Dear
Parishioners,
We
live in a PC world. The news media often
drives it. We have become so cautious
not to offend anyone. As a result, we may
wind up compromising what we truly believe in the name of tolerance. There are rumblings among the populus, however, that ever-more people are becoming fed-up with what is going on.
What
if the early Christians acted in the same manner? Would they have been so cautious not to
proclaim Jesus is Lord in the face
of torture and death? As I celebrated
the feast of the Apostles Sts. Philip and James at Mass this morning (Tuesday, May 3, 2016), I thought about how the
early Apostles were willing to die rather than compromise their beliefs. How easy it would have been to acknowledge that
Caesar was divine (as was demanded at
the time), and go on living. Couldn’t
Jesus just be acknowledged as one god
among many other gods? After all, the
Greeks and Romans were polytheistic cultures and would more than likely tolerate
one more god. It would be the politically correct thing to do at that
time. Instead, the early Christians bravely
faced torture and death in their unwavering proclamation that Jesus is the Risen Son of God. For them, there was no other option.
Today,
we may not say certain things are objectively wrong for fear of offending
someone. Abortion is not killing an
innocent human being (dare I say murder?)
but a woman’s choice. Marriage
(the permanent, exclusive, open-to children
union between a man and a woman) is
redefined not according to timeless, divine principles but as we enlightened
humans currently see fit. We don’t call
co-habitation fornication, but a trial-marriage. Euthanasia (killing the
elderly) is mercy-killing. Adulterers
are swingers. The difference between partial-birth abortion and Infanticide is negligible.
Homosexual acts fall into the category of an alternate lifestyle. Artificial contraception is never wrong or
sinful in many people’s mind. There is
no longer a proper understanding that we have a moral obligation to God to attend Mass weekly. Wrong becomes right. Right is no longer right.
The world is horribly confused.
And this confusion does have serious, eternal consequences.
God
in timeless wisdom and with apparently incredible patience looks at us and, I
suspect, desires that we would listen and obey.
There is a law written in your
hearts. I sent you the prophets. I even
gave you my only Son as my definitive
Word. You
have centuries of saints and martyrs witnessing to the truth by their lives. My gift
of the Holy Spirit continues to guide the Church. Please listen. Don’t delay.
I
trust that God is all-merciful. There is an emphasis on His mercy in this Jubilee Year of Mercy. I also believe that God is all-just. God’s justice is tempered by His mercy. (See James 2: 12-13) Mercy is offered to us so that we admit our
sinfulness, desire to change our erring ways and completely conform our lives
to the teachings of Christ. Mercy is not
like a get out of jail free
card. We can’t just continue with our
sinful ways assuming God to be some pushover—some lenient parent—who will continually let us do whatever we want
without consequences. We are all going to Heaven despite what we
do here on earth. Not really. Why would Jesus have suffered and died in such
a horrible manner if we all just go to Heaven no matter what we think, say or
do? No, if we refuse mercy, if we refuse
to listen, if we fail to change, then God remains all-just. We will get what
we actually deserve. And it wasn’t because
God did not try to get through to us time and time again.
If
political correctness blurs our moral correctness then I would suggest
that we make the necessary adjustments to our thinking and acting. We need to realize that the truth—the objective
moral teachings given by Jesus Christ and faithfully proclaimed by His Church—are
the means given us for our eternal
salvation.
And eternal does mean forever.
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
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