Jesus told us that, if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. Yet the seeds most prevalent in society today are not those that bloom into something beautiful, but those that breed discontent, doubt, animosity, or even death. The seeds of life planted within a womb are repeatedly slaughtered. But our faith must remain. If we are to move mountains soften the countless hardened hearts we must rely on God. And we must pray.
It can be difficult to stand up for our faith, for what is right and good, for what we know to be the will of God. We need good leaders clergy who will set that example and show us the way, but we cannot rely only on them. We must also set the example. We must have the courage to take the lead so that others may do the same. And it is only in God that we will find this strength.
As a society, we are pushing God further and further away from us. We put our faith in science when we should be putting it in God. We are even allowing science to take the place of God. If we continue on this path, we must be aware that, when we intentionally force God out of our lives here on Earth, we may be condemning ourselves to eternal life without Him as well.
As we move further into Lent and toward Good Friday, the day Our Lord allowed Himself to be crucified so that we may have eternal life with Him, we reflect more and more on His suffering. While His crucifixion story had a glorious ending in His resurrection, there is no glorious ending to the daily crucifixion of thousands of preborn babies. Not only is a child needlessly slaughtered, but left behind are wounded mothers, fathers, siblings, and grandparents. What will it take to end this holocaust?
Once thought of as blessings from God, babies are now merely commodities possessions to be tinkered with at whim. And, when they aren’t wanted, or when something goes wrong, we just discard them like trash and start over. Catholic clergy have spoken about this tragedy that has befallen our society, but not enough have used their voices, nor have they spoken loudly enough. We cannot sit back and watch this calamity unfold. It is time for them all to speak loudly.
The beautiful words of Blessed John Paul II are to be celebrated, pondered, and understood. This holy man truly loved all of God’s children born and preborn and taught that this is how we must live our lives. His inspiring words guide us and teach us. Let us not misunderstand them.
For those of us who realize the truth that life begins the moment a child is created arguments suggesting otherwise are inane. When we hear the assertion that a human being is not alive until he is born despite his beating heart, moving limbs, functioning organs, and so on we wonder how anyone could believe this lie. The fundamental right to life is denied every second of every day in America because of this lie and we must not allow this insanity to continue.
Love the sinner, hate the sin. That is something we are taught from the time we are children. But, in today’s society, we are now taught to tolerate the sin, embrace the sin, or even advocate for the sin. If we dare to mention that a type of behavior is sinful, we are castigated and branded intolerant. As we regularly see, Catholic clergy often do not give voice to God’s word and God’s will. Consequently, we now live in a society where it is the peoples will that rules. Why have we silenced God?
It seems that, lately, those who agree that abortion is a woman’s choice are the only ones who are allowed to speak out. If you are pro-life and state this, or hold a sign to make others aware, then you are labeled intolerant, hateful, or hurtful. But we cannot stop using our voices, for the people we speak for do not have voices yet. They are the ones being slaughtered. And we are the ones who must protect them.
Unselfish love a true, Christlike love means always wanting what’s best for the other person and putting others before yourself. This love in no way includes the premature death of a living person. On this day of love and affection, let us not forget all that Christ has taught us. Let us not forget that He suffered and died for us. And let us allow our Christlike love to spill forth and cover our loved ones who are in pain rather than allowing our fears and misguided compassion to snuff out their lives.
Catholic bishops and clergy have a responsibility to not only make their voices heard, but to teach those of the Catholic faith how to use their own voices. This means that the clergy must instruct and teach regularly about Catholic tenets and doctrine, yet we do not see this. As we see a continuing moral decline in our country, we realize now more than ever that we need to hear a roar rather than a whimper.
Satan may be depicted as a red-horned creature, but his appearance is much more insidious. He comes to us through other people, through actions, through thoughts all of which may seem rather innocuous unless you truly examine them. It’s all too easy for thoughts to creep into our heads and hearts that make sins seem “not so bad” and that’s how Satan works. He chips away at morality one stone at a time, until there’s nothing left.