Blindness, Fear, & Ignorance

by Matthew Sweet

Spiritual blindness knows no borders; sadly, it is everywhere. It appears to be more prevalent in some areas than others. In the province of Cartago, Costa Rica, there is a beautiful district called Orosi with a population of around 9,000. According to Wikipedia, it is about 145 square miles. Inside that district is the town of Orosi where the oldest Catholic church in the country Iglesia de San Jose de Orosi was built in 1743.

Many of the people living there have properties that were either their great grandfather’s or grandfather’s. Because of that, certain neighborhoods or blocks have several relatives living there. Many of those relatives are members of that Catholic church. Some are practicing Catholics, but many are just Catholic in name. While trying to reach others for Christ in Orosi, we have come to understand things about tradition and culture that affect people there in a negative way. Many say they are Catholic because their family is Catholic. It is the family tradition. As a result, it is difficult to reach them for Christ because of the fear of breaking from tradition. If one is fortunate to win someone to Christ, getting them to come to the church to grow spiritually is equally as difficult for the same reason. There is also the fear of being ostracized. This ignorance is a result of the fact that most do not own a copy of the Word of God. They rely on the Catholic priest reading from his Bible as being sufficient. We know that is to keep them blinded or shielded from the truth by keeping them ignorant of God’s Word.

It is not hard to talk with the people about God. They profess to “know God” but it is only a head knowledge. Many will tell you that they do not know if they are going to heaven or hell. One is our dentist Roberto. Many like Emily trust in good intentions and works. The rare one like our neighbor Roberth knows he is going to hell. We have spent hours witnessing to these three to no avail. We have come to realize that we have to build a relationship with them just to gain the opportunity to witness. It is our hope that this relationship building process (allowing our testimony to speak to them) will be what the Holy Spirit will use to help break through their blindness and help them see the true and living light.

I am reminded of a story that I heard a few years ago that is equal parts sad and comical. In the city of Cartago, there is a large Catholic Basilica. Around two million of the five million population go there the last days of July and the first days of August to worship or do penance to the Black Virgin. At this Basilica is a shrine to the different Catholic virgin idols of Latin American countries.

There are other things on display such as items donated in hopes of getting Mary’s blessings, both personal and for loved ones. Outside of this Basilica there is a kiosk where people can bring bottles to receive “Holy Water.” One year this kiosk was closed because it was found that the water was contaminated. This is about as ironic as it gets. One would think many would be turned from such pagan worship as a result of such blatant lies, but sadly, many continue to allow Satan to use that “religion” to blind them.

I recently received a message from Brandon, a teenage boy in Orosi:
“I had told you that I am Catholic, and I go to your church because I like the way you celebrate things in church, and I also like it because when you read the Bible, you give good advice. That is why I go to your church because I really like the advice you give. The advice you give is in the Bible, and how it talks about God.”

Though I am not sure what he means by “the way we celebrate things,” this shows that there is hope for some. We covet your prayers for him and his family.

Not all is gloom and doom in Orosi. People have been hearing God’s Word. We do see souls saved. We just have to pray more and work even harder because we know that 1 Corinthians 15:58 says that our labour is not in vain in the Lord.

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