Is Sin Obsolete?

Catholics are often derided or ridiculed for their sense of guilt.  The Sacrament of Reconciliation is considered a relic of the past, even by people who consider themselves “practicing Catholics.”   Sin itself is viewed as nothing more than a superstitious explanation of normal human urges which the Church unfairly attempts to suppress.   Catholic morality is not merely ignored, it is now under attack, and in some cases being labeled as “intolerance” and even a violation of human rights. 

The Obama administration is quite literally attacking the moral teaching of the Church in three areas: marriage, abortion, and religious freedom.  Not only is this administration seeking repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, it has promulgated thousands of pages of new regulations and financial penalties in an attempt to force employers, even those with religious objections, to pay for contraceptive and abortive drugs, as well as surgical sterilization.   Less publicized have been the government’s decisions to cancel long-standing contracts with Catholic social service agencies based on the Church’s refusal to provide abortion services, despite these agencies winning bids based on objective performance criteria.  In other instances, Catholic adoption services have been forced to shut down due to their refusal to accept gay couples as prospective parents.

Ironically, despite its insistence that the Church not impose its morality on others, the State is imposing its morality on the Church.  All of this brings to mind the question of sinfulness.   Is there such a thing as sin?  Pope John Paul the Great often said the Church imposes nothing, but it proposes a moral guide for the attainment of happiness.  More specifically, he said:

“When freedom does not have a purpose, when it does not wish to know anything about the rule of law engraved in the hearts of men and women, when it does not listen to the voice of conscience, it turns against humanity and society.” 

Unwittingly, our own government seems to have turned against humanity and society.  Mohandas Gandhi identified seven social sins:  politics without principle, wealth without work, commerce without morality, pleasure without conscience, education without character, science without humanity, and worship without sacrifice.  When I read this list, I was alarmed about how accurately it describes what’s going on here in America.  Are we falling collectively into these social sins?  Is this the direction our government is leading us with its attacks on life and marriage?   Is our citizenry passively accepting this moral decline because it’s easier than forming a real conscience based on natural law and the guidance of our moral leaders?   Have we lost the capacity to listen to “the rule of law engraved in our hearts?”

In the absence of critical thinking based on natural law, we accept fallacious arguments, like those attempting to make the argument for gay marriage which claim “no harm.”   But in countries where gay marriage is now legal, conventional marriage rates have declined from already low levels, as have birthrates.  Moreover, schools teach that homosexuality is natural (despite the obvious truth of our biology to the contrary), and that anyone who disagrees is an intolerant bigot.   Is that where America is headed?  I close with another quote from John Paul the Great:  “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.”  Let’s pray for marriage, our families, and our nation.

A Dangerous Misconception about Common Good

The readings after Easter from Acts of the Apostles demonstrate the ebullient early Church, filled with the Holy Spirit and attracting people by the thousands.   After 2000 years of growth and general acceptance, despite persecution, martyrdom, heresy, and not a few misguided leaders, the history of the Church points to an interesting observation.  When the Church is persecuted, it seems to grow stronger, and when things seem to be running smoothly, the Church falls into decline.   Take Europe and America, for example.  Under Roman persecution, Christianity grew rapidly, despite the perils of martyrdom.  In America where Catholicism was distained and even outlawed in some of the colonies, it flourished and eventually became the largest segment of Christianity.  But when things settled down and economic growth brought prosperity during the 20^th century, Church attendance declined and so has general morality.

For thousands of years, spiritual concerns dictated the “common good” and undergird political decisions.  Now it seems that the common good is determined by an ideology of “whatever I want.” Absolute freedom of expression is considered the highest common good, “as long as no one gets hurt.”  Under this scenario, it’s easy to turn a blind eye to consequences that might indicate otherwise.  Morality is considered an antiquated notion, replaced by the secular norm of personal entitlement.

Taking a closer look at this, let’s consider how popular morality (or lack thereof) has evolved since we have scientifically separated fertility from sex.   Even Freud, an avowed atheist, warned that separating sex from procreation would wreck havoc on society.   Sex without consequences changes the very way we think and act.  Many say there’s no harm in masturbation; nobody gets hurt, it satisfies a natural human urge, etc.  Similarly, pornography is considered a “victimless” offense.  Or is it?  Masturbation can easily become habitual and if justified as “normal,” it changes the way that person views themselves and others.  They begin to see others as objects for their pleasure, and themselves as entitled to pleasure and satisfaction.   This changes the dynamic of personal relationships such that commitment is limited to what’s good for me, not the other person.  Personal dignity and respect are replaced by a “what’s in it for me” attitude.   Sex is considered a play thing, with no reason to practice self-control or continence.  No wonder there’s so much cohabitation without marriage, and such high divorce rates.  Perhaps people with this attitude are incapable of the spiritual maturity to make a lifelong commitment to the good of a spouse and children. 

As for the “victimless” notion?  There is a rape in this country every 2 minutes.  Does anyone really think this is completely separated from the selfish perception that I deserve whatever pleasure I want, and other people are there for my use?  As if 260,000 rapes a year weren’t bad enough, over 1 million babies are killed in their mothers’ womb every year because there were unintended and inconvenient.  All this violence has at its source, the notion that “I am entitled to whatever pleasure I want.”  Victimless?  Seriously?

As a society, we seem to be moving away from moral imperatives derived from our spiritual beliefs, and the consequences are staggering.   Spiritual realities are denied and considered superstitions from a bygone era, while the consequences of our moral decline are conveniently ignored.  I’ve written frequently about the serious economic and social consequences of the declining population in Europe, and America is on that same path.  Moreover, Christianity is under assault worldwide.  Persecution and martyrdom are once again becoming commonplace in Muslim countries.  Over a million Christians have fled Egypt since the Muslim brotherhood took control of the government, and 80 Christians were killed at an Easter service in Nigeria last week.  I bet you haven’t heard any of that from the mass media. 

In America, contraception and abortion are demanded by our government as fundamental “women’s rights,” to be funded with tax dollars.  The Oregon legislature recently passed a bill that will require all employers to pay for abortions, and New York wants to define abortion as a fundamental human right (while apparently ignoring and violating our first amendment right to religious freedom).   The freedom to practice our religious belief that contraception and abortion are wrong is being denied by our federal government.  Perhaps all this oppression and persecution will have the same effect as it did on the early Christians.   Paradoxically, now may be the time our faith will once again become a magnet to those who want more than the secular world can offer.  In a world rampant with disappointment, depression, and despair over violence and lack of meaningful relationships, perhaps our Christian witness will attract a resurgence of interest in fundamental morality as the foundation for our common good.  Pray for it!

The Most Important Thing You'll Ever Need to Know

If you think about it, the most meaningful and rewarding experiences of life have to do with love.   Falling in love, marriage and marital intimacy, the birth of a child, all rank among the most deeply moving and fulfilling moments of our lives.  All of our most meaningful relationships are characterized by feelings of love and joy that we experience nowhere else.   I believe the reason for this is that, at the core of our existence, we ourselves are not only the product of love, but the embodiment of it as well.  We were conceived from the physical expression of love by our parents, and God, who is Love, created us and all that exists, out of His Love which is the life force or energy that created all existence, including our bodies, souls and spirits. 

Of course these intense experiences of love cannot be sustained at a high level throughout our lives.  Too often we become so preoccupied by the activities of daily living that we fail to recognize the existence and manifestation of Love all around us.  Since all love is about relationships, when we look inward and concern ourselves with our personal needs and desires, love can be all but forgotten.   Over time, if we stifle the mystery of love in our relationship with other people, all reality becomes a game of give and take.  If we begin to live primarily for ourselves, we inadvertently shut out others, or simply neglect relationships which then drift apart. 

So here it is, the most important thing you’ll ever need to know:  Each one of us is the embodiment of God’s love, and so is every other person God created. This is why the Catholic Church teaches that every human life is sacred and deserves the utmost respect, from the moment of conception until natural death.   If we can remember this and always be aware that every other person is also the embodiment of God’s love, our life will be rich with meaning, and far more fulfilling than if we go through life under the haze of impartiality that can dampen or destroy the mystery and joy of life.  To fully appreciate and enjoy life, we must cultivate love and practice it by living not only for ourselves but for others.  This is the great mystery of life, as revealed to us by God, who not only became one of us, but died for us in order to demonstrate that dying is not the end of life, but the beginning of eternal life in the Spirit. 

The Pascal Mystery of Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection reveals the depth of God’s love and shows us the path to the fullness of life, not just human life, but life in the Spirit.  This is the message of Easter; this is the reason for our Joy.  Jesus has saved us from ourselves by conquering sin and death.  He demonstrated once and for all that we have been created for much more than this life alone.  We have been created to live in unity with God for all eternity.