18 noviembre 2012

How the Fathers convinced youth without the benefit of pizza

"How did the Fathers do it?
They made wild promises.

They promised young people great things, like persecution, lower social status, public ridicule, severely limited employment opportunities, frequent fasting, a high risk of jail and torture, and maybe, just maybe, an early, violent death at the hands of their pagan rulers.

The Fathers looked young people in the eye and called them to live purely in the midst of a pornographic culture. They looked at some young men and women and boldly told them they had a calling to virginity. And it worked. Even the pagans noticed how well it worked."

The Way of the Fathers :: Mike Aquilina's Blog » Youth When the Church Was Young