Papal Visit - A Turning Point For UK Christians
The arrival of the Pope on UK shores has given a much needed spiritual lift to the nation which has been increasingly viewed abroad by its Catholic neighbours as the bad boy of Europe flirting with if not all out atheism then at least some form of agnosticism that leaves no room for God.
The crowds who turned out for Benedict XVI were devout and eager for the loving grace of God and saw in the shape of the Holy Father a direct link to that.
It has also allowed some good Christians to appear on our news screens promoting the good news, something that rarely happens at any other time.
I think this visit will have surprised many who were under the impression that Christianity in the UK was on the wane.
The fact is the love of God and the sacrifice of Christ are still the driving forces they always were among ordinary people, and it is only the focus of media attention on the immoral and agnostic elements of society which perpetuates the secularist image of the nation.
The atheist camp led by men like Richard Dawkins still represents only a minority of public opinion.
The vast majority of the population still believe in God and want to know that salvation can be theirs.
The so-called rift between churches and the sex issues surrounding a minority of Catholic priests have been put into perspective by this visit.
The only important issue is that Christians around the globe, Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, Methodist, Baptist, whatever, are united by their common allegiance to the one true saviour of the world, Jesus Christ.
Pope Benedict has reminded us that the only way to true happiness is through God.
So many have wasted their lives, are living without hope, simply because they have forgotten this simple fact, led astray by demonic forces and false wisdom.
Christians everywhere, make this papal visit the turning point in the fortunes of the Church.
Make this the moment when you come back to the Lord in humility and repentance, expressing tolerance and forgiveness, the love of your neighbour and experiencing the sweet hope of eternal joy.
The crowds who turned out for Benedict XVI were devout and eager for the loving grace of God and saw in the shape of the Holy Father a direct link to that.
It has also allowed some good Christians to appear on our news screens promoting the good news, something that rarely happens at any other time.
I think this visit will have surprised many who were under the impression that Christianity in the UK was on the wane.
The fact is the love of God and the sacrifice of Christ are still the driving forces they always were among ordinary people, and it is only the focus of media attention on the immoral and agnostic elements of society which perpetuates the secularist image of the nation.
The atheist camp led by men like Richard Dawkins still represents only a minority of public opinion.
The vast majority of the population still believe in God and want to know that salvation can be theirs.
The so-called rift between churches and the sex issues surrounding a minority of Catholic priests have been put into perspective by this visit.
The only important issue is that Christians around the globe, Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, Methodist, Baptist, whatever, are united by their common allegiance to the one true saviour of the world, Jesus Christ.
Pope Benedict has reminded us that the only way to true happiness is through God.
So many have wasted their lives, are living without hope, simply because they have forgotten this simple fact, led astray by demonic forces and false wisdom.
Christians everywhere, make this papal visit the turning point in the fortunes of the Church.
Make this the moment when you come back to the Lord in humility and repentance, expressing tolerance and forgiveness, the love of your neighbour and experiencing the sweet hope of eternal joy.
