Christian
To be a Christian today is a bold choice. It is bold because it is a choice and a way of living to honor God and his creation.
Christians are followers of Jesus Christ. Some may ask why are Christians hated today and why were they hated at the time of Christ? What follows is a very brief summary of the tie of religion and the quest for power.
Very brief history of early Christianity
Lessons from our history note that emperors and rulers relied on religion to unite peoples. If they captured this aspect of life above all, as well as other facets, they had a kingdom. I.e. look at the early roman persecutions before 300 a.d. At this time, the emperor and lords demanded that everyone worship and offer sacrifice to a pagan idol. Simply said, the authorities indicate to which idol the people are to worship. If they worship it, they are part of the emperor’s kingdom. If not, the sword awaits them. Mind you, Christians were at this time not a publicly accepted form of religion. They were considered trouble makers and dividers. Why? Well this notion of Jesus Christ raising from the dead that prophecies and scriptures tell of, took place and is spreading.
As Jesus and the promised land of heaven echoes throughout regions and foreign lands, it makes every king shiver. Why? Because Jesus is not an acceptable form of worship. This means that whole hosts of people rejected offering sacrifice to strange idols. It means that their kingdom was not united. It means those who followed Christ were slaughtered wholesale. No different today whether be it a physical, political, emotional, or psychological death. Anyway, continuing on, as the persecutions continued it was the bishops, priests, and deacons who met the sword first before the rest of the faithful. Why? because these were the leaders spreading the faith. The rationale behind this is, If they kill them, they kill the resistance within the kingdom, and if they kill them and all other Christians, they have a united kingdom.
How was Christianity officially recognized?
How was Christianity officially recognized? Briefly, the emperor Constantine was outnumbered 5:1 in battle. One account suggests that in his sleep Christ revealed to Constantine that “with this sign” you will conquer. That sign being, the sign of the cross. So, Constantine ordered his troops to put the Sign of the cross on their shields and so forth. Just like in the Old testament, the Lord of hosts delivered his people from death and won victory. Part of the agreement between our Lord and Constantine was that he would ratify the Christians in the kingdom. Constantine was baptized on his deathbed. He is considered along with Charlemagne as a Christian Civil defender. These two people are recognized in bronze statues in the breeze way of the facade in St. Peter’s basilica in Rome.
More Christian history to be continued…
Our Catholic Deaf Community shares the same faith as those who gave their lives out of Christian witness. We aspire that in Orange County California we may spread the faith to peoples that know not Jesus Christ. To join our Deaf ministry crusade contact us.
Catholic ASL
The Diocese of Orange has Catholic ASL resources at your fingertips. Search among our Christian ASL database in the links above to find what you are looking for. Catholic American Sign Language videos are posted every week. We train Christian American Sign Language ministry leaders. Our ASL Church liturgies attract many from all over the Greater Los Angeles area.
Catholic ASL
Do you know that you can find a Deaf Church near you? Catholic Churches that support the Deaf and Hard of hearing can be found in our custom directory.
The definition of the word “catholic” is universal. ASL is short for American Sign Language. You can find a church universally in sign language almost anywhere in the word. Check it out!
Those of you residing in Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, and San Diego you can see our mass times here. Anyone who wants to find an online Catholic Deaf church service can click here.
ASL Church
A big component of any Deaf Church is the use of American Sign Language. This includes parents of Deaf children. Family members of the Deaf are in most ways obligated to know ASL anyways. Language within any culture is cherished or sacred. It is the language that they relate to God and the manner in which they yearn to know God through.
We realize that many have relatives that are Deaf and do not yet know ASL. Attending our services, retreats, and other public gatherings increases your language receptivity skills. “Little by little” as the idiom goes. In no time our Deaf community will support you in your ASL language quest. Over a couple years you will be up-to-speed and converse fluently in Sign Language.
Catholic American Sign Language
In addition to already being fluent in ASL or if you are learning the language you will find that there are different signs for biblical terms. Yes, nearly every Christian denomination has it’s own version of biblical terms. Why? Because the signs used denotes the underlying theology. i.e. Catholic American Sign Language signs will be different than most protestant or baptist churches. Some Christian ASL signs are the same i.e. “sin”. What is more interesting is the differences between national Catholic sign languages. For example, the Catholic ASL sign for God is a bent open-B arching above the head with your dominant hand. In Italy, LIS is the sign language use there. For God, it is simply the index finger of your dominant hand pointed upward. International Catholic sign language signs are different but, underlying the same theology.
What is even more odd or confusing is to find non-denominational churches using the same signs other non-American Catholic countries are using. For example, non-denominational Christian American Sign Language for a term may be the index finger pointed upward like the Catholics in Italy do. But the question remains as to whether their notion or understanding of the triune God is the same. Interesting huh? Welcome to the Church! At any rate we welcome you to our ASL Church.
Tags: Catholic Deaf Community, Catholic Faith for the Deaf, Orange County ASL