Where Have All The Pagans Gone?

Thus I aspire to proclaim the Gospel                                            

not where Christ has already been named,
so that I do not build on another's foundation,
but as it is written:

Those who have never been told of him shall see,
and those who have never heard of him shall understand.

At one time in this world, there were large tracts of land where "Jesus" was just another name and he might be the miller down the block or the candle maker in the marketplace in the town square.  Today, except for very remote villages in the rainforest and islands so remote that seagulls are just discovering them, there is almost nowhere on earth where the name of Jesus is not known.  Throughout the vast reaches of lands near and far, everyone has heard of Jesus and while they may not know what is special about Him, they will know that he is loved and respected by millions of followers. 

So, does that mean that the job of bringing Jesus to a heathen world filled with people worshiping pagan gods and living lives of futility only to end up in eighteen square feet of earth when it is all over for them has been done?  Well, the very fact that I had the guts to write such a complex sentence as is the last one would at least hint at my view that the answer is, "no." 

The whole world is mission territory.  To know of Jesus is one thing but to know Jesus is another. Our job as the ambassadors of Christ is to make known that Jesus came to earth to save us from sin.  We must bring the joyous news to all we meet that the life experience is not limited to what we see, hear, feel, and touch in our journey from cradle to grave, but rather our life here is meant to be a foretaste of the life that is to come.  The futility of pagan life is over, all are called to become one in Christ and secure for themselves the life that will never end, where tears will be those of joy, where each is loved and valued not for they own or the power they had wielded while on earth, but who they are in God's eyes.

That is my thought for the day.  We have to make sure people know that they are loved by God so deeply that He never made another person just like them.  We have to tell them that God looks at the soul and knows what is in our hearts.  So many people out there think of religion as just being a system of rules and regulations.  If that was all that Christianity was then it would be no different than a club.  It is so much more than a club, it is a gateway to peace, joy, and eternal happiness with God.  For heaven's sake is there any way you can keep silent about any of this?

The month of November is when we remember those that have gone before us marked with the sign of faith.  Please pray for the poor souls in purgatory today.