People who haveВ little or nothing, also have little or nothing to loseВ and are often more willing to live for something more important than themselves and their own pleasure. Anointed leaders emerge and people are summoned to courage and sacrifice (including loss of life) in order to create a better, more just world for succeeding generations. From spiritual growth to great courageВ вЂ“ Having been steeled in the crucible of suffering, courage and the ability to endure great sacrifice come forth.Suffering brings wisdom and demands a spiritual discipline that seeks justice and solutions. Sufferings and injustices cause-even force-spiritual growth. American culture was formed by the injustices that grew in colonial times. Western Christendom emerged from the chaotic conflicts during the decline of the Roman Empire and the movements of often fierce вЂњbarbarianвЂќ tribes.

The Christian faith and the Church came out of 300 years of persecution. The Ancient Jews were in bondage for 400 years in Egypt.

From bondage to spiritual growthВ вЂ“ Great civilizations are formed in the crucible.

My brief reflections follow in plain text. LetвЂ™s look at each of the eight stages.В The names of the stages are from TylerвЂ™s book and are presented in bold red text. They provide a great deal of perspective to what we are currently experiencing. I first encountered these in in Ted FlynnвЂ™s book The Great Transformation.

Sociologists and anthropologists have described the stages of the rise and fall of the worldвЂ™s great civilizations.В Scottish philosopher Alexander Tyler of the University of Edinburg noted eight stages that articulate well what history discloses. There seems to be no basis for true reform and the deepening darkness suggests that we are moving into the last stages of a disease. Greed, aversion to sacrifice, secularism, divorce, promiscuity, and the destruction of the most basic unit of civilization (the family), do not make for a healthy culture. We are in a tailspin we donвЂ™t seem to be able to pull ourselves out of. But now it appears that we are at the end of an era. Whatever its imperfections (and there were many), great beauty, civilization, and progress emerged at the crossroads of faith and human giftedness. An old song says, вЂњOnly what you do for Christ will last.вЂќ Yes, all else passes the Church is like an ark in the passing waters of this world and in the floodwaters of times like these.ДЇor those of us who love our country and our culture, the pain is real.В By GodвЂ™s grace, many fair flowers have come from Western culture as it grew over the past millennium. Cultures and civilizations come and go only the Church (though often in need of reform) and true biblical culture remain. We who live in painful times like these do well to recall these truths. Over time, many civilizations and cultures have risen and then fallen. Octo( Archdiocese of Washington) - Cultures and civilizations go through cycles.

What is the past of fall