With all the recent religious strife and wealthy televangelists in the news, I thought I'd take a moment and give the floor to an esteemed minister who just marked the fifth anniversary of becoming ordained.
No, it's not one of the Catholic Priests I know. It's the the guy performing this wedding ceremony:
Yes, that's me. Let's hit up some notes on faith, shall we?
- Irony is having a nation built from surviving religious persecution perform the same atrocities on others that had been inflicted upon them.
- A good spiritual example can never be held by a man who owns multiple mansions and leaves the poor to drown in a hurricane.
- The Kingdom of Heaven is not attained through inflating your bank account, nor is it reached via your own private jet.
- Kindness and generosity don't end at the edges of any social or ethnic group.
- No true Christian can espouse wrathful police tactics, abusing the sick and the poor, and celebrate the over-armament of a peaceful society.
- Just because you go to church and put money in a collection plate does not signify what you actually believe.
- God did not make you a perfect creature. You can be wrong. Rise up, learn, and prosper.
- If you treat someone in a way you wouldn't want to be treated, perhaps you shouldn't treat people that way.
- You were made to laugh and enjoy life in the company of others. Do so, as often as possible, in as healthy a way as possible.
- Charity isn't always a financial donation. Sometimes, it is a kind ear, an extra effort, or another service you do for others rather than yourself.
- Just because you're flawed doesn't mean you're a failure. That's just your path in life.
Take what you can from those. Feel free to call me out on any or all of those if I fall short.