One of the amazing things that I discovered about praying the Liturgy of the Hours, is how fresh and modern the words of ancient Saints appear to me. God is timeless. Therefore, the deep thoughts of saints from centuries before accurately reflect struggles of my current reality.
Here's a mind-opening thought from today's reading by Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr:
"Our task is not one of producing persuasive propaganda; Christianity shows its greatness when it is hated by the world."
Wow! We are not supposed to spend our time creating persuasive propaganda! We don't have to spend our time writing slick media ads or holy screen-plays or deep blog posts. Instead, we're supposed to focus on growing in personal holiness. While we can always tell someone "the reason for our hope", as St. Peter commands, we need to balance our evangelism tasks with the realistic acceptance that true Christians will always be a small minority in the world. God set it up so that our faith shines the brightest when we are the most at odds with the surrounding pagan culture.
Deep thoughts from a man who ended his life getting chewed up by a lion!
