With the arrival of 2016 we can safely affirm that we reached the bottom of the cultural waste-dump. If you want to see what a pagan culture looks like just read the “lifestyle” section of your newspaper, or simply turn on your TV. Here are just three of the many indicators:
With our cultural slide, fathers are asking, “How can we keep our kids faithful and moral in today’s world?” Parents need to remember that this isn’t the first time that Catholics have faced living in a pagan culture.
Catholics living in ancient Rome faced challenges similar to what we are experiencing. Today’s parents need to recover the ways they successfully taught practical Christian living in the midst of a pagan empire. Looking back will reveal a proven way to navigate in the days ahead.
One of the earliest Christian writings is called the
Didache (lit. “Teaching”). One of the reasons why the Didache was effective was because it didn’t use religious wordiness. It simply taught the truth without the distraction of fancy rhetoric.
Here is the first unforgettable sentence of the Didache.
“There are two Ways: a Way of Life and a Way of Death, and the difference between these two Ways is great.”
Today, many Christians think there’s just one broad way to heaven that everyone is following, even pro-abortion politicians. Many in America might believe that there is a hell, but only Hitler, Stalin, and Judas go there. Some Catholic teachers allege that many may go to hell, but folks only stay there for a temporary visit. I suppose these false prophets imagine that Jesus really didn’t mean it when he talked about “
eternal punishment by fire” (Mat 18:18, 25:41, 46).
In addition to the Didache, early Catholics used the book of Proverbs to teach about the way of the fool leading to death and the way of the wise man resulting in life and blessing.
There’s no “just be nice” type of flabby moralism in Proverbs. Instead it communicates muscular truth that men in every age need to hear. Is it any surprise that the saints and doctors in the early Church used Proverbs?
Listen to what St. Ambrose (340 -397) said to newly baptized Catholics about the value of Proverbs:
“Every day we have come to talk to you about how you ought to behave. We have read to you the acts of the patriarchs or the counsels in the book of Proverbs so that, instructed and formed by these teachings, you may become accustomed to following the same path that our ancestors walked before us, and to obeying all the divine messages; thus, made into new people by baptism, your behavior will befit your position as baptized people.”
St. Basil (329 – 379) said, “The book of Proverbs is read to give an order to our actions and as a corrective to our passions: in summary, it is a discipline or guide to life.”
In addition to St. Ambrose and St. Basil, we find St. Augustine, St. Chrysostom, St., Venerable Bede, St. Clement of Alexandria, Pope St. Gregory the Great, St. Jerome, and St. Athanasius using Proverbs in their teaching and writing.
Proverbs was a book that the saints and doctors of the Church used to teach godly living in the midst of the Roman Empire. Today’s Catholic families would be wise to follow their example.
Faith & Family Radio
Want to learn more about Proverbs? Faith & Family Radio is featuring a teaching series on the book of Proverbs entitled,
Ancient Wisdom for Modern Families. There are two ways to listen.
First, request that your local Catholic station carry the series (free of charge).
Second, Dads.org offers free listening to an assortment of the Proverbs radio shows.
Each week during January we will post a new Proverbs show along with the previous week’s show. To listen
click here.
Family Life Team
The Family Life Team is our circle of supporters. This month we are offering team members a special collection of four Proverbs radio shows on an mp3 CD, allowing for an easy transfer to your smartphone.
To request a free no-obligation letter describing this mp3 CD: (1) send an email to: team@familylifecenter.net, or (2)
click here.
Conferences
February 6
th, Tampa, FL –
6th Annual Tampa Bay Catholic Men's Conference
February 20, Menlo Park, CA
- 8th Annual Spiritual Warfare Conference: The Family Under Attack
Steve Wood Conference Topics:
click here
Personal
I want to express my deep appreciation to each of you who sent an end-of-year gift. Your generosity made a big difference. Thanks also for the many kind notes of encouragement.
At Christmas I was treated to this picture of my youngest grandson, Caleb James Kohl (8 months).
Yours in His Majesty’s Service,
Steve Wood
Comments
Post a Comment