American Cities
Every American city has a core. Around that core are rings of suburbs. As we move outward, the lots are bigger. When we get into the county, many homes are on multi-acre lots carved from old farms within living memory.
Those who’ve moved into the outer rings within the past thirty or forty years came from decaying parts of the inner rings. They were usually Catholic. When they moved into the country, they dived into a sea of Protestants.
Many drowned. There were no more neighborhood parishes small enough for them to walk to Church. Instead, they often had to drive many miles. Many felt the effort was too much. Most of their neighbors didn’t go to church. There is a widespread belief in rural areas that “It’s not important if we go to church. The most important thing is to believe.” That sentence is accompanied by sincere, wide-eyed nods.
Have Rings Around Them
As a result of living without a trustworthy structure, they began to fall ever farther from faith. They have forgotten that many of their ancestors were discriminated against for generations, but still managed to keep faith with The Church.
These “immigrants to the country”, descended from faithful stalwarts, have broken the chain connecting their generations with truth. At Judgment Day, they will understand what they, and their children, have lost because they broke the chain.
Thanks for reading ‘American Cities Have Rings Around Them’.
