in large numbers for reasons other than that and it certainly does not explain the drop in attendance at other denominations.
And Despite our Prime Minister glee in trashing Canada, Our Country is one of the greatest in the World or we would not see millions throughout it wishing to come to our Shores. Our greatness was built upon Judeo / Christian Principles and yet today those Principles are mocked and the adherents of both ridiculed. Until Covid came along, I attended a Seniors' Discussion Group and often - too often that is, my Religious beliefs were challenged by two Atheists in the group - not during group discussion but afterwards over coffee. The fact is, I like both but their constant ribbing did wear thin at times. My stock answer to them was what you might expect ...'if you are correct in believing there is no God you have nothing to fear since if you are right, you will never know you were wrong ...'. I would then often remind them of the good deeds they did for society...one conducted Karaoke Sessions at local Nursing Homes and the other led Topics of Various Interest at the Seniors' Centre. Then I would say ...'heck and if there is a Heaven, you guys are more Christian-like than me and are likely get to There before me'. They seemed to like that.
And, I was not being flippant - I truly believe that. If you live your life well you may well make it to Heaven before or even in place of those who profess to be active Christians but who live their lives being anything but. I do believe though that it is much harder to achieve Salvation while purporting to be an Atheist and I also believe it is best to pray together as a Community than it is to try to do it all by yourself. I benefit, You benefit, the Community benefits as does Society in General and we are all better for it.
Simply stated, The World is Fractured and Pardon my Language... Going To Hell In A Handcart: "We" and I am speaking Generally Here, have become Self-Centred, and with Life becoming ever more expendable. Climate, along with Other Causes de Jour and dreamed up by Societies' Majority - The Progressives - have become the New Religions of the Day. The word "God" is seldom - if ever - mentioned and when it is ... often in a derogatory way.
But We have much to be thankful for and I truly believe that that has resulted from our belief in God and the power of of Prayer. You well know that without the timeliness of Prayer, I would not be here with you today given my heart issues. God and His Son were with me then and are with you always.
We all need to come together as a strong and faithful Community or the Day will come when it is simply too late and it could be argued that that time has already past. But I have faith in You and God has Faith in All of You so I know that it is never too late to turn things around, but it does bring to mind the adage from post war Germany which I have taken the Liberty of Paraphrasing:
They came for the Jews but I did not speak out since I was not Jewish;
Then they came for the Muslims but again I did not speak out since I was not Muslim;
Then they came for the Christians but again I did not speak out since I was not a practicing Christian;
Then they came for me but there was no one left willing to defend me.
My Father and Your Mother's Father both fought for Our Freedom in World War Two some 75 years ago. My Father's Father and his Grandfather did the same for You and Me some 100 years ago in World War One. We...You and I, Owe it to Our Ancestors' Memories and to Ourselves to do whatever we each can to help restore the Values and Principles that Modern Day Society has so frivolously frittered away. And a sure fire way to help restore the balance is by going to your nearest House of God on a Regular and Faithful Basis.
In closing, my time here with you is fading but know, I have no fear whatsoever in dying. And I am content with my own efforts in life - so far - to try to keep alive the values for which our Ancestors fought and for which your Great Uncle Bob paid the ultimate price ...with one of the most important being Freedom of Religion. Indeed, without that Freedom to Instill Basic Values, all the other Freedoms will Continue to Wither on the Vine.
With this Blog...I Pass The Torch To Each of You.
God Bless,
K.D. Bell
