Please! Don't pull up the ladder behind you!

It's an important theme in Christianity and in all major religions and ethical systems. If you enjoy the benefit of a ladder, don't pull it up behind you! 

Highlights

By
6/2/2022 (2 years ago)

Published in Living Faith

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - The Buddhists tell a story of Buddha's compassion for an selfish man condemned to hell. In a display of mercy, Buddha extended a spider's thread to the selfish man who began to climb out of hell. When others saw what he was doing, they began to climb the thread too. Afraid the thread would break and jeopardize his own salvation, the selfish man started kicking them off, and in that moment the thread broke. The selfish man did not learn an obvious lesson. 

Christianity expresses the same sentiment. There are several stories about compassion and getting back what one gives. The scriptures even tell us what we give will come back tenfold! Jesus spoke about how one does not light a lamp and place it under a table. In another passage, He commands to to share the Gospel and make disciples of all nations. 

When we choose to follow Christ, we must go through several rites of passage. There are Baptism, First Confession, First Communion, and Confirmation. After that, it is recognized that we have climbed the proverbial ladder to become full-fledged members of Christ's body. We continue our journey throughout our lives, by educating ourselves on our faith. But this isn't always easy. Finding books and time to read them isn't as simple as it used to be. That's why resources like Catholic Online School exist. 

Catholic Online School has served as a ladder with nearly one million enrollments. These are all people learning about their faith, preparing for their sacraments, enjoying the daily readings and more. However, it is not enough to take classes. As we learn more about Jesus Christ and the Gospel, we are morally obligated to "pay it forward," to others. We have a duty not to pull the ladder up behind us. 

There are two ways we can satisfy this moral requirement. One is to tell others about this resource which has served us so well. The other is to support the school so the educators and catechists there can continue their work. 

If you have benefitted from Catholic Online School, please consider taking action to keep the school open during these unprecedented times. Help us reach more people who are seeking hope and turning back to God. 

Please tell your parish community to log on to www.CatholicOnline.School and to enroll in the more than 6,000 FREE video lessons on offer. And be sure to give what you can so we can reach the next million enrollments as soon as possible. 

Light your Free Virtual Prayer Candle: We will pray with you

Don't pull up the ladder behind you! Give today!